Klarinet Archive - Posting 000169.txt from 2000/12

From: Shouryunus Sarcasticii <jnohe@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] The clarinet & modern music
Date: Mon, 4 Dec 2000 13:51:32 -0500

On Sun, 3 Dec 2000, William Wright wrote:

> Probably this is a personal question, but I wonder how any people
> on this list play jazz (perhaps in addition to other genres)?

I'm actually one of the dominating jazz figures at NMSU right now (not
that I want to be...we just don't have as many jazz saxophonists as we do
traditional saxophonists now, compared to when I first got here). The
stupid thing about it is that I got into jazz completely by accident and
now I'm hooked.

"Hey, um...we need more saxes."
"You...need more saxes where?"
"Jazz. Only nine are auditioning, we need a tenth."
"Jeremy, you know I can't read my way out of a wet paper bag when
it comes to saxophone...I survived marching band using my EARS.
That doesn't work when I have my own part. I'm a clarinet player."
"Please?"

Insert pleas from two other auditioners later in the day, and I
end up auditioning into a brick wall and into the 2nd tenor seat. Four
years later, I'm in a gigging combo where I also play bass clarinet (not
quite Eric Dolphy...I like to stay in the change *smirk*) and sing.

I do have my regrets, though. I've spent a lot of time to become
a better saxophonist in general and a better jazzer all around...and I
often have misgivings on if my time would have been better spent
strengthening my clarinetistry. My roommate assures me that my
"excellence in clarinet results in excellence on sax," but when people ask
me why I didn't major on sax instead of clarinet, it only fosters more
doubts...

J. Shouryu Nohe
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe
Professor of SCSM102, New Mexico State Univ.
"Never put passion before principle. Even when win, you lose."
-Miyagi-san, KKpt.II

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