 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: buedsma
Date: 2005-09-30 09:00
I'm looking for any kind of recordings where bassclarinet is used in non-classical music and in different ways :
EG
1) Boris kovac : Last Balkan Tango
http://www.ladaaba.com/index01.htm
2) Brazilian choro :http://www.editionsmontparnasse.fr/actu/brasil/ba.php
3) .....??
Just to increase my vocabulary of licks , rythm , phrases in different musical situations and to try to make the bassclarinet a more visible instrument in the groups where i play.
Which recordings , mp3's do you have that make the bassclarinet stand out one way or another ?
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Author: DEC
Date: 2005-09-30 17:40
You might want to check out Edmund Welles bass clarinet quartet at http://www.edmundwelles.com/
They have some mp3 files under "Music." Their cover of the Duran Duran song "Wild Boys" is interesting.
Don
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-09-30 17:42
HAHAHA! I never thought I'd see Duran Duran mentioned on here!
'Rio' is their best album.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2005-09-30 20:01
First I have to say that learning licks and even transcribing full solos from other players is great, but, just playing licks you heard played before in my opinion is not that good. What seperates the best players from the rest is how they are unique.
I recommend CDs by Eric Dolphy, Louis Sclavis, Michel Portal and Dennis Colin. They are at the top of jazz/non-classical bass clarinet playing, and from the many CDs I have by them rarely you hear licks and phrases they took from others. Sometimes they will use ideas from others but in an original way.
Anyway, every once in a while I sneak my jazz clarinet/bass clarinet collection to a post here so here are the list of CDs I have which I recommend, with brief descriptions.
Eric Dolphy plays bass clarinet, alto sax and flute.
Out There - Quartet of Dolphy with Cello, bass and drums. Jazz and free jazz.
The Illinois Concert - Dolphy with Herbie Hancock on piano with bass and drums, and some big band arrangements by Dolphy.
Out To Lunch - Dolphy with trumpet, vibraphone, bass, and drums (all amazing players). Interesting free jazz music, one of my favorite albums.
Last Date - Dolphy with piano, bass and drums. Also interesting jazz and free jazz album.
Far Cry - Dolphy with trumpet, piano, bass and drums. One of my favorite jazz albums, just amazing players and music.
John Coltrane Blue Train - This is with Eric Dolphy as a sideman. He plays mostly saxophone but one track on bass clarinet is unbelievable (by the way this is the live version).
Oliver Nelson Screaming the Blues - Dolphy as a sideman but plays amazingly as always.
Oliver Nelson Straight Ahead - Somewhat similar in style to the one above with Dolphy as a sideman.
Michel Portal plays bass clarinet, clarinet, soprano sax and bandoneon (and a few more instruments but not on the albums I have). He has an incredible sound on bass clarinet (and all his other instruments too).
Blow Up - Live duo of Portal with Accordion player. Folk jazz music with songs by Piazzola, Hermeto Pascoal, and some original songs.
Concerts - The same duo and almost the same songs with some different ones.
I have another album by Portal with a different group but I can't find it now.
Dennis Colin plays only bass clarinet. Very nice sound and intereting folky music. I have only one CD by him with a trio of bass clarinet, cello, and zarb (Iranian drum) playing great folk and ethnic music.
Louis Sclavis is in my opinion one of the most interesting clarinet and bass clarinet players. Has very unique music influenced by jazz, folk, african and avantgarde music. Awsome sound, techique and improvisation.
Carnet De Routes - Trio with bass and drums. The album is music they played on a tour in Africa so very african jazz music.
Suite African - Very close to Carnet De Routes but more songs but shorter ones. One track called penguin is a solo clarinet and I like how the music is exactly like a penguin!
L'affrontement Des Pretendants - Sclavis quintet with trumpet, bass, drums, and cello. Folky and free jazz with great bass clarinet playing and very nice compositions and improvisations. Great album and players.
Clarinettes - Solo album by Louis Sclavis. It is made by overdubbing many tracks of clarinets. Beautiful 100% clarinet music (except two tracks with some percussion). Mosty original music with one track by Duke Ellington and one an arrangement for a Parker tune. The track called Clarinettes shows all the sounds possible with clarinets (like slap tougne, multophonics, etc).
Ceux Qui Veillent La Nuit - Trio of Sclavis with bass and drums. Great album and great players. One track is a beatiful bass clarinet solo played mostly with trills and arppegos.
Napoli's Walls - Some amazing bass clarinet soloing but the only album by Sclavis which I am not crazy about. The trumpet player doing some primitive and not very interesting electronic loops.
Trio De Clarinettes Live - Trio of clarinets playing folky and modern avantgarde jazz and improvised music. Sclavis on clarinet and bass clarinet, Jacques Di Donato on clarinet and bass clarinet, and Armand Angster on clarinet, bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet. One of the best 100% clarinet music and playing I've heard.
Double Trio Green Dolphy Suite - The same Clarinet trio together with a trio of strings. One of my favorite albums, and the one I listen to the most! Great compositions and players. Free jazz with folk music is the only description I can think of to say in words. This is probably one of the best groups to ever play together.
Ok, that is it. I probably have a few more which I forgot but that will do for now 
Good luck.
Post Edited (2005-10-01 09:33)
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-09-30 20:10
There are a couple of (now somewhat hard to find) Don Grolnick albums which included either Marty Ehrlich or Bob Mintzer playing some tasty jazz bass clarinet. Although I've never heard it myself, supposedly there was a 1950s Herbie Mann album on which he (known as a flutist) played bass clarinet. Some of the Miles Davis albums from the 70s/80s (Amandla, Tutu, etc.) had Marcus Miller playing some nice bass clarinet. I think he also played some b.c. on a few David Sanborn albums for which he did the arrangements. Don Byron allegedly plays bass clarinet, but on my one album of his the b.c. work is minimal and purely supportive -- hardly any 'meat' there.
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Author: BassetHorn
Date: 2005-09-30 22:45
Google "Lucien Dubuis".
He plays bass and contrabass clarinets, non-classicaly style.
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Author: jack
Date: 2005-10-01 05:44
Check out David Murray on "Ballads For Bass Clarinet". He is a bona fide jazz guy.
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Author: JHMurray
Date: 2005-10-01 09:24
A lot of Herbie Hancock's stuff from the '70s feature Bennie Maupin on bass clarinet, alto sax and flute. "Mwandishi" and "Crossings" are avant garde-flavored jazz with some beautiful compositions and arranging. "Secrets" is a lot of good fusion grooves.
Bennie Maupin also plays some bass clarinet on Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew".
I recently discovered jazz woodwind player Pedro Eustache. His CD "The Giant Sleeps" has some good bass cl. tracks. Also some bass flute, which is interesting.
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Author: joannew
Date: 2005-10-01 22:11
Michael Lowenstern
Check out the sample audio files at www.earspasm.com
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Author: Merlin
Date: 2005-10-02 04:29
Buddy DeFranco played bass clarinet on an album with Art Blakey called "Blues Bag". The whole album is on bass, IIRC.
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Author: buedsma
Date: 2005-10-03 11:10
well , i know all the guys you mentioned.
i also play klezmer and jazz.
Those licks are of course only needed to create more ideas or to be used in supporting a world music group to create some different sounds
so , where and when to use them ==>
a) first because you are not always that creative : some handy licks in different styles that you can tweak a bit accordding to personal taste and harmony for that specific song are very usefull.
b) You are not personally atracted to every style of music : EG funky bass rythms are something rather difficult to improvise for me , because i don't play that music quite often.
It's not in my genes.
c) Once you start finalising a repertoire for playing on stage with a non-jazz group , all parts including bc part will be fixed and put on paper : so being creative is one part : the other part is being capable of garantueeing a perfect performance , regardless under which conditions you have to play.
And clarnibass : i'm from europe - i follow the jazz clarinet people here from very close -
Another one special jazz clarinetter from BELGIUM is Jacques Foschia - Don't know of any recordings in his own name ( Or are all those jazz clarinet guys special one way or another :-)) ==> that means including me )
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2005-10-03 12:41
Hi buedsma
I'd like to add to my recommendations as others said some CDs by Don Byron, who is sometimes brilliant and sometimes disapointing. You should listen to the CD before you buy. Also I recommend the CD by Buddy DeFranco where he plays bass clarinet, he is great.
"i'm from europe - i follow the jazz clarinet people here from very close"
Lucky you! Unfortunately we rarely have any players like those come to my country.
"Another one special jazz clarinetter from BELGIUM is Jacques Foschia"
I searched for him and only found him playing on one CD from the label Emanem. I have a few CDs from that label (by Evan Parker, who is great).
Unfortunately there weren't any samples.
"(Or are all those jazz clarinet guys special one way or another :-)) ==> that means including me)"
I'm sorry I don't understand what you mean by that last sentence.
Edit: I now listened to some samples on your website, and I suddenly remembered, I can't belive I forgot to mention David Krakuaer (not sure about spelling). He is a great klezmer/jazz clarinetist/bass clarinetist. The playing on your site reminded him a little (klezmer trills etc).
Post Edited (2005-10-03 12:53)
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Author: kal
Date: 2005-10-04 07:31
Which recordings...do you have that make the bass clarinet stand out one way or another?
Anything written by Danny Elfman.
...or is he too accessible to be mentioned here? ![[right]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie8.gif)
Post Edited (2005-10-04 07:36)
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Author: Low_Reed
Date: 2005-10-04 14:27
Check these out:
DrechslerStegerTanschekTrio - featuring Lorenz Raab, The Monk in All of Us. (Available here.) (All Thelonius Monk, all bass clarinet, all Uli Drechsler - a contributor to this board! Fantastic!)
Don Byron, A Fine Line: Arias & Lieder. (Try track 9: "Reach Out, I'll Be There" - bass clarinet and piano.)
Clarinet Thing (Beth Custer, Ben Goldberg, et. al.), Agony Pipes and Misery Sticks
Edmund Welles, Agrippa's 3 Books. (Available here.)
If these grip you half as much as they do me, you're in for a really good time!
Bruce
**Music is the river of the world!**
-- inspired by Tom Waits and a world full of music makers
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