[Dixielandjazz] Amplification and Kenny Davern

[Stephen Barbone]

Listmates:

Well, a few words about Kenny Davern. He can blow louder than any
clarinet player in the world. Indeed, he can blow louder than a lot of
trumpet or trombone players. How did that come about?

Well, his authoritarian teacher when he was a young teenager had him
drill on those long tones. Then he put him in a coat closet full of
coats and said: "Kenneth you have to be able to hear yourself in here.
Don't come out until you can." Naturally the coats absorbed a lot of his
sound, but after a few months of this drill, Kenny's volume was such
that he can fill all but the very largest rooms, easily, without
amplification. Ask him about it if any of you talk with him. It is a
funny story the way he tells it.

Most of the other clarinetists in the world cannot do this. They can't
even come close. His advice to me when I was 16 and he heard me playing
in a jazz club?  "Blow louder kid." (He was a year younger)

Kenny loves to make this talent known by not amplifying the band.
However, make no mistake, he does play with amplified players. Case in
point. Before he went to New Mexico, he had a steady gig at the
Forrestal Hotel in Princeton NJ. He was there every Saturday night
whenever he was in town. I would go there when not gigging and watch him
play with Joe Gibilisco on amplified (ever so slightly) bass, and Al Rae
on amplified piano. It was an acoustically dead room. I subbed for him
there a few times when he was on tour, without amplification, except in
the low register and I have to tell you, it was a struggle for me to
fill the room.

The last time I saw him play was about 2 years ago, with amplified bass
and amplified piano, rest of the Dixieland Band was un amplified. He,
however, used the mike only for announcements. I play that same room
twice a year and we work it the same way. Amplified Guitar, amplified
Bass, everybody else acoustic.

Like anything else, there are no concrete "rules" on amplification or
reinforcement either. The trick is to get the proper band balance and
that is up to the band leader. Our bassist and guitarist put their amps
behind them so they can easily hear it when they are too loud.

Except that both are going deaf, which leaves it up to me to balance
things out. ;-)

Yeah, we've had a few words about "play softer" but as pros, they agree
that it's up to me to get the proper band sound.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

PS. We've all experienced the vagaries of too loud or two soft. Heck, at
every gig we do, some come up and say its too loud and an equal number
come up and say they can't hear us. Musical content? "What's New?"