[Dixielandjazz] Sounding like somebody else.

[Marek Boym]

The article you quote reads "For his 1961 release, Jazz at the
Metropole (Philips), recorded live at the club, Yaged was able to assemble
an incredibly impressive cast of sidemen. These included the granddaddy of
all tenor saxophonists, Coleman Hawkins, Sheppard on vibes, stride pianist
Claude Hopkins, trumpeter Pee Wee Ervin, trombonist Benny Morton and
Armstrong bassist Arvell Shaw. The music has Yaged center stage for a
wonderful adventure in swing."  We, my friends and I (on of those
friends says he canno listen to Dixieland anymore; Dixieland, for him,
includes Wild Bill, Hackett, etc., but not Turk Murphy of Kid Thomas -
those are "New Orleans) became enamoured with Yaged after hearing this
album.
Perhaps Yaged is not  just "a Benny Goodman clone," but, in a Leonard
Feather "Blindfold Test" many years ago, Jack Teagarden first
identified him as BG, but then corrected himself, mentioning that
Yaged concentrated on a certain period of Goodman.
And Yaged may be very busy, but not rich.
You say "there are a lot more of them (musicians with recognizable
personal sound) around than we know of,because we are mostly hearing
OKOM by copycats and not what's really happening in jazz."  Actually,
I was not referring to currently playing musicians (I must admit that,
out of context, I find it difficult to identify most of them, with the
possible exception of Tony Pringle, probably due to so many
influences), but rather to the swing era.  There were numerous bands,
employing thousands of musicians, all had soloists, but how many were
recognizable?  Most white saxophonists sounded like Bud Freeman (to
thisa day, I find it difficult to tell Eddie Miller and Bud apart, and
amazing that they should have developed such a similar style each on
his own), while most black saxophonists sounded like Coleman Hawkins
(and yes, I usually can identify Tate, l usually can identify Tate,
Hersal Evans or Choo Berry).
So OK, the personal sound may be set the men from the boys, but there
would be no music without the latter!  My admiration for BG or show
does not prevent me from enjoying Larry Clinton (nor should it).
And when a Belgian trombone player is referred to as the "European
Louis Nelson (or os it Jim Rbinson), does that nean that he has found
a "money making niche"  "by sounding exactly like ..."  Certainly not!
 And I am not even sure he really does sound "exactly like," but I
don't think that he would be identifiable if one did not know it was a
European trombone player.  I heard him with John Brunious, for my
money - one of the best trumpeters to have come from New Orleans in
later years, even (or rather - because) he doesn't sound like Kid
Thomas (in whose band he subbed at the 1980 New Orleans fest - the
only one I've attended), and, to my ears, the trombone sounded good,
and certainly fulfilled its role on the band!
Cheers

that a money making niche can be had by
> sounding exactly like Benny Goodman, or Glen Miller

On 20/09/2007, Steve Barbone <barbonestreet at earthlink.net> wrote:
> Marek Boym at marekboym at gmail.com wrote:
>
> > Was Sol Yaged making that much money?  He never became a great star,
> > even if he had a fair following (some of it - a bit distant).
> > Don't forget that out of thousands of musicians, only a few developed
> > a really personal, easily identifiable sound.
>
>
> Hello Marek:
>
> IMO, Yaged is much more than a Benny Goodman clone. He is, and has been for
> 65 years, one of the busiest jazz musicians in NYC. He is a great star in
> the Big Apple. Better yet he continues to be a big star there at an age when
> most folks are retired and not doing much of anything. Music like any other
> profession favors young people and those who are able to continue working at
> advanced ages have to overcome a lot of "old age" prejudice.
>
> About individual sounds, IMO those who posses one are the "real" jazz
> musicians. And I think there are a lot more of them around than we know of,
> because we are mostly hearing OKOM by copycats and not what's really
> happening in jazz, OKOM or otherwise.
>
> Ducking for cover. <grin>
>
> Cheers,
> Steve Barbone
>
> Sol Yaged
>
> February 11, 2007  By Elliott Simon - From ALL ABOUT JAZZ
>
> There are few, if any, continuously working jazz musicians that can match
> the incredible longevity of clarinetist Sol Yaged. Born in Brooklyn, Yaged
> has been, with the exception of three years of military service, playing
> clarinet continuously in and around the NYC area since 1942. He is also a
> testimony to hard work and the philosophy that if you love something enough,
> good things will happen. Because of that, even at the age of 84, Yaged¹s
> schedule makes him one of the busiest working musicians in the city.
>
> Music started for Yaged when at the age of 12 he heard Benny Goodman playing
> on Let¹s Dance, a radio program sponsored by the National Biscuit Company.
> It didn¹t take him long to become enamored with the ³King of Swing² and head
> up to West 48th Street to purchase his own instrument. He views that
> instrument as a life saver and is quick to tell anyone that ³If it wasn¹t
> for my clarinet I would have ended up a juvenile delinquent.² Studies with
> the New York Philharmonic¹s first chair clarinetist, Russian-born Simeon
> Bellison, gave Yaged a thorough grounding in classical technique but he was
> hopelessly bitten by the jazz bug and in particular, Goodman¹s style. He
> became so adept and knowledgeable in the nuances of Goodman¹s sound that
> when someone was needed to teach Steve Allen how to be Goodman for The Benny
> Goodman Story, Yaged got the call.
>
> While Yaged is a swing clarinetist par excellence, that is only a part of
> his wonderful career. The 50th anniversary of his first recording, It Might
> As Well Be Spring (Herald, 1956), was recently celebrated at Swing 46 as
> part of a sold-out reunion concert with vibraphonist Harry Sheppard. Yaged
> has played an astounding number of gigs in NYC and carries a no nonsense
> home grown outlook reflected in his wife¹s past statement that ³Musicians
> are on the road 50 weeks a year to play NYC for twoŠSol hits the road for
> two weeks and plays NYC for 50.² Amazingly, he has been doing so for over 60
> years with his most recent engagement entailing six nights a week at the W.
> 56th Street eatery, Il Valentino.
>
> Playing in all the legendary jazz clubs like Jimmy Ryan¹s, the Metropole,
> the original Birdland, Jimmy Weston¹s, the Onyx club, the Three Deuces and
> countless others, Yaged has a host of life experiences that, combined with
> his expert musicianship, make him a true musical treasure. A multitude of
> stories such as playing opening night at Birdland, lending Charlie Parker
> his clarinet so Bird could sit in at Arthur¹s Tavern on 7th Avenue and
> rubbing shoulders with all the great jazzers of the past six decades make
> Yaged a microcosm of NYC mainstream jazz. For his 1961 release, Jazz at the
> Metropole (Philips), recorded live at the club, Yaged was able to assemble
> an incredibly impressive cast of sidemen. These included the granddaddy of
> all tenor saxophonists, Coleman Hawkins, Sheppard on vibes, stride pianist
> Claude Hopkins, trumpeter Pee Wee Ervin, trombonist Benny Morton and
> Armstrong bassist Arvell Shaw. The music has Yaged center stage for a
> wonderful adventure in swing. Yaged was also present for Standards and
> Warhorses (Jass), the 1950 recorded encounter between Hawkins and seminal
> New Orleans trumpeter Red Allen.
>
> Equally intriguing is a Œ50s session fronted by trumpeter Charlie Shavers
> that has recently been re-released as part of a CD entitled Horn ŒO Plenty
> (Lone Hill Jazz). Here, Yaged¹s swinging stick is teamed with Shavers¹ sweet
> horn, the expressive trombone of Urbie Green and Sam Taylor¹s honking tenor
> for a delightful set of eight Cole Porter tunes.
>
> Happily, Yaged continues to be found most nights playing into the early
> hours of the next morning at any one of several NYC area restaurants and
> venues that cater to his brand of swing. His business card sums up his
> lifestyle and dedication to performance with its tagline ³Call after 1 PM².
>
>
>