[Dixielandjazz] Bechet on clarinet

Tue Sep 18 10:13:50 PDT 2007

I have some of those recordings so I need to pull them out and re listen - 
Personally I like what he did but I find his vibrato irritating and try to 
listen past it for the meat of the  music.

I am simply not a fan of the vibrato used by early jazz players in the same 
way I don't like the Minney Mouse vibrato that Dolly Parton uses and is used 
by women in Appalachian folk music.  Vibrato has gone through several style 
changes over the years and will most likely continue to change over time.
Larry
StL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marek Boym" <marekboym at gmail.com>
To: "Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis" <larrys.bands at charter.net>; 
<Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2007 9:00 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Bechet on clarinet

> Hello Larry,
> I have no idea about mouthpieces (exept for the vague notion that they 
> exist)
> However, I find it very difficult to believe that you could not have
> heard Bechet on clarinet - he played it so much, especially on his
> American recordings!  A casual look at the Sidney Bechet jazz Classics
> on Blue Note (BLP 1201 and 1202) shows him on both clarinet and
> soprano on 13 numbers, and on clarinet only on those with Bunk Johnson
> (another 4).  Likewise, lots of clarinet on the Victor sessions
> (listen to "Blues in Thitds" with Earl Hines!).  Also, he plays both
> horns on "Really the Blues" on King Jazz.
> Cheers
>
> On 17/09/2007, Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis
> <larrys.bands at charter.net> wrote:
>> I have never heard Sidney Bechet on Clarinet only Soprano Sax.
>>
>> I don't know if you are interested in trying to sound like them or not.
>>
>> I have been asked this question a lot of times about my mouthpiece / reed 
>> /
>> horn by other players.  It's not a bad one as a starting point BUT unless
>> you have the same facial structure, oral structure, ear and tonal concept 
>> of
>> a player you will not sound like that player.
>>
>> Mouthpieces, reeds, and horns are a lot like tooth brushes.  Very
>> individual.  What works for me may not be a good fit for you.
>>
>> While I was in the AF there was a tenor player that I wanted to sound 
>> like
>> more than anything.  It just so happened that we had identical 
>> instruments,
>> mouthpieces and reeds.  Why didn't I sound like him?  You just have to 
>> fall
>> back on that facial structure, etc. and tonal concepts of the player just
>> make it more than a mechanical thing.
>>
>> Does the mouthpiece / horn combination make a difference?  Yes but not as
>> much as you might think.  You can't buy a sound.
>>
>> I think, at least on woodwinds, there are a lot of variables.  There are
>> hundreds of different mouthpieces and many combinations with each brand.
>> Couple that with slight differences of individual instruments of the same
>> brand you end up with not the same thing.
>>
>> Another important consideration is your strength level.  On tenor I play 
>> on
>> a Wolf Tayne 8 (they made a 9) which is a very open mouthpiece.  I use a 
>> 3
>> 1/2 Rico Royal and my Tenor is a Conn 10M which is a fairly large bore 
>> horn.
>> This combination is definitely not for a beginner and is a killer for the
>> average player.  It takes chops and a lot of air but is capable of a much
>> wider volume range and intonation can be controlled much better.   I 
>> tried
>> and play on a Soprano mouthpiece recommended by a friend of mine who is a
>> fantastic pro player.  It damned near killed me when I first started 
>> playing
>> it.  I can now play it but it was a trauma for awhile.  We are playing on 
>> an
>> almost identical set up but he sounds a little different from me.
>>
>> Another thing about mouthpieces and reeds is that what is good now may 
>> not
>> be good a couple of years from now.  I have out grown my Alto mouthpiece 
>> and
>> I need to try some others.  Because I'm not primarily an Alto player I 
>> took
>> the recommendation of another player and bought a Meyer 5.  It's a good
>> intermediate mouthpiece but is a little wimpy.
>>
>> I also played Oboe for many years.  On that instrument facial structure,
>> oral cavity, correct embouchure, tonal concept, breath support and
>> incredible facial strength make all the difference in good tone and 
>> overall
>> sound.
>>
>> That's my opinion based on playing a lot of horns, trying mouthpieces,
>> trying to sound like someone else and failing, having people try to sound
>> like me and failing along with a lot of years playing.  All of these 
>> things
>> are also true of the clarinet too.  I just try to make the best, in tune,
>> sound I can.
>> Larry
>> St. Louis
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: <Jeffmatthews111 at aol.com>
>> To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
>> Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>> Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 5:00 AM
>> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Clarinet Question
>>
>>
>> > Hello,
>> >
>> > I am interested to know if there is information on the make of clarinet
>> > and
>> > mouthpiece set up used by Sidney Bechet, Bobby Gordon and Archie 
>> > Semple.
>> > Any
>> > Ideas?
>> >
>> > Thank you.
>> >
>> > Jeff Matthews
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
>>
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