The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ruben
Date: 2020-08-21 00:44
Who remembers or has ever heard of Stan Hasselgard, the Swedish jazz clarinetist who died at the tender age of 26 in a car crash in the late 40s? Check him ouy: fluid, inventive, modern and lyrical.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2020-08-21 04:07
Hasselgard grew up playing something between traditional jazz and Goodman style swing, but adopted a be-bop style on clarinet just around the time that Goodman was taking (what turned out to be a brief) interest in that style. I've always thought that Hasselgard sounded best when he was performing on stage as a featured sideman with Goodman. The Swede's clarinet became most alive and inventive under the watchful eye of taskmaster Benny, who just might have been wondering if he could crib a bit of the bop style from the younger man, but soon dropped the idea. It's impossible to say what direction Hasselgard might have pursued if he had not died so untimely three years after WWII. Whether headed towards be-bop or cool or post bop clarinet, he would have had to cut his own path. Goodman retreated more into classical, pop, and slightly updated swing, deciding that the later reaches of jazz were not for him. Hasselgard might have fared well further developing something like Artie Shaw's late style (harmonically more daring than Goodman's) but I don't know if he was ever inclined in that direction. Given Shaw's ego, it's unlikely he ever would have permitted Hasselgard (or any other clarinetist) to share a featured spot with him the way Goodman did with Hasselgard.
Post Edited (2020-08-21 20:04)
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2020-08-21 04:36
Here's Benny and Stan playing together. To me, it sounds as if Benny starts first, then from 1:50-2:14, they play in unison. After their unison playing, I believe it switches over to Stan. Very close to the end, at 2:35-2:40 they play in unison again and, afterward, I believe Benny plays a few more solo notes until the end of the song.
(Benny Goodman/Stan Hasselgard-All the things you are)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbSC8ktMMxk
I like this recording of Stan better because his tone sounds much more mellow to me than on other recordings.
(Åke "Stan" Hasselgard - Lonesome road)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS5Z1Elkgkw.
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