[Dixielandjazz] Abe Most Bio

[Stan Brager]

Abe Most started playing the clarinet at the age of 9. By the time he was 
13, he was playing professionally in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New 
York. He's Played with the greatest of the big bands. He started his own 
quartet in 1939 at Kelly's Stable in New York at the age of 19. He had the 
ability to play or read anything, which catapulted him into the lead chair 
with the best of the best, Les Brown, Tommy Dorsey, Bill May, David Rose, 
Billy Vaughn, Frank DeVol, Glen Gray, Bob Crosby and, of course, with 
Maestro John Williams. Abe played throughout the Williams' score for the 
movie, "1941." Many thought it was Goodman or Krupa, but it was Abe with 
the outstanding Louie Bellson on drums.
Abe has been in the studios for more than 44 years, including 22 with 20th 
Century Fox as the premier soloist. He soloed on Disney's "The Lion King" 
and has been under the baton of Hank Mancini, Nelson Riddle and Fred 
Karlin. He played the title themes of "The Commish," "Northern Exposure"  
 and "The Simpsons." He's the clarinet in "The Swing Kids," and you heard 
him on Barry Manilow's "1940's" album.
He contributed to the 1970 Capitol Records Time/Life Series, "The Swing 
Era." Abe recreated the original performances of well-known clarinetists 
Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Irving Fazola and Jimmy Dorsey.
In 1992, he was the grand emperor of jazz at the world renowned Traditional 
Jazz Festival in Sacramento, where he has been a performer and teacher for 
the last 10 years.
Abe Most and his band are always a huge draw at the Los Angeles Labor Day 
Jazz Festival.


Stan
Stan Brager
Trombonist-in-Training