 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-01-07 13:34
Yesterday, I watched a DVD of a 1937 Chinese movie, "Ye Gan Be Sheng" ("Song at Midnight," available with English captions in Cinema Epoch's Chinese Film Classics Collection set released in 2007; I rented it from Netflix), directed by Weibang Ma Xu, starring Menghe Gu and Ping Hu. Good movie, if you like mobs with torches, extreme mad scenes, scenery chewing, etc.. It's based on Gaston Leroux's "Phantom of the Opera" and heavily influenced by the 1925/1929 movie with Lon Chaney and also by German expressionist cinema. Fascinating -- said to be the first Chinese horror movie.
The Western influences include most of the background music: snippets of this and that, everything from Wagner to Gershwin, some of it transposed and played on Asian instruments. The Gershwin, which stands out as the only jazzy piece of the lot, is the clarinet glissando from the beginning of "Rhapsody in Blue." Listen for it at the beginning of the scene when evil theater owner Jun Tang presents himself with predatory intentions in the dressing room of Liu Die, an innocent young actress. It's not an unusual use of American jazz, as such (in those days, jazz = sex; in fact, the original word was spelled "jass" and it was New Orleans slang for having sex), but it's about as unusual as possible in a Chinese movie -- quite startling in context. The soundtrack is in such bad condition that it's barely audible and full of severe wow and flutter. I have no idea whose performance this might be.
I'm curious: Have any of you noticed other unusual uses of the clarinet in film scores?
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2009-01-07 17:31
1952 Alec Guinness flick, "The Promoter" had extensive clarinet licks in the sound track, underlining the protagonist's cheeky behavior. I'm not sure, but it may have been Reginald Kell playing. If anyone knows where to get a copy of this film, I'd love to see it again!
Post Edited (2009-01-07 17:34)
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2009-01-07 18:54
Talking of movies, could one of you film buffs help me?
I vaguely remember an old b/w film from my childhood about a young boy who gets taken with his brothers - I think - to choose an instrument.
They all choose large brass things and he gets left with a tiddly little wooden thing that none of the others want.
He falls in love with his clarinet but starts playing jazz music. His Dad doesn't like this and tells him off, but the boy continues to play and........
Anybody remember this film?
Steve
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2009-01-07 20:00
LarryBocaner wrote:
> Thanks, GBK; I wish I could play PAL format!
>
My version of Nero has PAL <=> NTSC conversion.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2009-01-07 20:29
"I vaguely remember an old b/w film from my childhood about a young boy who gets taken with his brothers - I think - to choose an instrument.
They all choose large brass things and he gets left with a tiddly little wooden thing that none of the others want.
He falls in love with his clarinet but starts playing jazz music. His Dad doesn't like this and tells him off, but the boy continues to play and........"
Wasn't that the Benny Goodman Story?
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: graham
Date: 2009-01-08 07:22
"1952 Alec Guinness flick, "The Promoter" had extensive clarinet licks in the sound track, underlining the protagonist's cheeky behavior. I'm not sure, but it may have been Reginald Kell playing. If anyone knows where to get a copy of this film, I'd love to see it again!"
When I saw this film all I could concentrate on was the clarinet soundtrack and was trying hard to think who it might be. Kell is credible as a choice, but personally I think it sounded more like Sidney Fell, who did a lot of movie work.
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Author: graham
Date: 2009-01-08 07:29
The solo in the Rach 2nd Piano Concerto slow movement playing on the "Brief Encounter" movie (c. 1946 - 1948) seems to me to have a certain magic to it.
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Author: Philcoman
Date: 2009-01-08 20:09
stevensfo--
That's DEFINITELY "The Benny Goodman Story!" Steve Allen and Donna Reed. Not great acting, but terrific music, of course. It first inspired me to pick up the clarinet, so I'll always love it.
"If you want to do something, you do it, and handle the obstacles as they come." --Benny Goodman
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-01-08 20:26
Attachment: Benny Goodman Story.jpg (16k)
Philcoman wrote:
> stevensfo--
>
> That's DEFINITELY "The Benny Goodman Story!" Steve Allen and
> Donna Reed. Not great acting, but terrific music, of course. It
> first inspired me to pick up the clarinet, so I'll always love
> it.
Considering that they reversed the photo on the movie poster, you were lucky that you didn't learn to play with the wrong hand on top ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
...GBK
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Author: LesterV
Date: 2009-01-08 23:34
Don't forget "Out of Africa" with the mood being set by Jack Brymer performing the Mozart Concerto's Adagio
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-01-09 13:30
A lighthearted murder mystery movie: "Song of the Thin Man" (1947), the sixth and last of the "thin man" movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles. Soundtrack musicians not credited, as usual for that era, but the movie features a lot of good swing band and solo performances.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: buedsma
Date: 2009-01-09 13:39
Dans La Nuit : louis sclavis for the film from Charles Vanel 1929
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Author: Dan Oberlin ★2017
Date: 2009-01-09 14:52
The movie The Band's Visit has some humorous clarinet sightings.
And of course John Williams's score for The Terminal features a lot of clarinet.
D.O.
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Author: donald
Date: 2009-01-10 00:42
"The control room" has fabulous clarinet playing in the soundtrack, and very edifying subject matter.
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2009-01-10 21:37
I know this isn't the movies but the old "Gunsmoke" TV series had some of the neatest writings for contrabass clarinet as background music. Some very pretty solos too although many sound sinester. Wish they were written out. Anyway, anytime Sherrif Matt Dillon was in trouble, the contra was playing in the background!reruns of this show are on TV Land network if any of you don't know the show.
Viktor's Tale is a very fun piece from the Terminal. In fact I recommended it to a friend just yesterday as a light piece for a pops concert piece.
Eefer guy
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2009-01-11 17:16
Funny you mention "Viktor's Tale" by John Williams, it was written for the late & great L.A. clarinetist, Emily Bernstein, a friend & colleague.
I just performed the William's piece for a Pops Concert last month in New York at Purchase College in Westchester, NY. It was a great crowd-pleaser!
I have recorded over 200 movie sound tracks over the past 25+ years here in NYC.
Many had notable clarinet, Eb clarinet, Bass or Contra-Bass solos.
To name a few:
"And the Band Played On"
"Interview With a Vampire"
"You've Got Mail"
"Hester Street"
"Wolf"
"Beauty and the Beast"
"Aladdin"
"Reckless"
"Lovesick"
"A Chorus Line"
"Love and Money" (Copland Clarinet Concerto)
"Femme Fatale" (Bolero)
"A Map of the World" (Pat Methany score)
"The Informant" (due for release in2009)
Check for other movies you might be interested in on my webpage:
http://www.johnmosesclarinet.com
and check on "Credits" then "Filmography".
Another source for movies is http://www.imdb.com and, if you place my name in "search", you'll find other movies I've played in.
Good luck with your searches.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
Post Edited (2009-01-11 17:19)
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2009-01-11 21:19
John,
What a resume'! Am glad to know who's behind the clarinet in these performances.
Was wondering what barrel you are using on your Eefer. Cocobolo?
Eefer guy
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Author: clariniano
Date: 2009-01-11 21:26
Didn't the movie The Terminal have a good use of clarinet?
I think another movie called Nottingham Hill uses a lot of clarinet/
I know the movi Beyond Silence has a lot of clarinet, because a student's parents loaned it about me. (it's about a young girl with hard-of-hearing parents who is inspired to learn the clarinet. It's in German with English subtitles.
Meri
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2009-01-12 14:57
Hi Effer Guy:
I use a "black-wood" FOBES 43mm barrel on my Buffet Eb Clarinet from the 1960s (got it from Dave Schfrin!), along with the fantastic FOBES Eb Extension. It's all a perfect match with my setup.
I also use:
Vandoren #5 Eb reeds
Harrison Gold Ligature
Selmer 1960 (refaced by Kaspar) Mouthpiece
I play Eb Clarinet at least 8 times a week at WICKED on Broadway, in addition to other gigs during the week, so the Eb gets quite a workout.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: allencole
Date: 2009-01-12 17:39
Hawaii 5-0 also had a lot of nice work for low clarinets. (I think it was actually just a couple of cues that they used again and again throughout the series) It's so great for those sneaky, nocturnal scenes.
I also enjoyed hearing the Mozart concerto open up "The Transporter."
My least favorite moment (next to all of Wild Man Blues <g>) is probably the street clarinetist in "Day of the Jackal". Of course, when I saw it as a kid I thought it was devastatingly cool to see a clarinet player in the movie at all, and playing a song that I knew.
Anybody know the player or the composition for that TV commercial about depression medication? It's all clarinet & piano....John, perhaps?
Allen Cole
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Author: davyd
Date: 2009-01-12 20:16
The score for "Last orders" has prominent parts for bass clarinet simply being itself, without trying to be sinister or anything.
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2009-01-12 21:49
Yes Allen, I must confess, I did it! Also check out:
LUNESTA (I'm the blue butterfly!)
NASONEX (I'm the bumble-bee)
There are a few more less notable jingles I've done recently, but 2008 was the "year of the insects" for me!
BTW: Marvin Hamlisch wrote a wonderful new movie score with lots of featured Clarinet solos for me, due out by mid-2009. It's titled "The Informant", starring Matt Damien. So if you get tired of TV jingles, try the local movie theatre!
Cheers,
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: allencole
Date: 2009-01-13 07:58
So John, can you tell my anything about that little ditty for the depression meds (I can't remember that name to save my life). If it's a complete composition it sounds like something a younger kid could play that actually sounds serious, let alone familiar. (it's so hard to fix them up with mature-sounding stuff!)
Now--I know this is a longshot--were you involved in that great little woodwind trio (flute/oboe/clarinet) that was selling Pine-Sol in the '70's? I tried my best to transcribe that thing before it disappeared from the air.
I'll keep an eye out for the LUNESTA & NASONEX things. I'll try to go see The Informant, but can't get enough of the jingles and TV themes. To me, they really bring out the resourcefulness in a composer, and I can't believe how much their character can vary. Faves for me are:
Fred Steiner (Perry Mason, Dudley Doright & the better Star Trek stuff)
Earle Hagen (Andy Griffith theme and Harlem Nocturne)
Frank Comstock (Adam-12, Fractured Fairy Tales, Sherman & Mr. Peabody)
I recently read that Frank had no formal training in composition. (wow!)
And for the group...although not directly clarinet-related. There's a 3-DVD set of director-picked episodes of Gunsmoke which includes the recording session for one of the show's popular 'gunfight' openings. Recorded around 65 or 66, I'm thinking maybe Fred Steiner at the baton. It's a fascinating look at a very well-crafted piece of music. (on my agenda for transcription, BTW)
The first "Carl Stalling Project" CD (Warner Brothers Cartoons) also has such a session with Milt Franklyn most likely at the baton. If you can get this, there's lots of stellar clarinet work, particularly on "Dough for the Do-Do" and "Hillbilly Hare." Playing in that orchestra must've really been a rollercoaster ride.
Allen Cole
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2009-01-13 12:38
John,
I use very similar equipment on the Eefer but I don't get 8 performances/ week, more like that / year on Eefer! Of course my day job is not as a musician and I live in Timbuktu not NYC!
Thanks for the glimpse into your life. Will be listening every time these jingles come on. Nasonex seems to advertise during the evening news.
Eefer guy
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Author: crazy karlos
Date: 2009-01-19 08:35
I've always been a movie fan, but I reckon one film had more impact on me (in terms of thousands of hours of hard labour) than all the others put together, and that was 1987's "White Mischief", set in colonial Kenya, with Greta Scacchi, Charles Dance and Joss Ackland. Described by IMDB thus: "In Kenya there were no rules, only glamour, decadence . . . and murder." There was also a scorching clarinet band which featured throughout the movie (lots of ballroom dance scenes, with much action in the wings).
I was playing sax at the time, although I had a student clarinet because I wanted to learn bass clarinet some day. But after watching this movie, I knew there was absolutely no way out -- I was going to have to learn the clarinet properly.... I reckoned, if I couldn't get *that* sound, there was no point pretending to be a woodwind player.
The movie portrays a combination of high society class and high society sleaze, and I'm afraid there is absolutely no other instrument which manages to capture that combination better than the clarinet. I tried a while back to get the soundtrack, but it's not available any more. The clarinetist was Henry MacKenzie, who I see was a stalwart of the Ted Heath band -- he died in 2007:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2007/oct/17/guardianobituaries.obituaries
-- anyway, I no longer possess a functional saxophone, and the last 15 years of my life have been devoted to the clari. And I blame that movie. Would love to see it again. I grew up in colonial Swaziland, and we had plenty of our own white mischief, although sadly I don't remember any clarinet playing in the background. (Richard E Grant's autobiographical "Wah-Wah", set in Swaziland, also has its decidedly debauched moments. I started school in grade 1 with him, although living in the countryside I was completely unaware of what was going on in town... but we did have our own "remittance man" living in the sticks, a hell-raising member of the royal family who was paid handsomely to stay out of Britain...)
And does anyone remember Bertolucci's 1996 movie, "Stealing Beauty", with Liv Tyler, where everyone in this little Tuscan town is after her virginity? The big question is, who will she choose. There's a bit of a giveaway in that the music that's playing when she arrives, is from the Mozart clarinet concerto. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, it's a surprise, you'll have to see the movie for yourself to see which clarinetist gets lucky in the end... but I would definitely rate this as a motivational movie for woodwind players...
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Author: Dan Oberlin ★2017
Date: 2009-02-08 10:35
My wife and I watched "Bottle Shock" last night, appropriately after putting up 30 bottles of a kit-made Riesling. There was some very pretty clarinet
playing in the music, and the soloist was mentioned in the credits: Larry London.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-02-08 11:41
Allen Cole says:
> The first "Carl Stalling Project" CD (Warner Brothers Cartoons) also has such a session with Milt Franklyn most likely at the baton. If you can get this, there's lots of stellar clarinet work, particularly on "Dough for the Do-Do" and "Hillbilly Hare." Playing in that orchestra must've really been a rollercoaster ride. <
Kal Opperman told me that the Warner Bros. cartoon sound tracks were recorded in New York and that Al Gallodoro was the clarinetist tossing off those amazing licks. When they needed two players, Kal was usually the other one.
Ken Shaw
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Author: 3dogmom
Date: 2009-02-09 00:36
John, you probably don't remember, but a few years ago you brought my daughters and myself on a wonderful tour of the theater following "Wicked". Your playing has opened their ears tremendously, they pick clarinet solos out of everything they hear now and always ask me if I think that it's you who is playing. I'm looking forward to clueing them in about the recent commercials, they will get a kick out of that.
I must confess, they get the biggest kick out of your playing in "Aladdin", although they are in their upper teens now they still watch it with their friends. Great music!
Sue Tansey
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Author: allencole
Date: 2009-02-09 16:44
Thanks, Ken. I've always wanted to know who that was in those Bugs Bunny things.
Here's another one. Ernest Tubb is depicted with a clarinet in a still from one of two movies (internet sources don't seem to agree on which one) Those movies are:
Jamboree (Republic, 1944)
Hollywood Barn Dance (unk, 1947)
Has anybody seen him play clarinet in these or any other movies?
Allen Cole
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2009-02-10 00:07
Yes Sue, I do remember you and your cute kids. I'm glad they're still into music, and that you've kept up their interests.
The Internet Movie Data Base has listed some of my movies. Perhaps they'd like to check to see if anything looks interesting to them now that they're older?
Try, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0608585/ to check out the movies. Good luck to you and the girls!
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-02-10 12:45
I mentioned this on another thread, but will repeat here: I'm glad to see John J. Moses getting credit for his work, and glad to see more musicians getting screen credits lately. If everybody including a co-star's hairdresser's assistant (yes, really!) can negotiate a screen credit, then the musicians should get theirs!
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: graham
Date: 2009-02-11 07:21
On a much more modest scale, there is a TV series being shown in UK at the moment called "Candleford" (the full title is a bit longer). This is a period costume drama. The music at the beginning is largely clarinet. No credit given for the music, and I would like to know who the player is.
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Author: crazy karlos
Date: 2009-02-16 14:08
And on a much *much* more modest scale ...
By accident a while back (2004 to be precise) I saw "Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London" ... a CIA-recruits-teen adventure. Rated by IMDB as: "Adults proceed with extreme caution -- mission hazardous if over 14 years old".
Cody ends up on a mission in a music camp at a stately home in England. Where he has to pretend to be a clarinet virtuoso -- except he doesn't know how to play the clarinet. No problem: the CIA provides him with a self-playing clarinet, which actually talks to him, if I remember rightly. (Don't say you weren't warned.) And plays tricks on him, by producing tunes even when he isn't waggling his fingers. Intonation wasn't bad, as I recall.
However, he gets help from a young Indian girl who plays the bassoon, and latches on to him, with the catchphrase "Woodwind Buddy!" -- as I recall, she ends up saving the day.
IMDB says: "Young band members possess nice comic timing, especially young bassoon-playing Indian girl given over to calling Mr. Banks her 'woodwind buddy.' More such interaction recommended."
-- I presume the Board would concur. Just found it rather interesting that a real teenage movie would introduce the concept of a "woodwind buddy" ...
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Author: clariknight
Date: 2009-08-03 15:56
I know this thread is old but - I just went to see the new Harry Potter movie, and was so fascinated by the lyrical clarinet solos throughout that I almost stopped paying any attention to the movie itself. I wonder who the player is - Perhaps John J. Moses? Whoever it was, the tone was beautiful - centered and warm with a sense of excitement, and the musicality was beyond belief. I must say I am quite inspired!
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Author: Paul Globus
Date: 2009-08-03 16:11
Ken Shaw is correct. Gallodoro played on the Carl Stalling sessions. The Great Man told me so himself.
Most interesting clarinet bit in the movies?
Harpo Marx in Animal Crackers.
With no lessons or instruction of any kind, Harpo decided to insert a short clarinet solo into one scene (he was also, as some of you may know, a completely self-taught harpist and in every Marx Brother's movie in which he appears there's at least one gorgeous harp solo in which he demonstrates his outstanding technical skill and musicianship).
Check it out.
Post Edited (2009-08-03 16:12)
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Author: Philcoman
Date: 2009-08-03 16:15
Love the Marx brothers and I own most of the films on DVD! I've seen that scene many times. It IS nice to see -- although his vibrato would have driven my teacher to distraction!
"If you want to do something, you do it, and handle the obstacles as they come." --Benny Goodman
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Author: Paul Globus
Date: 2009-08-03 16:27
In the Animal Crackers script, as is in the scripts for most of the Marx Brother's movies, wherever Harpo is supposed to make an appearance it simply says:
Harpo enters
That's it! Few people on the set, including Groucho and Chico, knew what insanity Harpo was going to pull off. There are exceptions, of course, such as the famous "mirror" scene in Duck Soup. That was painstakingly worked out and executed to perfection.
Post Edited (2009-08-03 16:28)
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Author: lrooff
Date: 2009-08-03 17:17
pg@writeability.com wrote:
> In the Animal Crackers script, as is in the scripts for most of
> the Marx Brother's movies, wherever Harpo is supposed to make
> an appearance it simply says:
>
> Harpo enters
>
> That's it! Few people on the set, including Groucho and Chico,
> knew what insanity Harpo was going to pull off.
Describing the scene as "Harpo enters" is like describing the opening of Rhapsody in Blue by saying, "There's a short clarinet solo before the piano plays..."
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Author: Paul Globus
Date: 2009-08-03 17:30
Very soon Mark Charette is going to put an end to this because we're no longer talking about clarinets but the the Marx Brothers.
As Groucho loved to say: Hello, I must be going ..."
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-08-03 20:47
There are a couple of clarinet clips in "Sita Sings The Blues"
Bob Draznik
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2009-08-03 22:35
Hi Curinfinwe:
I did not do the newest Harry Potter movie. But here's a list of the movie crew who did do the movie soundtrack (no mention of the orchestra players or the clarinetist, sorry). Sounds like an all London crew?
Music Department
Jeff Atmajian .... orchestrator
Peter Cobbin .... score mixer
Marcia Crayford .... orchestra leader
Daryl Griffith .... orchestrator
Nicholas Hooper .... conductor
Robert Houston .... music editor
Allan Jenkins .... supervising music editor
Alastair King .... conductor
Alastair King .... orchestrator
Ian Livingstone .... music programmer
Sam Okell .... pro-tools engineer
Nelson Richard .... orchestra contractor
John Williams .... composer: theme "Harry Potter"
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: Curinfinwe
Date: 2009-08-03 23:35
Too bad there was no mention of the clarinetist. Whoever it was played incredibly!
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Author: Dan Oberlin ★2017
Date: 2009-08-04 15:10
The Flight of the Red Balloon (French, Juliette Binoche) features a couple of extended bass clarinet sightings.
D.O.
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2012-07-09 13:54
Digging around in this thread because I watched Disney's "Up" this weekend--for the third time.
Who played the clarinet solos on that soundtrack? John, I thought it might have been you, but I couldn't find the information.
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Author: fernie51296
Date: 2012-07-09 17:22
Im also curious about who played the clarinet stuff in the movie UP along with the Smurfs!
Fernando
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The Clarinet Pages
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