 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bsbball02
Date: 2000-09-15 19:40
What is the role of a Clarinet in a Jazz ensemble ? There has to be some roll.. and is there any available links/sites on the web that are Pro Jazz Clarinet. Any info would be worthwhile.
Laurie.
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Author: Bob Sparkman
Date: 2000-09-15 20:26
Hi Laurie - good question. Depends on which style of jazz. Glory days were (are) traditional jazz (small ensemble) where clarinet has much the same contrapuntal role as that in marching band, but rythmically swinging. Swing era style is very versatile (hear Benny Goodman small groups) where clarinet plays lead, or harmony/counterpoint to another horn. Modern jazz much the same thing but advanced harmony, more complex lines - most people seem to agree Eddie Daniels is as good as it gets, but there are many others, in all styles, and the search is full of delights and surprises. However, most so- called jazz bands in schools which do not use clarinets, are no help at all, only pullng people away from clarinet and onto sax -- a shame, in my opinion. Beauty is, CD current and reissue programs are encylopedic in what they have to offer, and, while not a Goodman fan myself, his small groups are probably the place to start. Great music, well played; innovative for its time, and the very best of clarinet playing. Hope this helps, and all the best in your quest.Bsbball02 wrote:-------------------------------What is the role of a Clarinet in a Jazz ensemble ? There has to be some roll.. and is there any available links/sites on the web that are Pro Jazz Clarinet. Any info would be worthwhile. Laurie.
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-09-15 20:29
If you start your own group/band then you can be anything you want to be. What ever you do have fun.
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Author: Allen Cole
Date: 2000-09-16 09:11
In the modern jazz ensemble (aka big band, stage band) the clarinet is not as visible as it used to be. However, many fine clarinet players also do well playing saxophone in these groups.
(if a big band needs to hire a saxophonist who doubles on clarinet, why can't they use a clarinetist who doubles on saxophone? They CAN! Are you prepared?)
In some of the big bands of the 1930's there was a tendency to have the reed section be clarinet-alto-alto-tenor-tenor. This was the case with Benny Goodman prior to the 1940's. This is also the instrumentation for a number of Glenn Miller arrangements which featured a clarinet lead. (In fact, the Glenn Miller ghost band was led for years by clarinetist Buddy DeFranco)
A terrific plan of action for the ambitious clarinet player is to double on bari sax. Most pieces from 1940 and after will have a five-piece reed section with 2 altos and 2 tenors. Some have a clarinet on top, but most have a bari on the bottom. Therefore, a player who doubles clarinet and bari is very handy and leaves no odd men out.
There is also considerable precedent for this double. Jack Washington comes to mind with the 1930's Count Basie orch. Harry Carney, perhaps the greatest bari sax icon, took up the instrumenet after trying for--and not getting--Duke Ellington's "hot clarinet" seat in the 1920's. Carney was a terrific clarinet player and you can hear him wail on Rockin' In Rhythm.
REALITY CHECK: Few big bands had clarinet-only positions, even in the 1930's. Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw both worked as section saxophone players in the New York studios before forming their own bands. Duke Ellington's Barney Bigard, Russell Procope, and Jimmy Hamilton all worked primarily as section sax players. Ditto for guys like Pete Fountain, Peanuts Hucko, and Henry Cuesta on the Lawrence Welk Show. Eddie Daniels was a tenor sax player for Thad Jones/Mel Lewis. His present career was launched by a single recorded clarinet solo which earned him recognition in Downbeat magazine. Tower of Power's bari saxist "Doc" Kupka was originally an oboe player, I believe.
GOOD NEWS: Professional stage bands, particularly those associated with stage shows, cruise ships, etc. need sax players who are proficient clarinet and flute.
A FEW NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS: Bob Crosby and the Bobcats may have had a clarinet-only chair. They were primarily a dixieland-style outfit and among their great clarinetists was Irving Fazola. (Pete Fountains's idol)
Wynton Marsalis has had at least one big band with a stand-alone clarinetist. See the "Sousa to Satchmo" episode in his Marsalis on Music video series.
Here's one jazz clarinet link to try:
http://www.interactive.net/~msnyder/clarinet/clar1945.htm
Good luck in your search.
Allen
For more links on clarinet matters, visit my Clarinets Are Cool page at http://allencole.tripod.com/clarinet.htm
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Author: Bob Sparkman
Date: 2000-09-16 11:47
Hello Allen Cole - A very impressive perspective on jazz clarinet in big bands. My point in concentrating on small groups was that they better define the ROLE of the clarinet in jazz, which was Laurie's query. That is only my opinion, of course. It is certainly true that virtually every great jazz clarinetist earned a living in big bands doubling saxaphone, but that is my point. If, say, Ernie Caceres had been able to pay the rent as a clarinetist instead of a baritone/alto sax player, he'd have left, I believe, a great legacy of clarinet on record. Harry Carney too. And how about Lester Young? He defines (for me) the very essence of elegant jazz clarinet in the pitifully few recorded solos on record. Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, Gerry Mllgan, Art Pepper -- all SHOULD have played more clarinet. Anyway, that's my lament. Big bands/saxaphone stole them away. But that is reality, as you say. Best regards, and thanks for a very impressive tome.
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Author: Bsbball02
Date: 2000-09-16 15:51
Thanks for all your replies. I'm currently in a heated debate with my jazz directors, and i'm trying to prove that there is a spot for clarinets in an jazz ensemble....
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Author: Bob Sparkman
Date: 2000-09-16 17:06
Hooray for you!!!!!!!!!!! A suggestion for your "jazz directors" might be to suggest that jazz started earlier than 1945! That seems to be a presumtion of many educators, one which leaves behind a whole tradition of small group improvisotory music which actually gave birth to the big band movement. They might respond to the Duke Ellington small groups of the '30s which were nicely organized but wih much improvising solo room, and featured the marvelous clarinet of Barney Bigard - all available on CD reissues, I believe. Bigard was well trained as a clarinetist, but also had the New Orleans "thing" in his sound - truly an elegant style, warm and fluent. It is great to see a young person pick up on the real thing. All the very best on a journey which will pay you back in ways that will last a lifetime. Three Cheers!!!!!!!! Bsbball02 wrote:-------------------------------Thanks for all your replies. I'm currently in a heated debate with my jazz directors, and i'm trying to prove that there is a spot for clarinets in an jazz ensemble....
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Author: Allen Cole
Date: 2000-09-17 20:21
YOUR SITUATION: You appear to be inexperienced in jazz, but want to learn. Because of the instrument you play, you don't have access to your school jazz group. Your band director is not in a position to be very helpful, because modern jazz band music is standardized and any efforts to include you (if you don't play a needed instrument or can't transpose parts at sight) would be a burden on the group as a whole. You are uncertain how to move forward.
AN IMPORTANT FIRST LESSON: Any professional musician will tell you that it is the job of the player to accommodate the group, and not for the group to accommodate the player. Further, it is the job of the performing group to please the audience and not the job of the audience to please the group. Ask yourself what the GROUP needs, and what you can offer.
YOUR BEST FIRST STEP: If you want to learn and play jazz, don't depend on the school to teach it to you. Get some CDs and settle in to the task of learning to imitate what you hear. Learn some licks and learn the FEEL. Benny Goodman is a fantastic starting point for any novice.
If you want to try this approach, let me know and I'll turn you on to some other good materials.
IN THE MEANTIME: Look at the saxophone. The group needs sax players. Your school band does not use violins or cellos. The music is not written for those instruments. Most jazz band music isn't written for clarinet. You cannot win your debate, and it would not be smart to alienate your band director by letting things get heated.
SUCCESS STORIES:
1. My high school's first stage band was non-standard and even included a baritone horn. The players were highly talented, and worked out their own arrangements. They were led by the chorus teacher (a percussion major in college, and a deadly pianist) and they played a Tower of Power piece straight off the record. NOTE: They were not an 'official' school group. They came together on their own, and brought in players based on the needs of the group and the players' ability to contribute.
2. Five of my current and former clarinet students have successfully integrated into jazz band. Two took up alto sax, and held the lead alto chairs in both their junior and senior years. One of them was also #2 clarinetist in the district her junior year.
Another student was actually a poor clarinet player in the first place, but could play some piano. She is in her third year playing piano with the group.
Another fine clarinetist took up tenor sax. He was, in fact, the top tenor saxophonist at All-District for two years running. He's now a jazz performance major in college, and I have used him as a substitute in a number of professional situations on both sax and clarinet.
The fifth student developed some very good improvising capability and was admitted to his school's group as a bass clarinetist, reading tenor and bari sax parts. (he learned a neat trick for transposing the bari sax parts, and this impressed his director) This year he's learning bari sax 'on the job' and will handle whatever clarinet duties come along. Given the quality of performance that he's demonstrated, I'm sure that she'll find him some clarinet items.
3. I could play Benny Goodman solos from the record as a high school freshman. My band director was very proud of me, but he rebuffed all my inquries into playing with the big band. I also played guitar and string bass, and this led me down other paths of exploration. In fact, I became the on-call bass player at my school when its top player began to play professionally. (he was in a college stage band as a high school freshman) I kept playing my horn in school and at home. After going to college as a clarinet major, I bought a used tenor sax and within a year was playing in the big band and gigging with a small combo. Sometimes you have to take the opportunities that you have, and wait for the ones that you want.
Okay. Give that some thought. If you want to explore jazz, let me know and I'll hook you up with some specific stuff.
Allen
allencole@richmond.com
http://allencole.tripod.com
http://www.jamschool.net
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