[Dixielandjazz] ALLEN SWINGS, BUT ABOUT THAT TONE

[Kay Spencer]

I'm not sure that the descriptor "stank" is necessarily mean-spirited and probably means something different to you than to me.   I think if I were in Woody's position, I would rather have this generic critique in our electronic mailing list than the very specific criticisms of a music critic broadly published in the LA Times. 
   
  After all, Judie's criticism is based upon a short attendance at only one performance, the critic's review, however politely he phrased it, indicates an overiding problem that would certainly stop me from spending $150 for a ticket.  (At least I think that's what tomorrow's performance in Redwood City is going for...)
   
   
   
  Kay
  

Steve Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net> wrote:
  Since this thread refuses to die, (even after Judie and I agreed off list to
let it do so), here is the ENTIRE REVIEW from the LA Times. (Both Dan and I
left parts out) I suggest rather than keep repeating her mantra that Woody
Allen "Stank" in such mean spirited fashion, she CAREFULLY read the ENTIRE
review.

To ease that task, I have highlighted some (what I consider to be), relevant
remarks by the reviewer, in light of Judie's opposite contentions.

Note especially the first part of the second paragraph. It was after these
numbers that Judie left. She heard only 4 songs and apparently missed "THE
GENERALLY WELL DONE" part.

But each is entitled to his/her opinion. For me, I choose the review below
because the reviewer was there for the entire performance, and is a
professional.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

JAZZ REVIEW
Allen swings, but about that tone ...

Woody Allen's clarinet playing, like his movies, can be an entertainment, an
illumination or a bewilderment. And his performance at Royce Hall on
Saturday night with his New Orleans Jazz Band included all those elements.
When he strolled on stage, wearing rumpled pants and a shirt with rolled-up
sleeves, Allen still suggested the persona, nearly 30 years after "Annie
Hall," of an Alvy Singer with a clarinet. But when he began to play, the
warmly reminiscent visual image was replaced by a more problematic aural
impression.

IN THE FIRST FEW NUMBERS, it was difficult to tell whether he was having
reed problems, embouchure difficulties or simply taking a while to warm up.
The sound of the clarinet is generated by a single reed mouthpiece, and both
the relative stiffness of the reed and the flexibility of the player's mouth
control can have a striking effect upon that sound.

The notes emanating from Allen's instrument suggested the kazoo-like
characteristic often associated with a soft reed or an out-of-practice
embouchure. In some phrases, the lack of sustained sound produced vibrato
that was little more than a series of staccato notes. His bottom notes, in
the clarinet's low register, had the sort of flabby, sharp-edged tone
produced by young players in their first attempts at mastering the
instrument.

ALLEN HAS DEMONSTRATED AN IMPRESSIVE FAMILIARITY WITH THE NEW ORLEANS STYLE
OF CLARINET that traces back to masters such as Sidney Bechet, Johnny Dodds
and Buster Bailey. Although he has tended to view himself as a dedicated
amateur, his talent and his long-term emergence in the music, combined with
the opportunity to interact with excellent players, have produced some
first-rate performances. His work in the concerts represented in the 1998
documentary "Wild Man Blues" clearly affirms that Allen is much more than a
musical hobbyist.

And the odd part of his appearance at Royce was that ‹ DESPITE THE SOMETIMES
SQUAWKLY QUALITY OF HIS TONE ‹ THE MUSICAL CONTENT OF WHAT HE PLAYED WAS
GENERALLY WELL DONE. Although repeated passages in his solos tended to imply
memorization rather than improvisation or, perhaps, a limited vocabulary of
phrases and riffs, ALLEN PLAYED WITH AN ENTHUSIASTIC SENSE OF SWING AND A
CONVINCING COMPATIBILITY WITH NEW ORLEANS STYLE Allen But he needs to give
some serious consideration to what's going on with his sound ‹ either via
his chops or his reeds.

Allen was ably supported by the New Orleans Jazz Band. Led by its musical
director, banjoist-composer Eddy Davis, with trumpeter Simon Wettenhall,
trombonist Jerry Zigmont, pianist Conal Fowkes, bassist Greg Cohen and
drummer John Gill, the group is an assemblage of solid professionals. And it
was their ease and familiarity with an array of music ‹ including "Alice
Blue Gown," "Corinne, Corinna," "Cuddle Up a Little Closer," "The Old Rugged
Cross," "Aba Daba Honeymoon" and "Ain't Gonna Study War No More" (which
probably drew the most enthusiastic audience applause) ‹ that provided an
attractive, appropriately atmospheric setting for Allen's playing.

Woody Allen and His New Orleans Jazz Band
Where: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa
Mesa
When: 8 tonight 
Price: $35-$65
Contact: (714) 556-2787


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