 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wjk
Date: 2003-11-09 18:23
Exploring the very interesting world of Frank Zappa, I came across a picture of him perfoming with two clarinetists in the band. Does anyone have any suggestions re:Zappa recordings/perfomances that include clarinet?
Thanks!
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Author: harpovitovandoren
Date: 2003-11-10 04:04
My all time favorite Zappa clarinet piece is Moe and Herb's vacation (Zappa and London Symphony Orchestra). Performed by David Ocker (pupil of Michelle Zukovsky). A lovely piece and technically demanding. Definitely worth taking a look at, however the score is not cheap.
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Author: donald
Date: 2003-11-10 08:43
Alessandro Carbonare performed a Zappa piece with Piano at Clarinetfest 2003.... didn't sound very "rock influenced" though.
On "Hey Spinner" and "Somebody ate my planet" by the "Able Tasmans" (sic) there is quite a bit of clarinet. NOT Frank Zappa, but definately "rock clarinet". i think these albums were both released by Flying Nun, might be on Amazon.
donald
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2003-11-10 16:13
Haven't heard any of these but want to. Is the clarinet sound processed at all (reverb, feedback, etc.)?
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-11-10 17:27
I believe there is some clarinet on Captain Beefheart cds
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Author: ken
Date: 2003-11-10 17:36
1) "Gregory Peckery", from Frank's 1978 album, "Sudio Tan" has extensive orchestration for Bb Clarinet and Bass Clarinet.
2) "Spider of Destiny" off of his 1979 LP, "Orchestral Favorites" is scored for full studio orchestra and has plenty of clarinet in it. v/r Ken
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Author: jim lande
Date: 2003-11-11 02:24
Captain Beefheart is art music. Not for everyone. It drives my teen agers out of the house. And not for clarinet. The Captain played a soprano sax.
Fast and bulbous, like a squid in a polyethelyne bag.
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Author: donald
Date: 2003-11-11 08:14
bulbous also tapered....
what do YOU run on, Rockette Morton?
are you sure there isn't bass clarinet on Trout Mask Replica? i've got a feeling there is some, but left my copy of that in the US and can't find anything here as i've just moved house.
meanwhile, off to the neon meat dream of an octafish
no, wait a minute...
donald....
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Author: jez
Date: 2003-11-11 15:20
wjk,
I know that Nicholas Cox, the principal clar. with the Royal Liverpool Phil. here in UK is doing a project performing some Frank Zappa stuff.
If you can get in touch with him, through the orch. perhaps, I'm sure he will have researched the matter thoroughly.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-11-11 20:27
donald....the type of clarinet was not mentioned in the original post or my response. I'm pretty sure you're correct about bass cl. I also think I saw a picture recently of the Cap'n. holding one of those Transylvanian clarinets...
it was in conjuntion with a piece about a "reunion".......
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Author: jim lande
Date: 2003-11-13 04:16
A friend of mine is a huge Zappa fan. He writes:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/lyrics/
This is one of many web sites that list the discography complete with songs, lyrics, the guys in the band and their instruments. Just going form memory, there is a lot of discernable clarinet in the early Mothers (Bunk Gardner and Ian Underwood). The album Uncle Meat includes several numbers in which the clarinet is electronically altered. There are, of course, the orchestral albums early, middle and late. 200 Motels (like Uncle Meat and Burnt Weenie Sandwich) have a lot of chamber music numbers with clarinet. Hot Rats has a bunch of clarinet stuff featuring Ian Underwood. There are plenty of clarinet samples in the Synclavier he used on Jazz from Hell and Civilization III most notably. The Grand Wazoo has, if I remember correctly, a six-man wind section. There's a song on Man fro Utopia called We Are Not Alone that sounds like a Base Clarinet to me, but could be an adjusted sax.
The best best for clear clarinet lines is probably the early chamber stuff (see above). As you may or may not know, doublings are a big part of his style and he was always at the fore in the electronics of it all, so finding that clear, stand-out, clarinet solo becomes increasing difficult as time goes along.
Anyway, that's off the top of my head. The web is replete with Zappa sites -- some musically informative.
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