[Dixielandjazz] Making the clarinet sound like Tony Scott Artie Shaw and Lester Young

[Charlie Hooks]

On Saturday, July 9, 2005, at 12:21 AM, artwoo at aol.com wrote:

> I think the point of this is that many musicians view playing as a 
> contest...he who plays loudest and penetrates above the rest is the 
> winner. If you're a sideman in a band like that, it is impossible to 
> make music.

Perfectly put.  I've been in so many bands like that, always from 
necessity, never by choice.  For a clarinetist, this is forever the 
danger, since we play a musical instrument, not a duck call, not a 
bratty brass sound, not an electric amp turned up the heaven.  I've 
been lucky in my own bands, able to hire musical players, not 
razzle-dazzle cut-ups.  I've found over the years that the real 
musicians can always do razzle-dazzle when the occasion requires it; 
but cut-ups can't settle down and play music because they are not 
musical.

Best example is the top super-mod trumpet player in Chicago, a kid 
who looks (and often sounds) exactly like Red Rodney, can play the 
damndest Chicken Dance you ever heard!  Somebody wants it, he 
delivers--and then some!  Then turns around and plays a beautiful 
ballad.  The real musician wants to be able to do it all, takes pride 
in it.

But that doesn't mean he wants to spend ALL his time on bullshit!

Also, to me, Tony Scott, since the day back in the mid 50s when I 
heard his original album, has been the guy to watch.  Many other 
players have my heartfelt admiration--DeFranco, Sam Most, Brad Terry, 
Eddie Daniels, Jack Mayheu, Chuck Hedges, Pete Fountain--but Tony 
Scott always had the sound, the Artie Shaw (my main man!) feel, that 
nobody else has ever had.  I've no idea what he is doing in Italy 
now, but it's a grand place and I hope he's well.

Charlie Hooks
>
____________________________________________
In 1954 Artie Shaw put his clarinet away, never got it out again, and 
never wanted to. "I did all you can do with a clarinet. Any more 
would have been less."