 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Rob
Date: 2002-06-13 13:46
I would be intereseted to hear peoples opinions on who is the greatest solo clarinet player around.
Rob
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-06-13 14:59
For me, a dead heat: Sabine Meyer, Richard Stoltzman and Bela Kovacs.
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Author: William
Date: 2002-06-13 15:48
There are so many great soloists--as well as ensemble instrumentalists--that have varying strenths of style and ability, it is imposible to say who is really "the best" at all aspects of clarinetistry. Who is the "best" is actually who sounds best to our own ears--and that opinion can change from soloist to soloist with the music. My own personal experiance has been that there have been many--perhaps countless--clarinetists which I have consdiered (over "the years") to be the "best" I have ever heard. But I have always considered myself to be "second best"--even if only in my own mind and practice. To paraphrase Vince Lombardi (legendary NFL football coach), "in the pursuit of perfection (which is not possible), we achieve excellance." I have always tryed to be "the best", but, "in the pursuit", have only ever come close to being really good--in other words, "second best". Which is a lot better than "third!!" Clarineting should not become a spectator sport and is far too much fun to worry about "who is best." "The Best" does not really exist much farther than "Yourselves."
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-06-13 16:21
No one. As in jazz music, all the "greats" have passed away.
No, I'm not being serious, but the question itself is foolish. De gustibus non disputandum! [or something like that].
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2002-06-13 16:42
No onw can hear another person's playing with the same ecstasy as whan he/she is playing himself/herself,air vibrating finger tips and the whole body, and filling the brain with endorphin. I think great soloists feel the same way too. Its just like the so-called 'zone' good athletics feel.
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Author: Iván
Date: 2002-06-13 16:50
Alessandro Carbonaire, Ricardo Morales... and laurate Karl Leister
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Author: Lindsey Ondrey
Date: 2002-06-13 16:57
I like Benny Goodman.
No need for the debate and carrying on about how you can't rank players, etc. You can. Go by who you like listening to the most. Personally, I like Big Band music and have Benny Goodman records (YES-RECORDS) that I listen to and enjoy immensely. I don't have anyone else's solo work really so I just have to stick to liking him for now.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2002-06-13 17:15
Where've you been, Bob?
Mandy - of course.
You gotta hang out in the better neighborhoods))
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Author: ~jerry
Date: 2002-06-13 17:22
BG, of course is not "alive" (or is he?).
IMHO
I've not heard enough of the classical soloists, but for jazz:
Artie Shaw (who is probably a little rusty by now).
Pete Fountain
Eddie Daniels (if you've not heard his version of "Sing, Sing, Sing", you've missed a treat.
The above, not neccessarily in order but Artie was Great!
~ jerry
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Author: Synonymous Botch....
Date: 2002-06-13 18:30
There is an unheralded genius (rumored to be the illegitimate son of Professor Longhair or Sonny Bono) playing in West Virginia.
I would say the most famous soloists show the most cleavage.
(And there IS more than one way to do so...)
Quod cibus est allis,
allis est venal...
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Author: Lindsey Ondrey
Date: 2002-06-13 18:55
I of course.... missed the "alive" part.
In that case, my answer is God. He gave us the clarinet to begin with and is definately still alive!
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-06-13 19:26
My Mom is still alive and gave me my first clarinet, but she is not a player herself. How then, God?
Just a rhetorical question.
May we please keep religion out of the discussion?
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2002-06-13 19:43
I have not heard a single recording by Paul Meyer that I did not like. He si a master of both classical and contemporary work.
I also love Alessandro Carbonare sound his recording of the Mozart and Brahms quintet are simply breathtaking.
Larry Combs also comes to mind but I guess he is more and orchestral player than a soloist.
-S
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Author: LaLa
Date: 2002-06-13 20:27
Well, I think the greatest soloist is by far, MANDY of course!! duh!!! :-)
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Author: GBK
Date: 2002-06-13 20:44
Totally ridiculous question...
The word "greatest" has no applicable meaning...GBK
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Author: Rob
Date: 2002-06-13 20:54
Ok let me rephrase. Which clarinet players do you admire most?
Beter?!?!
Rob
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Author: Bob Arney
Date: 2002-06-13 23:02
The answer, of course, is DS on Bass Clarinet. And Dave, it's:
"de gustibus non EST disputandum". [About taste there is no disputing], or in basic English, "There's no accounting for tastes" of literally "about tastes there is no disputing". In the argot of the lower classes (me) it means "{You pays your money and you takes your chances." I'll take DS! Dave for President!!!
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Author: Stéphane
Date: 2002-06-13 23:31
Paul Meyer, Dieter Klocker and Alessandro Carbonare is my winning trio (I am going to listen to Alessandro next Monday invited by Selmer, so cool!!)
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Author: RA
Date: 2002-06-14 02:11
Benny Goodman esp the only one i own is a CD however it was reprinted from a record you can tell by the way it's formed is the 1938 Concert from Carnagie Hall! How awesome.
RA
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2002-06-14 03:02
Bob Arney: Another Latin-driven person!! Or is it just coincidence you know something that specific in Latin?
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Bliss, even sarcastically!
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Author: Tom Jackson
Date: 2002-06-14 16:23
Has anyone heard Emma Johnson play lately? Only joking, what do people think of Joan Enric Lluna?
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Author: Steve Daykin
Date: 2002-06-14 16:28
Tom, I have to agree, Emma Johnson, what lovely vibrato and well controlled tone! Has to be the height of real taste!
On a serious note Joan Enric Lluna, fantastic player, great sound and amazing style.
Long live Anthony Pay as far as I'm concerned
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Author: jez
Date: 2002-06-14 17:14
There's a good point behind Mandy's claim.
You're bound to play the way you like best, so whoever else you listen to, however good, is bound to differ from your ideals, so each of us should really claim themselves to be their favourite player.
Well said Mandy!
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Author: MeowerCizer
Date: 2002-06-14 20:11
PETE FOUNTAIN IS THE BEST !!!! Next to me of course!
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Author: Rob
Date: 2002-06-14 20:19
Joan Enric Lluna is a professor at the Birmingham Conservatoire in england, i might have the oppourtunity to study with her next year, so that would be good.
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2002-06-15 01:02
for jazz its eddie daniels hands down!!! come on can any one else play the black wand like that?
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Author: Jean
Date: 2002-06-15 02:31
Artie Shaw...very much alive...hasn't played since 1954...got to interview him last month and saw one of his clarinets, but didn't have the guts to touch it (too high up on a shelf)
And in Artie's words the difference between him and Benny was that Benny was a clarinetist, and he was a musician.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-06-15 02:46
super20dan wrote:
>
> for jazz its eddie daniels hands down!!! come on can any
> one else play the black wand like that?
Buddy DeFranco would be an easy pick for me, or Bill Smith, or Don Byron, or ...
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Author: .
Date: 2002-06-15 05:36
Shifrin... and a friend of mine who's probably too modest to want me to post his name, among others too of course. =)
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Author: Michael Blinn
Date: 2002-06-15 05:57
One of my favorite clarinetist is Alain Marquet, a veteran of the Parisian traditional jazz scene, and a member of 'Paris Washboard'. He is best known for his association with 'Charquet & Co' (heard on a number of Stomp Off releases.
For many Augusts, Marquet and three other extraordinary musicians have flown from France to be the band to catch at the Traditional Jazz Festival here in Connecticut.
He never fails to impress and is a crowd favorite. Vive Alain!
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Author: Steve
Date: 2002-06-15 08:57
Rob, I think it would be an excellent idea for you to study with Joan Enric Lluna but to get you off to a good start you should know that Joan is a man and not a lady! Just thought this might save any embarassing moments.
Fantastic Player though, I saw a recital of his a while back then watched a masterclass...outstanding.
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Author: Joris van den Berg
Date: 2002-06-15 12:13
Everybody seems to know Sabine Meyer, but for some reason nobody mentions her brother Wolfgang Meyer, who in my opinion outperforms his siter.
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Author: Synonymous Botch....
Date: 2002-06-15 12:34
Again, I say... it comes down to cleavage.
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Author: DLE
Date: 2002-06-15 14:32
Hmmm. Too many to choose I'm afraid. As for the Meyers (Sabine and Wolfgang) - don't you remember Joris that the question was rephrased to which one we 'admired' the most. You figure it out.
DLE.
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Author: Richard
Date: 2002-06-15 20:32
I would say Alan Hacker - has anyone heard of him? He mainly plays new music. At least he's an individual - he doesn't try to get the typical'beatiful' clarinet sound everyone knows but....well his playing is something else. I guarantee he is the only one on this list who sounds completely different from all the others.
Richard
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Author: clarinet713
Date: 2002-06-15 23:34
I think Jonathan Cohler is a great player.
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Author: LaLa
Date: 2002-06-16 02:23
Jonathan Cohler is a great player and a great teacher. I was fortunate enough to sit in on a lesson he was giving my friend on Stravinsky's 3 Pieces. He's quite a wonderful person!
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Author: David Dow
Date: 2002-06-16 15:49
He is fantastic. another great one is Ricardo Morales and his recordings of solo repetoire.... what a sound!!!!
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Author: Michael Kincaid
Date: 2002-06-16 17:41
Last years father day gift was a CD featuring Michael Collins--it's one of my favorites. For jazz I listen to Buddy DeFranco, Don Byron,
Frank Glover, Eddie Daniels. My favorite is Eddie.
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Author: anon
Date: 2002-06-16 21:32
I'd have to say that Leister's sound is pretty great, but I admire myself the most. Curtis and New England Conservatory are fighting over me. So, watch out Ricardo Morales! JK. We're in the same league. Well, gtg.
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Author: roger (from the North Bay)
Date: 2002-06-17 01:53
I was recently at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee over the Memorial Day Holiday & had a chance to hear some really good clarinet players. Anyone ever hear of Bob Draga, Abe Most, or Chuck Hedges? I had the opportunity to not only hear them play, but I also met them. Very nice people & awesome clarinetists. My favorite? Right now probably Bob Draga.
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Author: Dr. Jacob Mathias
Date: 2002-06-19 12:38
Gervase dePeyer who plays rings around most of these new folk...he must be getting on a bit.....
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-06-19 14:19
Dr. Jacob Mathias wrote:
>
> Gervase dePeyer who plays rings around most of these new
> folk...he must be getting on a bit.....
His recordings of the last 10 or 15 years suffer greatly in comparison to his early recordings.
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Author: Rob
Date: 2002-06-20 13:23
Alan Hacker is a wonderful performer of modern music. His recordings of some of the Peter Maxwell Davies works for clarinet which were wrote for him are superb!
Rob
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Author: Chris
Date: 2002-06-25 01:55
Paquito D'Rivera can hang with good ol' Eddie. And Julian Bliss is going to be hard to beat given him time to mature and age a little. I mean the he is 13 and already played for the Queen's Jubilee. He has far to go. Julian is studying with Sabine now. There are so many amazing clarinetist it is a shame that too many are unheard of.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-06-25 02:23
Chris wrote:
>
> There are so many amazing
> clarinetist it is a shame that too many are unheard of.
It's true on every instrument. However, being famous/popular/what have you is a lot more involved than just sounding good. There's stage presence, being able to talk with fans/critics/reporters, salesmanship, and general charisma involved in being a star. In general raw talent won't get you as far as you'd think.
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Author: JackOrion
Date: 2002-06-29 23:10
For classical I dig Shifrin. Jazz...hands down Artie. His last recordings are unserpassed. Ray Charles has said he cried the day Artie hung up his horn for good.
Artie was the Kerouac of clarinet. I used to think he was just blowing notes at times, but no one has come close to his free harmonic playing. A sort of Debussy in vision. Artie played sheets of sound waves as did Coltrane years later. His tone and touch are the ultimate standard for jazz clarinet in my book.
Eddie Daniels is just plain boring. I used to like his Brahms quintet recording until Shifrin set me straight. Daniels is about as exciting as Kenny G. and his recordings are tainted by the "GRP" sound. Just plain flat. I would rather listen to the late Pee Wee any day of the week.
I also give a strong nod to Jimmy Hamilton. But he may not be alive, not certain.
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