The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: duxburyclarinetguy
Date: 2009-12-08 00:21
Does anyone know where I may be able to get recordings of Kal? As an aside, I know he and David Weber were contemporaries in NYC and both knew Ralph McLane very well, but neither mention the other in any interviews. Any thoughts?
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-12-08 14:45
As far as I know, Kal issued no solo recordings. He played in many pit orchestras, though, on both clarinet and alto sax. He was in the orchestra for La Cage aux Folles, and I'm reasonably sure he did the cast recording. He was also in the orchestra for Seesaw, but the show closed almost as soon as it opened, and I don't know whether a recording was made.
Kal and David Weber were both students of McLane. They came to New York and competed for the top jobs (along with other amazing players like Jimmy Abato and Al Gallodoro). I think the competition led to some coolness between them, but they certainly respected each other's playing.
I went to Kal's 90th birthday concert at Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, consisting entirely of his compositions and arrangements. It was a great concert, with our own Steve Hartman playing an important role. Kal was in a wheelchair, but he conducted his clarinet choir and still has all his marbles.
They ran out of programs, and I didn't get a copy. It listed the shows Kal played in. If Steve has a copy, perhaps he could post the list.
Ken Shaw
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Author: salzo
Date: 2009-12-09 10:45
I am fairly certain I have him playing a clarinet quintet on LP- Quincy Porter, I think.
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Author: salzo
Date: 2009-12-09 10:59
Scratch that. The record I was thinking of is David Oppenheim playing the Douglas Moore clarinet quintet.
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Author: Steve Hartman
Date: 2009-12-09 11:22
I didn't get a program either, perhaps because they didn't expect the concert to be sold out!
Kal did numerous Broadway shows. There should soon be available on his website www.kalmenopperman.com an interview, which aired on WKCR, with him and Richard Stoltzman, in which the host, Carl Schoonover, played numerous excerpts from Kal's Broadway career as well as the Kalmen Opperman Clarinet choir with Stoltzman. A list of his shows appears on the website, also.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-12-09 15:31
Kal also told me that the music for the Warner Brothers cartoons was recorded in New York City. Al Gallodoro was the first call for clarinet and alto sax, and Kal was the second.
Ken Shaw
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