 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ted
Date: 2006-10-29 04:49
Who were the clarinet players on the Beatles "When I'm 64" ?
I never really thought about it, but now I'm really curious.
Is it listed on the LP? And did Georger Martin do the arrangement? Thanks.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-10-29 04:57
>> Who were the clarinet players on the Beatles "When I'm 64" ?
3 clarinetists: Robert Burns, Harry MacKenzie and Frank Reidy (bass clarinet)
>> Is it listed on the LP? And did Georger Martin do the arrangement?
No. The freelance musicians hired for this song (and all others) are not listed on the Sgt. Pepper album. To find the specific musicians you have to consult the studio session notes and logs kept at each recording session.
George Martin did the arrangement of this tune. The song, which was written by Paul back in the days they played in The Cavern, was updated for 1966 and referred to Paul's father who had just turned 64.
If you are interested, I once compiled a "complete Beatles clarinet discography."
So.....Here is the entire listing of The Beatles' use of clarinets from their catalog of recordings. A few interesting and surprising facts:
The Beatles used clarinets on 6 different recordings:
1. When I'm Sixty Four - 3 clarinetists: Robert Burns, Harry MacKenzie and Frank Reidy (bass clarinet)
2. Honey Pie - 2 clarinetists: Raymond Newman and David Smith
3. I Am The Walrus - 1 clarinetist: Gordon Lewin
4. Good Night - 1 clarinetist: name not archived
5. Here Comes The Sun - 2 clarinetists: names not archived
6. A Day In The Life - 2 clarinetists: Basil Tschaikov and Jack Brymer
So the next time you are on a quiz show and the category is "Beatles' Use of Clarinets", or you are at a party and want to impress your friends, you now have everything you need to know ...GBK (resident expert in Beatles trivia)
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Author: Ted
Date: 2006-10-29 05:04
WoW!! Thanks so much. We're these LSO members or free lancers? I was around at the time (and bought the albums) but didn't think of jotting down the names.
I always try to get my students to play this. Thanks again. - Ted
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2006-10-29 11:48
I'm not sure but i rememer Roy Jowett tell me a story regarding a session he did with the Beatles. He was principle alongside Brymer in the LSO.
Basil Tschakov was Eb in the LPO if i remember rightly and as said Brymer LSO, RPO principles.
Peter Cigleris
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Author: Ed
Date: 2006-10-29 12:32
On the 1982 Paul McCartney album "Tug of War" there is a cut entitled "Ballroom Dancing" where Jack Brymer plays. He does an amazing gliss on this track.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-10-29 15:06
Jack Brymer was also an amazing alto sax player -- IMHO, he played it even better than he played clarinet. If Beatles albums also have sax tracks, he could be on them.
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2006-10-29 17:33
I've played same on soprano sax in a 'pops' arrangement of a number of Beatle's tunes, this back in the early 1980's. This was the only time I played soprano sax in an orchestral setting.
In the eyes of the violin crowd, having to endure a soprano saxophone was right up there with baby-killing in RVN. However, within the context of the piece, it worked just fine, and probably would have been more impressive as a two-soprano duet.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: Merlin
Date: 2006-10-29 18:17
Wow!
I didn't know Bob Burns was on that. He was a Canadian who went overseas with Bob Farnon, and stayed in the UK 'til he retired. Met him when I was playing with the Canadian Tribute to Glenn Miller a few years before he passed away.
Thanks GBK!
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2006-10-29 19:33
A few years ago i did a open air concert, your typical fireworks etc. Anyway one of the pieces was a symphonic suite from the Yellow Submarine conducted by George Martin. I remember also that we did 633 Squadron with the composer conducting and Vera Lynn also sang Rule Britannia. Bit of an odd gig, was dissapointed that i didn't see the WWII fly over.
Peter Cigleris
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Author: Bubalooy
Date: 2006-10-29 20:04
Soprano sax in the orchestra is often scoffed at by string players. I played in an orchestra that did not have an english horn and used a soprano sax for that famous solo (I didn't play it. I was playing the contra-bass clarinet to cover contra bassoon parts in that concert) but it sounded great really. I wonder if you know if there is a recording of Marcel Mule playing the Bach Brandenburg # 2. I know he did it, but I don't know if it was recorded. People tell be it was great.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-10-29 23:40
Ken Shaw wrote:
> Jack Brymer was also an amazing alto sax player --
> IMHO, he played it even better than he played clarinet.
> If Beatles albums also have sax tracks, he could be on them.
The Beatles used number of prominent brass and woodwind players from the UK on their recordings. Most notably, from the Philharmonia, Alan Civil on french horn in the tune "For No One" and David Mason on piccolo trumpet on the song "Penny Lane. " In later years they both spoke of their unique experiences in taking part on some of those memorable recordings.
A number of different flutists, double reed players, saxophonists and brass were also used in the Beatles recording discography (many from the Royal Philharmonic or London Symphony) , but Jack Brymer only played the clarinet during one session ...GBK
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Author: EuGeneSee
Date: 2006-10-30 02:43
I was always amazed to learn how many classical musicians over the years played for various rock band recordings . . . but the one that really floored me was when the good old stiff upper lip members of a whole orchestra did a full 40 minute "acid rock" album! Of course I refer to the Royal Philharmonic and the rock band Deep Purple in "Concerto No. 1 for Orchestra and Group". Eu
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-10-30 03:10
Check out the Frank Zappa orchestral recordings, too. Amazing stuff, and extremely difficult!
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Author: EuGeneSee
Date: 2006-10-30 03:13
Hello, David: I must have been culturally deprived in the 60's & 70's, 'cuz I don't remember Zappa ever doing any orchestral stuff! Eu
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Author: ken
Date: 2006-10-30 05:03
The 1st 5 Mothers of Invention LPs have orchestration. 70s Zappa solo album titles that contain original orchestral works and arrangements are:
200 Motels
Grand Wazoo
Hot Rats
Waka/Jawaka
Sleep Dirt
Studio Tan
Orchestral Favorites
Napoleon Murphy Brock did some clarinet doubling on the Mothers recordings; Bunky Gardner and Ian Underwood were the doublers on "Grand Wazoo" and "Sleep Dirt." Regrettably, a number of Frank's albums neglected to list musician credits so you'd have to do some digging or be in those circles to know. v/r Ken
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Author: Malcolm Martland
Date: 2006-10-30 09:32
Hi,
back to "When I'm 64" does anyone have or know where to get the score with the clarinet parts?
Thanks,
Malcolm
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Author: jmcgann
Date: 2006-10-30 11:17
Zappa recorded 2 LPs worth of music with the LSO in 1979 or so; they have been reissued on a single CD, and you MUST hear "Mo and Herb's Vacation" with David Ocker on clarinet; which anticipates Elliott Carter's Clarinet Concerto by 15 years or so...
The other must-hear orchestral Zappa is "The Yellow Shark" with Germany's Ensemble Modern. Frank felt they were the only "classical" ensemble to get his music right...The CD is from a concert, recorded in Germany shortly before Frank's passing. The recording quality and performance are both astoundingly great.
www.johnmcgann.com
Post Edited (2006-10-30 11:43)
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2006-10-30 16:32
Gigging string players are quick to suck up their pride and perform just about any kind of music that they can get. I'm sure that the gals and guys in the Celene Dion group in Vegas are gritting their teeth throughout the two performances each day, but it pays the rent, gas, water and electricity bills so they do it anyway.
I've always enjoyed the fact that I can turn down certain kinds of work if I don't want to do it. Those string folks who turn their nose up at pop and the like are often the really poor folks as a result.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: EuGeneSee
Date: 2006-10-30 16:47
Ken, I guess I wasn't real clear in my question. I know that many pop songs, like "When I'm 64", have various orchestral instruments playing in them, but I was wondering if anyone else had done a full concerto/symphony piece with a complete well known symphony orchestral like the RPO? If you recall, the Deep Purple piece was a full concerto in 3 movements that covered both sides of an LP disc.
I understand the DP keyboard player wrote it, and that he had two music degrees - in classical piano and classical composition - which didn't hurt him when he wrote Concerto #1. He composed some nice smooth bridges for seamless handoffs of the music back and forth between the rock band and the orchestra. Eu
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Author: Eileen
Date: 2006-11-15 04:51
The score for "When I'm 64" is in the Beatles Complete Score Book. It's written out for 2 Bb Clarinets and Bass Clarinet. I had to transpose the part, though. I played it along with a Beatles guitar class and it sounded fine. The articulation as written is not the same as the record so you'll have to add some slur markings as needed. The song is in the key of C in the score. I seem to remember some discussion amongst the guitar players about the key not being exactly what is on the recording. Maybe it was capoed up a fret. The score part from the book has all of the chord charts and parts written out for vocals, piano, guitar (sheet music and tab), bass (sheet music and tab) and percussion.
You can find the book at amazon.
Amazon
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Author: jmcgann
Date: 2006-11-15 13:13
The recording is sped up, as you can hear in Paul's nitrous oxide vocal
Sorry, should have been helium!!!
www.johnmcgann.com
Post Edited (2006-11-15 21:08)
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Author: J. J.
Date: 2006-11-15 13:27
"The recording is sped up"
This is true, as noted by producer George Martin in his account "A Little Help from my Friends: The Making of Sgt. Pepper" It was done intentionally to make Paul sound more youthful. Tape speed variation was a frequent trick employed in Beatles' recordings.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-11-15 20:48
In the book "The Beatles Recording Sessions, Studio Session Notes 1962-1970", by Mark Lewisohn it is noted that on Friday December 30, 1966 the decision was made to speed up the song and raise it by a half step, primarily to make Paul sound like a "16 year old looking forward to being 64".
If you slow down the recording and bring it down a half step, you can hear it at the original speed and key signature which was C major.
Sped up, it is now in Db major ...GBK
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