 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2020-09-22 12:30
I just ran into this YouTube video. The posted date is in February of this year. (2020)
Pete plays two numbers and then talks briefly with Johnny Carson.
Because it was recorded in December of 1990, his first tune is a very familiar, slow Christmas song which he then speeds up in his next 2 improv sessions. In his second number...he just takes off like a rocket from the beginning to the end! If anybody knows the name of the 2nd tune, please let me know.
I had a blast listening to him and I hope you do too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXv-XpHhTpg
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2020-09-22 15:07
I've always liked Pete Fountain, partly because I look very much like him in his later years. A while back the director of a concert band in which I play commented on this. He said "Tony, do you know you look just like Pete Fountain? Shame you can't play the clarinet!".
Tony F.
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2020-09-22 19:32
Thanks for the link, Dan...hadn't seen that one yet. Yeah, like Paul said, the second tune is Avalon.
(Still laughing at Tony's response.)
Fuzzy
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2020-09-22 22:40
After listening to Pete's version for 4 or 5 times this morning around 3am, I began to recognize the melody.
Benny played his version very straight in the beginning and it was, of course, very easy for me to recognize the song Avalon.
I've seen several YouTube's of Pete playing on Johnny Carson's show, however, on all the others, he would be introduced, he played, and then he was gone. For me, this was the first version of Pete and Johnny actually having a conversation.
I was going to compare the two versions, however, the era's were different, the musical expectations were different, etc. To me, both are excellent and enjoyable.
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2020-09-23 02:01
The popular song "Avalon" was written by Al Jolson. The Puccini family recognized that Jolson just (unconsciously?) transformed a famous aria melody in the third act of the Tosca opera from minor to major mode, and they successfully sued Jolson's publishers for the unauthorized appropriation. Goodman of course knew the melody from the clarinet introduction and obbligato to the tenor solo "E lucevan le stelle," [The stars were shining] and Pete Fountain probably got it from Goodman. Fountain's main influences were the traditional New Orleans jazz players Irving Fazola and George Lewis, and a little later, especially evident in this performance, the swing style of Goodman.
Post Edited (2020-09-23 02:10)
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Author: anonrob
Date: 2020-09-23 02:13
Dig Hamp's "High Society" quote for the intro. Barney Bigard giving us the whole thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ft2OUdVFce8
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-09-23 05:16
Seabreeze,
Thank's for the back story on Avalon. There are so many good stories about licensing issues. Though not clarinet related, Michael Jackson approached Daryl Hall during the "We Are the World" project and apologized for stealing the bass line from "Man Eater" for his song "Billy Jean." Daryl Hall basically said, "that's cool, we all do it." Of course when members of Queen heard the intro to Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby" while getting off a plane during a European tour, they thought it was "Under Pressure" until it got to the rap.......oops. They were not amused and sued Vanilla Ice for everything he made on that and derailed his career. The last I saw Vanilla Ice, he was doing some home construction project show on a knock off version of HGTV. Did he deserve that fate? Maybe. Maybe not.
I could go on and on with these stories....
...............Paul Aviles
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