 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2005-04-09 05:18
Oops! Accidently deleted my entire post instead of editing just the part I wanted.
Post Edited (2007-10-05 03:39)
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Author: Robert Moody
Date: 2005-04-09 19:36
Excellent. David, you always please me with your offering of the "latest thing" you've heard. It was you that pointed me towards Guisganderie a few years ago that got me intouch with Joze Kotar who sent me the parts which allowed me to play the Guisganderie with band.
A good name to see over the years. Cool that you're there. 
Robert Moody
http://www.musix4me.com
Free Clarinet Lessons and Digital Library!
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Author: Andy Firth
Date: 2007-10-04 22:07
Hi Clarinbass and other interested parties,
What you need to keep in mind is that when I made the "Funky Bee" I was 27 years old and working to keep my head above the sea of rock and pop albums flooding the Australian airwaves and market. The track is from an album called "Fresh Starts" (my first CD effort) and it was a time of fun, excitement and experimentation. You need to lighten up your heart and judgements a little though, I think.
All artists do what they do because their heart dictates that this is way it needs to be at that point in time. If you think the Funky Bee is citche (whatever that means these days), well you'd be amazed at some of the stuff I do that gets audiences on their feet. If I had a dollar for every Stranger on the shore, Golden Wedding and Sing, Sing, Sing performance I done and been asked to do I'd have my own record company! It's great music but after the 100th performance, you long for them to book you to do the Artie Shaw Concerto (which I'm doing this month in QLD actually). You see, being a clarinetist in a rock driven world is hard and most of the people that attend my concerts just want to be dazzled and entertained. I've done my degree in classical playing-KV 622, Weber, Seigmeister, Copland, etc, etc but I chose to play jazz, rock, pop and Latin styles because this is where my heart is. If you don't dig it, don't listen to it. I started the clarinet at 4 1/2 years old because I heard Benny Goodman and Buddy DeFranco on record and I just knew that no matter what it took, I wanted to be able to some of that stuff! I grew up in a small South Australian country town (Pt. Augusta) where if you played clarinet or flute and didn't like footy and cricket, you got beat up on. It was tough and I practiced 5-7 hours a day-no childhood really, just practice and hard work. At the age of 17 the great Don Burrows (a huge influence on my playing) introduced me on National TV at a jazz summit ESSO staged and the rest was learning the ropes, traps and doing all I could to keep my head above water and pay the rent on time. The real world does not provide people like me with the luxury of being able to play only what I want to play and so sometimes I record stuff like "The Funky Bee" just to have some fun. I'm 42 next year and I'm giving my Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Recital Hall with my idol, Buddy DeFranco as my guest artist. I have met and in some case worked with the players that shaped my playing and were and are inspirations to me: Buddy DeFranco Eddie Daniels, Ron Odrich. Buddy invited me to be his guest this year at his Jazz Festival in Montana and we played a concert together. I think that I've done OK for a South Aussie kid from a tough town. I respect your comments but try to understand that the music industry is not the most forgiving place to make a living in. Sometimes paying the rent means backing a really bad celebrity "singer", playing sax solos in rock cover bands, writing and playing corny jingles and other stuff that you wouldn't ask your worst enemy to do. At the end of the day all it comes back to is are you happy doing what you do and do you manage to put a few smiles on your listener's faces now and then and in that respect I think I've been successful. The reason you guys can't get my CDs is that I make them and produce them myself and I can't find a record company that wants to put them out there (I'm one of thousands I'm sure). My website is the best and only way to get them. We make 1,000 copies of each and when they're gone that's it. I sincerely hope that you'll listen to a bit more of my work other than the "Funky Bee" which even I cringe at when people mention or request it on a gig. I've also done a 16 clarinet version of "Lover" (Kenton style) on "Me, Myself & I" and so before you mention that track...it was done for the same reason as the "Funky Bee". I toyed with a funk version of "Moto Perpetuo" by Paganini but decided in the interests of good taste not to. I look forward to joining in on the discussions on this board as I've only just discovered it today when my Brother sent me an EBay message about one of Benny's clarinets being up for grabs. At 12-18,000 US I won't be making a bid. I have to record some more Citche tracks to pay the mortgage...:) Oh, By the way, the day I start believing my own publicity is the day I'll seek therapy.
If you're ever at a gig of mine, please drop backstage and say "G'day!"
Take care,
Cheers!
Andy Firth.
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Author: Andy Firth
Date: 2007-10-04 22:28
Hi Dave,
Thanks mate. I'm glad someone dug the effort. It was mad but fun. I never set out to actually "play" the bumble bee, it was a faked supersonic version. I've played the real thing with orchestras before, not quite as quick but this track was just having a bit of fun on the day. It actually helped move some albums and got good airplay so it's served it's orignal purpose now and it's been put out to pasture for good.
Cheers!
Andy
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Author: 2E
Date: 2007-10-04 23:07
Hey Andy!
I saw you perform with Paul Dean at last years Clarinet Mega Day in Brisbane. Loved your workshop and even had a little jazz solo myself. I love your clarinet and sax big band albums, I remember I got you to sign them.
Keep swingin,
2E.
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Author: donald
Date: 2007-10-04 23:17
heh heh heh
one persons kitch is another persons..... there are a zillion players out there who like Tango arrangements for clarinet quartet, i'm not one of them but i'm not going to hold it against anyone who disagrees with me. At the same time, if people don't feel they can express their opinion on the BB then it becomes bland and unedifying (sp?). It's all about balance i suppose.
Mr Firth- if you get to hang out and play with Danniels, DeFranco (a fine gent eh?) and Odrich (under-rated, and really rhythmically interesting as an improviser the times i've heard him play) then you're in a great place in your life. Keep playing the good tunes.
donald
ps- you still using a Zinner barrel from Mike Lomax? I love mine.
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Author: brycon
Date: 2007-10-05 03:24
Andy,
I when will you be in NYC for your performance? I go to school up the street, and would to stop by and hear you guys play.
Bryan
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Author: buedsma
Date: 2007-10-05 11:19
Even in Belgium they buy his cd's :-)
I certainly like andy's fesh vision on a lot of jazz classics.
There's energy, creativity and humor in it .
Jazz with a heart , with the listener still on the forefront.
More jazz cd's from him are always welcome !
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Author: 2E
Date: 2007-10-05 12:37
In the golden wedding revisited, you go beyond the double top A to an E a fifth above. What fingering are you using for this awesome feat of the altissimo register? 2E
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Author: Andy Firth
Date: 2013-01-04 21:08
Hi fellow clarinetists,
A quick update after such a long time not checking in. Sorry about that. I see that a few people have asked about me and a student alerted me to this. I felt it was rude not to respond.
Yes I'm still breathing and doing 6KM of swimming a week to stay in shape and stay that way. Re: the question about my high note fingering on Golden Wedding-I have no idea really but it's something like 1st finger left hand, 3rd finger RH with Eb vent and register key on and oh, a quick prayer backstage before hand always helps too.All the best and good luck with the high "E" fingering. I actually go up to the "G" above but it's a controlled dog whistle really. 8)
My recordings used to be hard to get because the Australian record companies are either crap or looking for "new ways to approach the instruments". They love signing up "cutting edge and creative artists". I play standards and a few originals here and there and usually you can hear and recognise my melodies so I don't fit the bill for these unfortunately. That's OK though because they give shoking percentages and we don't really need them these days anyway. So the good news is that my deleted CD recordings are all available again for download now on bandcamp.com. There's 16 up now. For how long I don't know. I'm writing tons of classical and chamber works for clarinet, big band, strings, solo piano etc now. Over 500 works to date. They are being published by reedmusic.com in Melbourne. There's a couple of albums up on bandcamp of my quartets and trios/duo for "classical" clarinet if you're interested in hearing my alter ego play. You can listen, download or buy the entire album. I don't sell physical product any more. EMI have warned me via youtube not to use "Sabine Meyer's recording in my performance of the KV622 as they own it" ...that's how crazy the world is becoming! As if I'd insult Sabine by doing this. It's all me folks, every badly played note and phrase. I would never do this to such an amazing artist as Sabine. They obviously didn't actually hear me play it! 8)
There's also a heap of videos on my Youtube site too. andyfirthjazzmusic channel. If you want to join my facebook site (there's two-the Andy Firth-Australian clarinet & saxophone virtuoso and my personal site Andy Firth Music) I'd love to welcome you on board. I post clips, CD tracks, snippets of ideas I'm working and have the occasional dummy spit about the way music is heading/greedy publishers etc.
I'm still gigging all over Australia but rarely do overseas clarinet festivals now because they don't pay me and it's expensive from Australia just to turn up and do a freebie and have a bit of an ego trip working with some great players! Besides, I've played with Buddy DeFranco twice now (once at his Festival in Montana and at my Carnegie Hall debut in 2008) so after that, what's left...?
If you ever come to one of my gigs, please look me up afterwards and say "G'day!".
All the very best to you all for 2013!
Cheers!
Andy Firth (Newcastle, NSW Australia)
PS. Yes I know Eddie Daniels, Ron Odrich and of course my clarinet mentor, Buddy DeFranco. I have HUGE respect for them all and owe a lot of my playing abilities to them. I've been listening to all three gents and will keep doing so 'till my dying day.
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