[Dixielandjazz] Re: Kenny Davern was Chordal & Melodic Improvisation

[John Petters]

Steve said
>Davern, with
> whom I grew up on the New York music scene in the 1950s  is my favorite
clarinet
> player, bar none, basically because he does two things well, that I
greatly admire.
>
> 1) Melodic Improvisation.
> 2) Treats the horn as a communication medium. (which he learned from Pee
Wee
> Russell, a player he admired as a communicator, and as a friend.)
>
Mention of Kenny is timely. I was listening to the Jazz at the New School CD
with Wild Bill, Dick Wellstood Eddie Condon and Gene Krupa today. That is a
session which defines what hot jazz is all about. Kenny's soaring soprano in
the trio setting, on Shimme- Sha-Wobble driven by Krupa's piping hot drums
( the man was dead within a year) creates  a musical tension seldom heard
anywhere.

He is the perfect frontline companion for Wild Bill, and resisted the
temptation to try and recreate the Bill / Bechet thing of the 40s.

Kenny is always his own man. I did a recording session with him in '85 (hard
work because it was a recording - the result was very satisfactory) and
quite a number of trio dates with him and Martin Litton, which were all
great, and as Kenny said on the gig following the recording, "where are
microphones today"?.

We also did a Quintet recording with vibes and bass where he literally
extended the numbers, building chorus upon chorus of exciting melodic
improvisation..
I also did a trio session with Kenny and Art Hodes, which was different
again and really pleasurable. He viewed Art as a national treasure.

Kenny knows where the music comes from and he does not play old style jazz
with a look down the nose attitude. He is a hot player and an exciting one.
Kenny also has a healthy attitude towards amplification. He taught me the
value of acoustic music.
He also has his own sound. Within a few bars you know it can only be Kenny
Davern.
When we were touring over here, he would often get requests for various
clarinet pieces. His reply would be "I'm not George Lewis, I'm not Benny
Goodman, I'm not Artie Shaw. On one occasion, someone requested Pee Wee's
Blues. He was taken aback and asked why. The reply came back "Because Andre
Beeson played it here last week". Kenny said that was a good enough reason,
and played it, Davern style, then at the end, with a hint of mischief, he
said I thought you might have expected me to play it like this". He did a
perfect Pee Wee chorus.
A great player and long may he prosper.

John Petters
www.traditional-jazz.com
Amateur Radio Station G3YPZ