[Dixielandjazz] Clarinet players, volume and King Oliver's band

[J. D. Bryce]

I've played Buffets (Crampon and R-13), Selmers(Series 9 and 10) and LeBlanc
(III).  I currently use a Selmer Series 9 made in 1964.  The Series 9 and 10
were both designed by Guglioto, who was the principla clarinet for the
Philadelphia Pops.  The Series 9 and 10 were identicle excpet that the
Series 9 has a larger bore and sound wonderful in jazz.  I use a wide
opening on my mouthpiece and a medium reed.  I've never had any problem
being heard in any venue.  You can check with Sheik Littlefield about that.

The Albert System horns and somewhat different fingerings and as a result
some passages with sound differently when played on Boehm and Albert system
horns; not unlike the issue of playing Bix solos on cornet without using his
rather unique valving.

I love Dorsey and Fazola on their Albert systems and enjoy the hell out of
Shaw and Defranco on their Boehms.

I think it is the musician that makes the difference.

Jack Bryce
One of Sheik's Minions



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <confit at isp.com>
To: "Jack Bryce" <brycejo at comcast.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 7:00 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Clarinet players, volume and King Oliver's band


> Johnny Dodds played clarinet with Oliver when Doc Cheatham heard the band.
> Johnny was a powerful, full-toned clarinetist that could undoubtedly have
> been easily heard over the brass in that band.
>
> New Orleans clarinetists prided themselves on heavy, big, fat sounds, and
> achieved this by using mouthpieces that were very open and very thin
> reeds. Willie Humphrey used a 1 1/2 reed. Many classical players use a 3
> or 4 and mouthpieces with a narrow tip opening.
>
> Any clarinet player who is inaudible over a band or needs a microphone
> needs to change the setup they are using. It's that simple. Benny Goodman
> and Artie Shaw could easily be heard over their big bands without mikes in
> the 1930s and 1940s. Why? Big bore Selmer clarinets with big tone holes,
> wide open mouthpieces and thin reeds. Clarinets are not made that way
> anymore, because most clarinets are sold to classical players. I once
> compared a modern Buffet with a Selmer L-series from 1936. The tone holes
> on the Selmer are significantly larger.
>
> There's been a lot of discussion that the New Orleans clarinet "sound" was
> because of the Albert system clarinet. Personally I think that's all a lot
> of romanticized drivel.
>
> I believe there's a mention in the book "Hear Me Talkin' To Ya" that the
> Oliver band could be so quietly that you could hear the dancers feet over
> the sound of the band. In other words, they used dynamics, unlike the Lu
> Watters band.
>
> Regards,
> Chris Buch
>
>
>
>
>
>
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