[Dixielandjazz] Boehm vs. Albert

[Chris Tyle]

Harold Troughton penned...

> In response  to Zach Keeter 's clarinet dilemma. The three idols of his, Dodds, Fazola, Evan Christopher, are/were exponents of the Albert / Simple system design of clarinet. These instruments have very large bores & fewer  tone holes horns producing more volume & that "fat" sound typical of New Orleans Jazz. 
>  The downside is, due to the fact that most modern day clarinettists have  learned the Bohem system with it's smaller bore, & improved key placement .
> This makes switching from Bohem fingering to Alberts a significant hurdle to surmount.
> Some Bohem clts (Mainly vintage) however have a larger bore & many jazz players opt for them as a good compromise solution
> Amongst these --The Selmer Centered Tone,  
>   GC Conn424 and Boosey Hawkes 10 10.  Leblanc also make a Pete Fountain model.
>      
>   
It's possible to get that fat Albert-like sound on the Boehm horns you 
mentioned, but also the pre-Centered Tone Selmer clarinets, notably 
those manufactured pre-WWII (models with the serial number K-M and those 
with no letter). And as Steve Barbone pointed out, the Vandoren 5JB (a 
mouthpiece design by Kenny Davern and supposedly based on one used by 
Omer Simeon), and a soft reed (2 1/2 or less), can lead the player in 
the direction of the Albert. Willie Humphrey played a #1 strength reed.

BTW, I think the Boosey-Hawkes 10-10 had the largest bore of any Boehm 
system even made.

I have heard that the Selmer 1300 and 1400 series hard-rubber clarinets 
utilize the same design as the pre-WWII horns, i.e., with larger tone 
holes. But I've never owned one say I can't say with certainty.

Regard tone holes, Albert and Boehm have the same number of open tone 
holes: seven. The Albert I am holding in my hand has one less tone hole 
(counting all the holes on the horn) than my Selmer. Doubtful that one 
hole has much to do with the tonal quality!

Cheers,
Chris Tyle