Category: All That Jazz

  • Why Did the Clarinet Decline in Jazz?

    Why Did the Clarinet Decline in Jazz?

    The clarinet was once a staple instrument in jazz, but its popularity has declined in recent decades due to a variety of factors, including the rise of bebop, the shift away from traditional jazz, the instrument’s technical challenges, and its relatively high cost. However, there are still some clarinetists who continue to play and perform…

  • How to Play Faster on the Clarinet with Jazz Artist Eddie Daniels

    How to Play Faster on the Clarinet with Jazz Artist Eddie Daniels

    Yeah so, as I said before, it’s not what you play, but how you play it. A lot of people want to know how do I play fast and even sometimes, to my own detriment, I’ll pick up the clarinet and I’ll play fast when I’m not warmed up, and I find that my fingers…

  • Doreen’s Clarinet Lesson – Exercise in all keys.

    Doreen’s Clarinet Lesson – Exercise in all keys.

    Hello, everyone. It’S me the queen me and my shine and today we’re going to work out some keys all right, because uh you got to be able to do things in more than one key uh. You know every so often somebody sends me an email and they want me to play with somebody…

  • The Mysteries Of Skip James

    The Mysteries Of Skip James

    Skip James’ strikingly singular music was a product of his surroundings, musical iconoclasm, and bizarre psychology. The standard 12-bar blues format and rough Mississippi rhythms were forsaken by James, who, despite the influence of local musicians and blues tradition, created a haunting style that made his music unique.

  • The Real Jazz World – The Auditioning Process

    The Real Jazz World – The Auditioning Process

    by Todd Coolman Chances are, amateur or professional musician, that you will have to audition from time to time for playing in situations that you want to be part of. In my years of playing and teaching, I have experienced the audition process from many vantage points. I have been both the evaluator and evaluated,…

  • Jimmie Noone Moonshine and Music

    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.…

  • Oklahoma City area Clarinetist you should know

    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…

  • The Clarinet in Jazz History

    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…

  • The Vintage Silver Clarinet Story

    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…

  • Sidney Bechet: Summertime of Jazz

    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…