Klarinet Archive - Posting 000020.txt from 2006/04

From: kurtheisig@-----.net
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Clem Hutchinson
Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2006 02:57:13 -0400

Wayne,

Re Clem Hutchinson:

I played alto sax my senior year in high school in the Santa Clara Valley Youth Band under Hutch, and years later he hired me as his Associate Conductor.

The first sax lesson I had with Hutch was in the fall of 1964. I walked in while he was practicing the Nielsen. That was the first time I heard it. WOW! It was unbelievable! Imagine getting to sit there and listen to him practicing it.

I started clarinet with him around April, and was a clarinet major under him at SJSU.
(I did a double major-clarinet and sax, though only did my senior recital on sax.) He was also my conducting professor and a HUGE inspiration!

He encouraged me to audition for a scholarship on sax, but insisted that I become a clarinet major in order to catch up. I am SURE that it was at his urging, that Gib Walters bought that Selmer VI low A Bari Sax that was issued to me ONLY. That was the big scholarship for me, my "own" Selmer to have and play. Clem was in charge of the wind chamber ensembles at State then. In those days the San Jose State Sax Quartet was a professional level group and he shoved me right in there sink or swim at 17. A lot of what he did with us was to instigate things, tell us stories about others in the past, and then we had to perform.

In lessons he was incredibly detailed, and you just felt Arey's presence as he explained EXACTLY how to play things.

For a couple of years he also conducted the Symphonic Band at SJSU.

Though left-handed he was basically ambidextrous, and one thing he did that would REALLY keep you on your toes, was to let the baton CHANGE HANDS in downstrokes!

Stories, as I REMEMBER them.

In high school he was first clarinet at Interlochen, with a number of later famous clarinetists under him. He went on to study at Eastman under Rufous "Mont" Arey. He thought he was pretty hot stuff after being first chair at Interlochen, and Arey told him he was going to completely change how he played.....

His senior year he took off and went on the road playing to get a feel for it and decide if he wanted to teach or play. When he came back to Eastman his senior year he was hired to teach beside Arey. They had had an influx of 30 new clarinet majors and Hutch would take them 3 of their 4 lessons each month. As I understand it, Arey did not have a degree, and Hutch was still a senior.....

His first job after his degree was the Marching Band at Oklahoma State (for any that know Hutch.....). He used to tell me that he was the first one to tie the opening of the Beethoven 5th and a V together in WWII in a field show.....

Soon he was drafted and used to tell me how the Army Bands were full of symphony players and college professors. After morning rehearsals they would spend all day over a basket of reeds from a very common maker trying to get ONE reed that would work for the next day! Schikelgruber's romp across Europe had cut off all of the reed supplies for players, and this common company had gotten the exclusive contract for ALL US Gov't purchasing (Not strictly true I found out a few years ago from Chuck Olivieri---his father had gotten the contract for the Marine Band only, and had taken his young son Chuck to Majorca to found the Olivieri reed company.).
That common company, according to Hutch, used the cuttings from the 1939 Pasadena Freeway and from fields in Mexico. The cane was awful, but all the cane the US military had to fight a war on....

After the war Clem went to USC to earn his master's and to support his young family played OBOE in the studios because of the paucity of oboe players in the studios.

Clarence Sawhill arranged a lesson for him with a now old Langenus. The lesson consisted of playing for Langenus for 5 hours, whatever Langenus asked him to play. Clem wondered why Langenus never corrected anything, but was so awed to be in Langenus presence he didn't care! It turned out that that was his audition to become a professor at USC. Langenus had said to Sawhill "Mr Hutchinson plays everything as I would---hire him!"

I used to love to hear him play clarinet in the Santa Clara Philharmonic in the 60's. The San Jose Orchestra was a pro orchestra. The Santa Clara Phil was an "amateur" orchestra conducted by Gib Walters with Clem playing first clarinet, Joan Butterfield on flute (Joan was one of my flute teachers, and, sorry to say, just passed away last month), and Jim Butterfield on bassoon. It was by far the better orchestra. As a high school kid it was a thrill to sit there listening to Hutch and the Butterfields.

As a freshman, I had taught privately for a couple years and answered an ad to teach in a music store. I asked Clem to be my reference and he called them and told them what a fine teacher I was and then winked at me while he told them what I charged! My FIRST increase in rates! He would always promote his students to others.

One day I came by his office and he introduced me to Wm Stubbins and then excused himself and I got to spend time with this great teacher alone. What a grand time that was!

Another time he got Clarence Sawhill to come to San Jose State for two days of clinics with the band. A real thrill.

When I met him in '64 I think he was 48, which would make him about 90 now. It is great to hear he is still around.

Kurt

-----Original Message-----
>From: Wayne Thompson <wthompson222@-----.net>
>Sent: Apr 2, 2006 9:01 PM
>To: klarinet@-----.org
>Subject: [kl] Re: Clem Hutchinson
>
>Kurt Heisig and I studied with Clement Hutchison at
>San Jose State College, California, in 1965. Is it
>the same person? He played the Neilson Concerto with
>the San Jose Symphony, the first time I had ever heard
>of Carl Neilson. Kurt studied with him and got a
>degree and I dropped out and learned electronics in
>the Navy. I just searched his name in the archives
>and I see that Dan Leeson had said that he heard that
>he had died.
>
>He's living and talking clarinet still? This is
>wonderful news.I want to see him and say hello!
>
>Thanks!
>Wayne T.
>
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