 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-08-30 16:10
Hans Jacobs recently contacted Vladmir Simosko, author of Artie Shaw - A Musical Biography and Discography
http://www.jazzscript.co.uk/books/shawsimosko.htm
and asked him to elaborate first hand on Artie Shaw's equipment. The following reply was given. Permission has been obtained from the author to post.
"... As noted in my book somewhere, Artie always used a 6-ring "symphony"
model with the articulated G#; you can see that in the keys in many
photos, whether a Selmer or a Buffet. He showed me one he'd used: he
adjusted the horn itself, slightly, removing the tiny little key & pad
in the upper joint on those models, & plugging that hole, because it
"got in the way"! As for his mouthpieces, I did describe in there
somewhere how he'd use "stock" mouthpieces, never even "carving" them.
Of course he also endorsed a Brilhardt model mouthpiece in magazine
ads as an "Artie Shaw model mouthpiece" so maybe those were the "stock"
brand he used after those were created? Also as mentioned he never
"carved" reeds, & in the '40s used a plastic "Enduro" reed. He said
the sound you get comes from inside your head, not from your equipment!
I think he meant that both in a conceptual sense, and in the sense that
the acoustics in your skull & embouchure affect your sound as well.
Thinking about it, that seems obvious, but perhaps few realize it..."
...GBK
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Author: allencole
Date: 2004-08-30 16:31
Interesting... I know that they're talking one minute about the articulated G-sharp, but is that actually what Artie removed? I thought that articulated G-sharps were generally on the lower joint, aligned with the tenon of the upper joint.
Could it be that he removed the fork/sliver Eb/Bb on the upper joint? (My own not-so-secret fantasy <g>) I've found mine to also be 'in the way' a few times.
I had a Brilhart Artie Shaw model that I got out of a junk box somewhere. It appeared to be a normal Ebolin with a small, rectangular buildup on the baffle--much like the New Orleans guys who lowered their baffle with a piece of chewing gum.
Allen Cole
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2004-08-30 16:49
Clarinets with the art. G#/C# also usually have the forked Bb/Eb which means a ring over the third left hand tone hole and a tiny tone hole between the second and third tone holes (directly underneath the Bb/Eb sliver key). Maybe this is what Artie had closed off.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2004-08-30 16:56
Reading GBK's post again I see "six ring symphony model" which would rule out a forked Bb/Eb. So maybe Artie just had the sliver key removed and the hole plugged. I have de-activated this key on several of my clarinets by wedging a bit of cork under the lever. I have never found a use for it and it does get in the way.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-08-30 18:56
Fine analyses, RS, AC, TKS to HJ/GBK, have long wondered, since only a few photos I've seen barely showed a cl. I agree on the sliver/banana on the UJ, and yes, most artics are all on the LJ but part could be UJ ! I did wonder if the thumb ring were among 6 counted, or just front rings? Reading Benade/Jameson, "Art" mentions the undesireability of two Eb/Bb toneholes opposing as bore enlargement, so plugging one [leaving the trill key and the 1 & 1 {if no fork} for the notes] could improve tonality of the UJ, hypothesis only ! INteresting, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Douglas
Date: 2004-08-30 20:11
Looking at the picture of the Artie Shaw clarinet which he gave to the Smithsonian, the mouthpiece is definitely a Chedeville with the filigree design at the bottom of the mouthpiece.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-08-30 22:01
Ha, all you equipment afficianados just missed the Brillhart on eBay. The description seems typical of mis-communication between Artie and his biographer. I agree with the alternate explanations. What the Hxxx is a Symphony model? Sometimes even geniuses don't know proper terminology. Still...very inteesting.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-08-31 02:15
Bob - Could "Symphony" be the first of the Leblanc models which have Symphonie in script on them? Later ones have II III IV, V? on them. I had the pleasure of working [very carefully] on one of firsts [along with a Selmer "Super" {$$$$$} model, predecessor to the Mark 6] for a well to do friend, before my 3 week hiatus! It is a very good cl from the '40-50's , A S's time. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-08-31 13:17
Don...I honestly don't know what was meant to be conveyed. What I meant to convey was that Artie probably used some non-definitive jive explanation and the author didn't know enough to question it......but simply passed it on.....like some of the stuff we read here!! I wouldn't put it past Artie to weave a little magic.
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Author: Jneilsmith
Date: 2004-09-01 01:06
You might be interested in the fact that in approximately 1954, while I was a student at the University of Texas (Austin, Texas), I had the opportunity to hear Shaw's band at a small, nearby town dance hall.
At break time, i worked up the courage to talk to him and his lead alto player at the time, Junie Ferrell. I asked Shaw what clarinet he was playing. Since I had seen his name associated with Buffet, I assumed he was playing one. He said, "I don't know!," and handed me his clarinet. It was an old Conn...so I was skeptical and asked him about it. He said he had played numerous models from various brands, but always returned to this Conn. He said it was the instrument he used in all the well-known recordings (Begin The Beguine, Stardust, etc.) and the one he felt most comfortable about.
I didn't check the mouthpiece...he seemed oblivious to such vexacious minutiae.
Junie Ferrell was a great gentleman to this young player; he gave me two books of jazz etudes by Santy Runyon and wished me well.
Both men were friendly, helpful and seemed genuinely interested in encouraging young players in spite of their great fame and success. It was quite inspirational to me.
Jerry Neil Smith
Musician, educator, performer (clarinet and sax), composer & arranger
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-09-01 13:48
What fine commentary and addition to our knowledge of the "glory days", Jerry, I should have done similarly in Mich, dern it. Conn was certainly the leading US music mfgr of that time period. I have had the privilege of working on/playing some old Conns, VG ! Perhaps the Music Museum in Vermillion [USD] has info to expand our curiousity! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: hans
Date: 2004-09-02 00:46
I won't try to explain the discrepancy re Artie "always returned to this Conn. He said it was the instrument he used in all the well-known recordings"; however, the Smithsonian, which has two of his clarinets, describes them as a Selmer and a Buffet that he used with his Gramercy 5. Smithsonian Magazine quotes Artie as saying that the Selmer had more "shout" but the Buffet was sweeter.
There was a period, in 1953, when Artie was involved with Conn in the development of new clarinet technology and appeared in one advertisement; there was a road trip to Texas that year, so perhaps he took a Conn.
To quote Artie (from Mr. Simosko's biography): "......unfortunately it (the Conn) just didn't work out on the job", and "when he began performing in public again in the fall of 1953, he was using another French clarinet, a Buffet".
Here is an additional comment from Mr. Simosko:
"Artie also told me the acid in his fingertips would quickly eat away at
the metal & he'd have to replace clarinets (or at least the keys) mainly
for that reason. That may explain why the Conn looked old."
Post Edited (2004-09-03 00:52)
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Author: phy
Date: 2011-05-01 08:48
"in the '40s used a plastic "Enduro" reed"
No comment on this from the readership? Was plastic/reed technology that developed in the 40s? Did he really produce that sweet tone on a plastic reed, albeit, apparently, on a chedeville mouthpiece and buffet clarinet?
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Author: William
Date: 2011-05-01 16:30
"In his book on Artie Shaw, Vladimir Simosko states that Artie Shaw endorsed
Conrad reeds (cane) in 1939 and switched to "Enduro" reeds (plastic) in
1940. These were produced by Arnold Brilhart. If you search google for
"enduro reeds" you'll find some more info. Among it a special sentence: "In
the days of WWII, French cane was rare because it was needed to hide
soldiers."
It was almost written that Arnold Brilhart went on to work for Rico in his later years. He died in 1998.
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2011-05-01 18:35
In reference to phy's question:
Someone can correct me on this, but weren't plastic reeds fairly common---even necessary-- in the 40's because the war had cut off supplies of arundo donax from France and elsewhere?
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Author: Bill G
Date: 2011-05-03 02:02
I could get cane reeds throughout the 40's but many players thought plastic reeds were better. I used Enduro soprano clarinet reeds for a while after about l943, but returned to cane about l946. On tenor sax I used an Enduro bass clarinet reed (preferring the longer vamp) -- a great set-up -- until my last one wore out in the early 50's, as I recall.
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