 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: barry
Date: 1999-12-20 23:28
I recently came across a track (They can't take that away from me) of Lester Young playing a fairly rugged clarinet with Roy Eldridge and Harry Edison on the Gitanes jazz label here in France. I checked all the catalogues, and could only find references to Young as tenor sax player. Does anyone know where the track comes from. Was it a one off, or did he make others like it? In contrast to his usually smooth tenor style, Young sounded as though he was using a roof tile for a reed on this recording -- something like Edmond Hall at his roughest. But what terrific energy!
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Author: mike
Date: 1999-12-21 04:29
i do not know about the record you mentioned. lester played clarinet on some of the old commodore sides with jo jones and buck clayton and eddie durham. they have been in and out of print. i think they where once released under the name "kansas city six and seven" (not to be confused with the later count basie small groups without lester that where released under the same name). i agree his clarinet is delightfull.
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Author: earl thomas
Date: 1999-12-21 15:27
I have not heard the sides you mention, but I do know that Lester plays clarinet on the Basie recording of "Texas Shufffle" His recording of "Lady Be Good" contains the best and most perfect tenor sax chorus ever recorded up to that time. It was recorded at four in the morning in October, 1936 by John Hammond, who rented a small studio (so small that Jo Jones could'nt use his bass drum)-and released in on the Vocalion label (Vocalion 3459, MX C1660-1) under the name of Jones-Smith Orchestra. With Basie just having signed with Decca, Hammond had to use another name: Jones-Smith Orch. You can find a lot more in Gunther Schuller's great history of Jazz books. I read that Prez carried recordings of Frankie Traumbauer in his sax case and that Bird did the same with Prez's records. Sincerely, Earl Thomas
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 1999-12-21 17:12
I read a while back (I can't remember where or when) that someone (perhaps Benny Goodman) gave Lester Young a clarinet, which Young played for several months and made recordings with until it was stolen off the bandstand during a break. Who knows whether it's true.
A search on the Klarinet archives for Lester Young brought up a Lester Young clarinet discography at <A HREF=http://www.sneezy.org/Databases/Logs/1994/07/000136.txt>http://www.sneezy.org/Databases/Logs/1994/07/000136.txt<A>
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Author: earl thomas
Date: 1999-12-22 02:44
Thank you, Ken Shaw for that interesting and quite thorough search for Lester Young on Clarinet. He certainly was a master improviser and a style-model for many, many years!
It's gratifying to see that he's not been forgotten or ignored. ET
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Author: Larry Kaplan
Date: 1999-12-22 20:06
There's a great little quote from Artie Shaw where he says that Lester "played more clarinet than a lot of guys who played more clarinet than he did". Shaw also claimed Lester as a primary musical influence. Prez lives!!! (And thankfully, at age 89, so does Artie!)
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Author: barry
Date: 1999-12-22 20:51
It's so great to find a wonderful global community of Prez fans. Now, does anyone want to commune with me about the splendor of Edmond Hall? How did he get that rough sound?
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Author: Larry Kaplan
Date: 1999-12-24 19:48
Alas, as knowledgeable as I thought I was about the glorious pantheon of jazz luminaries, Edmond Hall is one cat that has completely eluded my experience. Who was he? When did he play? What style? Are there any particular recordings that you would recommend? Bon Noel a toi!
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Author: ron
Date: 1999-12-25 21:13
Half humming while simultaneously sort of 'growling' will produce a 'rough' sound. Doing it that way, for me, doesn't work (as)well in the lower register though. I don't know if that's how Ed Hall did it but, however he did it, it was with discretion. A delightfully tasteful style.
Who was the bass guy, (Stewart??) who did the (unison)singalong style? Wonderful!! - great vocal/instrument blend - but I don't think it would work well, extensively like that, on a soprano instrument. Short intermittant phrases(figures) like Hall's effectively add spice.
Ron
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Author: Zelde
Date: 1999-12-27 01:40
Since you supplied a wealth of information I am wondering if anyone knows the history of the Silver King clarinet that Prez played. Or the history or general info on silver clarinets. Thanks.
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Author: herb
Date: 1999-12-27 15:09
>>Zelde asked about the Silver King clarinet that Prez played. Here's part of the story:
http://www.bobackermansaxophones.com/prez.html
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Author: John Dean
Date: 2000-01-02 22:22
I have had a Siver King for a year now and it plays great. Only problem is the metallic taste you get after playing it!However it is in tune,has volume to spare and is easy to play in the altissimo register. You can get one off Ebay quite cheaply if you look often enough. And BTW the silver finish with a gold wash in the bell is stunning. No wonder Prez and Willy Smith played them.
PS They don't crack either!
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