Klarinet Archive - Posting 000479.txt from 2000/12

From: Knaphet@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Peplowski continued.
Date: Sat, 9 Dec 2000 13:22:32 -0500

Some would say that Eddie Daniels and Don Byron are "cutting edge" jazz
clarinetists. Maybe you are right that the youngster should listen to
Goodman first: I know I did, but it has been so long that I can't remember
my initial reaction to him, except I think I did listen to him constantly for
a while.

I continue in my defense of Peplowski...I agree that he is backward-looking.
So is pianist Marcus Roberts, so is any "early music" performer, so is Antony
Pay. Backward-looking in the sense that within the structure of a piece or
style, the performer demonstrates thought, preparation and even significant
research into the way they play "old" music. Might not be stretching like
pianist Cecil Taylor or Coltrane on "Live at the Village Vanguard again" or
whatever.

It is my opinion that much in jazz has already been done, so innovative
performers are out there today, but fewer than in the middle of the century.
"Jazz Clarinet" has always been a funny niche in jazz, maybe because of Benny
Goodman. The clarinet has not been a large part of the avante-garde to my
knowledge. Don Byron these days is sometimes described as avante-garde, but
for the most part, jazz clarinet has been a small niche in jazz, relatively
small in terms of numbers of successful artists and major innovations. To be
a working jazz clarinetist, most practical-minded students would learn how to
play like Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, and Artie Shaw first.

My point is that there may not be anyone "carrying the torch" for jazz
clarinet these days, only because there is no torch to be carried. I respect
Peplowski for what he has been able to do within the style constraints that
have been presented to him.

--Anthony T

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