[Dixielandjazz] Davern Didn't Like It

[Ken Mathieson]

On 17 May 2008, Robert R Calder wrote:

<snip
Whereas Sidney Bechet performed the musical striptease
by dismantling his clarinet, Kenny Davern working with
Howard Alden, Ronnie Rae and an expat auburn-haired
Scottish drummer who played fluegelhorn at jam
sessions....
snip>

Hi Robert et al, the Scottish ex-pat auburn-haired fluegel-playing drummer has to be the great Bobby Orr, whose career involved working with everyone who was anyone, like Benny Goodman, Benny Carter and others of that calibre. Apart from being a great big-band drummer and a heck of a nice man, Bobby's great party piece is to play tunes by drumming a wooden pencil against his front teeth, while varying the pitch by opening/closing his mouth. Mozart's Rondo a la Turque is a specialty. He's still to the fore, living in the London area and, as far as I know, still playing.

Incidentally, mention of Kenny Davern is especially timely just now: My band has a new CD just out on Lake Records (Ken Mathieson's Classic Jazz Orchestra Salutes the Kings of Jazz LACD 261) containing Blues for Kenny Davern, which I wrote on hearing of Kenny's untimely death. Knowing Kenny's mischievous sense of humour and of his dislike of the bass clarinet, I felt it was essential to have a bass clarinet in the arrangement.

Regards,

Ken Mathieson