[Dixielandjazz] Difficult Clarinet Glisses

[Robert Newman]

If you want to master a difficult upward gliss, try G4 to C4.     Shaw did it beautifully on the end of his "Concerto For Clarinet" in 1940.     His gliss from B2 to B3 on the ending of "Begin The Beguine" in 1938 is also nice.    Also F3 to F4 on the intro of "Traffic Jam."    Sure, I know there are more he did -- the gliss was one of his pleasing schtiks.    

But just for fun, go to the Time-Life recreations and listen to Abe Most and Gus Bivona do the Shaw glisses beautifully.     Check out Bob Reitmeier in the Bill Elliott Big Band on "Traffic Jam" and others, also.    Oh sure, and Dick Johnson and Walt Levinsky on more Shaw impressions.

Barney Bigard would gliss up from way down here to clear up there over at least 24 bars while the Ellington band would wail through burning riffs -- a characteristic of the band.    Bigard could also gliss slowly down, down, down.    Try that.   Glissing down smoothly over more than an octave range is tough as hell.