[Dixielandjazz] Pete Fountain & Other Clarinetists

[Steve barbone]

on 4/15/05 8:14 PM, SouJazz at aol.com at SouJazz at aol.com wrote:

>I am a fellow clarinet player--in Paducah Ky-an ophthalmologist --I have your
>cd and love your playing and always enjoy reading your comments on the list-
>there are many great jazz clarinet players both new and old but I think none
>play better than Pete Fountain..I have love his playing since I was 16 and I am
>60--and although I have listen to all the others I am most impressed with him
>-- what is your opinion as a clarinet player who has been around and can play
>very well??Ted Borodofsky www.southernjazz.com


Thanks for your comments, and for having one of my CDs.

Pete Fountain? I wish I could play as well as he does. I started listening
to him when he first started to record. Beautiful player, knows his horn and
has great ideas.

Some folks say he went "commercial" at his club in New Orleans, but how else
could he make such a good living? Even commercial, he outplays most jazz
clarinetists.

In OKOM, my favorites are Pete Fountain and Kenny Davern.

In the more modern styles, my favorites are Tony Scott and Buddy DeFranco,
both of whom I met in the 1950s.

Old favorites include Pee Wee Russell, Omer Simeon, Hank D'Amico and Sidney
Bechet. I saw them all frequently in the 1940s and 1950s.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone