 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: AndyW
Date: 2023-05-12 15:20
I was working this text up from one page in an near-illegible / badly scanned PDF book of solos, & thought I could share here, for fans of signore Boniface Ferdinand Leonardo DeFranco.
I'd happily credit the original author, but I've no idea who it is.
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The Style of Buddy DeFranco
1) His tone has an almost liquid quality, rich, woody and round like a classical sound. His tone is
commonly considered more "classical" than Goodmans, though it has roots in the Benny Goodman / Artie Shaw tone.
2) Articulation in very smooth and even.
3) Vibrato-less tone, which was a major component of the Bebop style, is where be began to differ from his clarinet predecessors
4) Phrasing is very polished and tends to accent top notes of phrases.
5) Flawless, technical virtuosity which gained law both fame and criticism.
6) Scales he favours in order of frequency:
a) bebop dominant d) half step diminished
b) chromatic e) whole-tone
c) bebop major/ or major f) blues
(these(?) are the predominant scales used in Bebop by all players)
7) Uses the BIues scale or patterns built on the key of the tune. (e.g. Key of D, D blues)
8) Uses substitutions frequently and here are some of his favourites:
On major chords = play a major triad built on 6th degree of chord. This contains a raised root
On major or dominant chords = play 1whole step above the chord.
= play a tritone away from chord.
= play 1 whole step below the chord.
On minor or dominant chords = play half step above the chord.
On a ii-V7 progression = play a ii - V7 a half step above the chords.
9) Masterful sense of chord to chord voice leading is more sophisticated than the Goodman’s approach to harmony.
10) Has command of an entire arsenal of Parker and bebop patters. Most of his patterns are dominant oriented.
Not that many ii - V7 patterns are evident.
11) Has an affinity for using the altissimo range to extend his melodic concepts. His great dexterity in this register allows him to perform as easily in it as in any other register. He also differs from his predecessors and contemporaries by not using the altissimo register predominantly for high pedal notes,
12) Places(?) patterns up or down by half or whole steps.
Very effective way of making slow moving harmony more interesting.
There are several examples of this process in the transcriptions
13) Most of his phrases are in even eighth notes, the primary rhythmic figure in bebop.
He uses varied rhythms in order to supply rhythmic freshness to his solos.
14) Equality of facility in all twelve keys, which was another contribution of the Bebop era.
This equality also pertains to tempos
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-Andy-
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Author: ruben
Date: 2023-05-12 22:54
Andy: Let's not forget Buddy deFranco! I would say that the person that influenced him most was neither Benny Goodman nor Artie Shaw: it was Charlie Parker. He was a fantastic clarinetist and an absolutely delightful man.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: kilo
Date: 2023-05-13 15:36
Thanks for sharing these notes. Every time I listen to Buddy DeFranco I'm awed by his supple, seemingly effortless, lines.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucLB8H-BL1Y
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2023-05-13 19:31
Thanks for posting the list - and for the work you put into the text. It made for a fun departure from my normal listening list and prompted me to dig out my singular Buddy album (and visit YouTube for more). It was a great time, and while the style isn't my cup of tea - I came away with a better appreciation for Buddy than I had before.
I must admit to a lack of understanding/knowledge/appreciation pertaining to bebop and other "modern" forms of jazz - past my high school and college jazz band education.
However, I at first wondered whether the list was in jest.
For instance, Buddy plays with a very nice vibrato, and plays all sorts of wonderful rhythms (which I wouldn't classify as "even eighth notes.") Could someone help me understand this description? I haven't been able to find good examples of it in my searches.
A few of the items in the list made me chuckle (#9 and #14).
Do you know if this list was made up for a specific song/album etc. or was it meant to apply to Buddy's work more broadly?
Thanks again,
Fuzzy
;^)>>>
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Author: AndyW
Date: 2023-05-15 15:52
The text is from a PDF with 5 transcriptions by Molly Am, tracks are:
A Foggy Day/ In a Mellow tone / Lover man / Now's The Time / Yardbird Suite.
The music transcriptions themselves are very legible, but the first half is clearly scanned from some other earlier publication.
It's available via some of the PDF hosting sites, like Scribd or PDFcoffee
I don't think the text (& music) is from the Hal Leonard publication "The Buddy DeFranco Collection", which I have in print copy, somewhere, but can't currently find.
I like a lot of Buddy's playing, probably since I came to jazz clarinet from jazz & bebop saxophone, - though I've got a lot of love for Shaw, Goodman & the other 'swing' players too - I have to agree about one or two of the points raising a smile, but there are a few insightful/useful observations there too.
-A-
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2023-05-15 18:14
Well done. The description of scale choices etc is interesting. Quite useful for budding jazz clarinet players.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: Treaclecustard
Date: 2023-12-19 21:12
Attachment: 17030059811385842865272762818050.jpg (1554k)
Hi Andy,
Funnily enough I was reading this text last night from a book I've had years- 'Buddy DeFranco'sGreatest Transcribed Solos' by Farrell Vernon, Houston publishing Inc. (Distributed by Hal Leonard)
Tracey Martin 07891007614
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