Klarinet Archive - Posting 000920.txt from 1998/02

From: "Edwin V. Lacy" <el2@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Backwards clarinets
Date: Wed, 25 Feb 1998 15:09:22 -0500

One of the most famous of photographs which include clarinets being
printed backward is the instance of the only known picture of Buddy
Bolden, the earliest identifiable jazz innovator. He was a cornet player,
and he is shown with his band in a photograph taken before 1895. As the
photo is usually shown, the guitar and bass players look like they are
playing in the normal fashion. However, all the other instruments are
reversed. There are two clarinet players in the band, both playing what
appear in the somewhat fuzzy photo to be Albert system instruments.
However, their hands are reversed, left hand on the bottom, and the little
finger keys are on the wrong side. Also, the valve trombone player is
holding the instrument in his right hand, with the left hand fingers on
the valves, and the position in which he holds it would cause the tubing
to go on his right side.

Bolden himself is holding his cornet in the right hand, indicating that he
might operate the valves with the left hand. This might be possible, and
other players have played that way. However, a closer look shows that the
cornet would be reversed, with the main tubing on the wrong side of the
lead pipe.

So the obvious conclusion is that the photo should be reversed, and the
bass and guitar players were left handed and had their instruments set up
to accomodate that fact.

One jazz history text shows both versions of the picture, apparently
allowing the reader to choose their preferred version.

Ed Lacy
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Dr. Edwin Lacy University of Evansville
Professor of Music 1800 Lincoln Avenue
Evansville, IN 47722
el2@-----.edu (812)479-2754
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