Who's your favourite clarinet player?

[charlesp]

Alvin Batiste, best heard on Henry Butler's The Village on Impulse!

[MartyJazz]

Artie Shaw, first and foremost. Recently however, I heard someone whom I don't ordinarily care for on his main instrument, alto, but who knocked me out with his gorgeous clarinet work as a guest on the Turtle Island String Quartet album, Danzón. The clarinetist: Paquito D'Rivera. Seriously.

[John L]

I love the sounds of Lester Young and Sidney Bechet on clarinet. It is a shame that they didn't play it more often.

Pee Wee Reese and Jimmy Hamilton are also favorites of mine on the instrument, and enjoy Benny Goodman quite a bit as well.

Of more recent performers, John Carter and Louis Sclavis are fantastic.

Pee Wee Reese played clarinet?!!

Sorry about that. I guess that, with growing age, I need to take a bit longer to proofread my posts.

Edited August 20, 2010 by John L

[mellowT]

Hee hee, these who's-your-favorite-artist threads inevitably list every known professional jazz musician to have lived.

I'm a Buddy De Franco fan, but here's one that hasn't been mentioned: Henry Cuesta. I saw him play live in Santa Monica, CA in 1979 when I was in high school and his jazz solos really left a lasting impression on me.

He's the first and only clarinetist I've heard who could slur a whole octave of notes as if he were playing the slide trombone. Simply amazing mastery. (There are probably other masters out there, but obviously I'm biased. )

His rendition of Estrellita on the current in-print Mosaic Teagarden set is by far my favorite jazz clarinet ballet.

[A Lark Ascending]

Not bothered about 'who's best' - lots of names I enjoy above on an instrument I really like.

One name I don't think has been mentioned so far - Tony Coe. Alan Barnes is also a very fine player.

Recently I've been really enjoying Ken Peplowski - always assumed he was a 'mainstream' player but on a couple of albums recently acquired he's doing much more modern things.

[mjazzg]

another very impressive Brit is Alex Ward. A bit more improv than Messrs Coe and Barnes!

[Peter Friedman]

My favorites:

Lester Young

Pee Wee Russell

Sidney Bechet

Kenny Davern

Benny Goodman

Johnny Dodds

Edmond Hall

Just below that group

Jimmy Giuffre

Bobby Gordon

Buddy De Franco

Herb Hall

Phil Woods

Albert Nicholas

Eddie Daniels

Ken Peplowski

Hank d'Amico

Russell Procope

[jazzbo]

It is probably not hip to say this, but just from how I really feel after listening to many recordings, Benny Goodman is my favorite clarinet player. He has a blues feeling in his playing that really speaks to me. I know all about his difficult personality and other unpleasant aspects of his bandleading, but when I am just listening to clarinet playing on recordings, he is in fact my favorite.

I certainly can see why Benny Goodman would be a favorite. He's among mine. An incredible player! A true mover and shaker. I really enjoy so many of his recordings. I personally prefer his playing, and his bands, to Artie Shaw's for example.

Goodman sprang as a sort of prodigy from that dynamic Chicago scene and deserved his success. I heard him talk in 1974 at the University of Chicago, an experience I won't ever forget.

[Larry Kart]

Also, Frank Teschemacher and Frank Chace.

[Chuck Nessa]

Also, Frank Teschemacher and Frank Chace.

[BeBop]

If cool names count, Jelly Roll had some winners: "Balls" Ball; Voltaire de Faut; Happy Cauldwell; Alfie Evans

He also had some good ones: Dodds, Simeon, Roppolo, Procope, Albert Nicholas, Bigard (in a trio), Lorenzo Tio

And Wilton Crawley

[Hot Ptah]

Artie Shaw, first and foremost. Recently however, I heard someone whom I don't ordinarily care for on his main instrument, alto, but who knocked me out with his gorgeous clarinet work as a guest on the Turtle Island String Quartet album, Danzón. The clarinetist: Paquito D'Rivera. Seriously.

I heard Paquito play clarinet live, and he was quite good.

A saxophone player who really knocked me out when he played clarinet live was Buddy Tate.

[gmonahan]

Someone may have mentioned it, but I don't remember seeing Art Pepper's name. He rarely played the instrument on records, but when he did (as on the "Winter Moon" album), it was lovely.

gregmo

[jazzbo]

I'm quite fond of Ernie Caceres' work on clarinet. . . . I've a piano- and trumpet-playing friend, Mel Winters, whose dad used to lead a territory band in this region of Texas and for a number of years hired the Caceres brothers; to Mel Ernie was "Uncle Ernie."

[jeffcrom]

I'm quite fond of Ernie Caceres' work on clarinet. . . .

I'm with you on this.

[BillF]

I seem to recall some great clarinet on Mingus Ah Um. Is that John Handy?

[brownie]

John Handy it was!

[Bright Moments]

I love the sounds of Lester Young and Sidney Bechet on clarinet. It is a shame that they didn't play it more often.

Pee Wee Reese and Jimmy Hamilton are also favorites of mine on the instrument, and enjoy Benny Goodman quite a bit as well.

Of more recent performers, John Carter and Louis Sclavis are fantastic.

Pee Wee Reese played clarinet?!!

Sorry about that. I guess that, with growing age, I need to take a bit longer to proofread my posts.

who needs to proofread when you have us around!

[P.L.M]

Strange than nobody mention the best living clarinetist (at last to this ears who like also François Houle, Ben Goldberg, Michael Moore - I try to convince him, once, to record an album dedicated to the clarinet but he answers that he wasn't good enough -, Anthony Braxton, Peter Brötzmann, André Jaume ("Clarinettes" on CELP) and Louis Sclavis, THEO JÖRGENSMANN. If you don't know him, try the following records, you'll love it:

In trio with the Oles Brothers:

- Miniature (maybe the best of the bunch)(Not Two)

- Directions (Fenomedia)

- Live in Poznan (Fenomedia Live Series)

- Alchemia (hatOLOGY)

A fantastic duet clarinet / bass clarinet with Eckard Koltermann:

- Pagine Gialle (hatOLOGY)

With his quartet, both on hatOLOGY:

- Snijbloemen & To Ornette - hybrid identity

And also, freely improvise on Nemu Records (Well, I wrote the liner notes of this One):

Trio Hot (Jörgensmann, Maurer, Jacquemyn): Jink

I'm, of course, a fan of JIMMY GIUFFRE (who reinvent the instrumet at the beginning of the sixties)and John Carter, Han (the drummer) and his brother Peter Bennink, Perry Robinson, Pee Wee Russell, and the mighty TONY COE.

Edited August 22, 2010 by P.L.M

[BillF]

Someone may have mentioned it, but I don't remember seeing Art Pepper's name. He rarely played the instrument on records, but when he did (as on the "Winter Moon" album), it was lovely.

gregmo

On a recent Jazz Library programme on BBC Radio 3 about Art Pepper, Alan Barnes (mentioned by Bev in this thread) expressed a strong liking for Art's clarinet playing, clearly preferring him to Buddy DeFranco or Tony Scott on this horn.

[Cyril]

Strange than nobody mention the best ..... Michael Moore ....

I mentioned Michael Moore!!!

[BillF]

Strange than nobody mention the best ..... Michael Moore ....

I mentioned Michael Moore!!!

Michael Moore! We'll be getting Woody Allen next!

[carnivore]

I presume the recent King of Thailand doubled clarinet....

[mjazzg]

All the mentions of Jimmy Giuffre remind of Andre Jaume with whom Giuffre recorded on at least two occasions. On the Giuffre duets he's on tenor or bass clarinet but he can be heard to very good effect on clarinet on his own recordings (CELP) and on some of Joe McPhee's Hat Arts.

[Cyril]

Strange than nobody mention the best ..... Michael Moore ....

I mentioned Michael Moore!!!

Michael Moore! We'll be getting Woody Allen next!