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Jimmie Noone Moonshine and Music
Jimmie Noone, amongst New Orleans’ early clarinet kings, possessed the best technique and a pure, almost classical sound. To some, his seemingly effortless delivery sounds shallow, or even lacks taste: but his sophisticated style opened the door for the Swing Era, and made him ultimately more influential than his peers Johnny Dodds and Sidney Bechet.…
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Best Ensembles For Clarinet
Sometimes you just need a list of the best ensembles to work through and know that you have mastered the clarinet by some standard. Some of these are simple in beauty yet challenging to accomplish, either way, here are the best of the best ensembles in my estimation. If you have conquered these you are…
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Oklahoma City area Clarinetist you should know
There are so many great things about the Oklahoma City professional clarinet scene. The Musicians who are leading the charge are listed below with a short Bio. We are going alphabetical here, and being a Zumwalt, I understand how unfair it is. I am sure that I have missed some and would love to include…
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A Quick Way to Improve Your Clarinet Performance: Improve Your Reeds!
It’s crazy, isn’t it? Your performances (and often your mental state) are often entirely dependent upon a little piece of wood! If your reed doesn’t respond well, it can ruin your whole performance (and often your confidence right along with it!) The good news is that understanding a bit more about why reeds wear out…
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Care Tips and Maintenance Guide for the Clarinet
The Clarinet consists of seven (7) parts: The Bell Section The Lower Joint The Upper Joint The Barrel The Mouthpiece The Ligature The Reed Special Note: Before assembling the clarinet, rub a small amount of cork grease into the lower joint tenon cork, the upper joint tenon cork, and the mouthpiece tenon cork. Be sure…
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The Clarinet in Jazz History
The jazz clarinet was one of the most important instruments in American jazz at the beginning of the 1900s. From the origins of Dixieland in New Orleans through the height of its popularity in the Swing Era to today’s contemporary performers, the clarinet has been recognized among both musicians and the public as a major…
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A Clarinetist’s Most Important Skill
It’s the one clarinet skill you can’t do without. It’s the clarinet skill on which every other skill is built. It’s a force that moves mountains, builds skyscrapers, and turns 98-pound weaklings into Arnold Schwarzeneggers. Table of Contents Enough mystery already. What is this skill? Objectives: the key to clarinetist success Setting goals We’re going…
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The Vintage Silver Clarinet Story
Metal clarinets were in production from 1895-1965 with the majority being made between 1924-1939 for the American market. Attempts to make a metal clarinet before Agostino Rampone invented the double-walled design in 1879 were apparently useless experiments. The Rampone design was put forward by Conn with considerable success. Table of Contents Conn Wonder Double-walled Silver…
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Sidney Bechet: Summertime of Jazz
Sidney Joseph Bechet (1897-1959) was one of the true fathers of jazz. He was the first to improvise fluently. The first clarinet player to make an impression in Europe. The first jazz player to be criticized by a musical scholar. The first to play a sax with grace. The first to record a multitrack, and…
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Mr Clarinet Phenomenon-Buddy DeFranco
by John Cipolla Boniface Ferdinand Leonard “Buddy“ DeFranco (1923 – 2014) was a phenomenon in the world of jazz. An artist who not only lived through the golden age of BeBop but embraced it heart and soul and spread it’s message for over 60 years. Buddy DeFranco played with more fire at 74 than he did at 30 and…
