Ok....I play Jazz Clarinet. Is that a crime???



This year, I came out of the "straight clarinet" closet after 25 years of legitimate playing.



I got tired of making excuses to the orchestra players who heard me warming up on Charlie Parkers, Donna Lee. I often made lame excuses for my "jazz riffs". I often I told my clarinet students "ooops, baaaaaaaaad reed problem" after playing the slide riff to rhapsody in blue. The inner turmoil of my classical "id" and jazz "ego" was driving me slowly insane. I had these uncontrollable urges to just "add a little vibrato here" or to "swing it a little there". The voices in my head became undeniable.



Should I BE or BE-BOP.



One day, it just happened. I was playing Weber but hearing bebop lines when I stopped and said "Benny Lives!!!" and started swinging the melody. Next, it was Mozart’s clarinet concerto with a whooooooooooooooooooole lotta swing. I scrambled in frenzy and grabbed my book of Bach`s Unaccompanied Cello Suite and started improvising lines that had only the faintest resemblance to the original music. (I looked over to see the looks of both shock and horror on the drawn faces of the cello section). I looked down to see my foot wildly pounding out the beat on two and four.



And, it felt good.......Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally good.



I now great my former classical colleagues with a new greeting: "Hi, My name is Joe and I am a Jazz Clarinet Player" and I softly chuckle at the shocked look on their faces when they realize I play Jazz Clarinet.


http://www.corrad.com/users/hothousejazz/

You`re awesome! I LOVE jazz but don`t know a thing about improvising. I`m still a "straight clarinetist." Not that I see anything wrong with that, but I still want to learn jazz.

Anyway, good for you!! The world needs a little jazz clarinet.

Jazz- a crime? Never. I play jazz clarinet in my free time, and find nothing wrong with it. I often find myself wasting a good deal of practice time pulling out fake books and sight adlibing and transposing BTW Rhapsody in Blue is my favorite contemporary song!


~The Bard

Jazz clarinet is okay
I much prefer classical music for the clarinet though( just my opinion)
Rhapsody in Blue is one of my favorites too.......
I was the solo clarinetist in it when my symphony played it.........
it was fun!

I have loved Rhapsody in Blue since I was in grade school (many moons ago, and that`s all I`m saying). I recently picked the clarinet back up after nearly a quarter century, and have been wondering--how in the world is that slide done?

Jazz is pretty good, but swingin mozart and weber are a bit over the edge.

Well... i`d like to play Jazz Flute!!! =P I love Jazz clarinet though! It`s go it`s own unique sound that just can`t be satisfied by any of your other standard Jazz instruments! Hey Jazz-Clarinets-R-Us, that Hot House Jazz page is pretty awsome =D

I love Jazz music and i would play it more often like in my school "Jazz Band" but there is NO CLARINETS alowd. What kind of crap is that? Does anybody elses school do that. It makes me so mad.

I`m in Junior High and Love jazz and my clarinet, the problem being that my band teachers across America seem to be teaming up and trying to stop us clarinetists in!!!! I`ve had to bully my way in to quite a few jazz bands so far. Oh well, hopefully years from now (when i`m a famous jazz clarinetists and one heck of a music teacher) i`ll be able to look back and stick my tounge out at all of those "straight" minded teachers of mine!

I`m not allowed to play in the siwng band with my clarinet either! What`s rhapsody in blue and what kinda level (grade) is it?

Rhapsody in Blue is a 1920`s large scale piece by George Gershwin for piano and orchestra and was meant to demonstrate how jazz can be performed in a serious manner similar to classical music. The rhapsody begins with a clarinet solo beginning on a chalumeu F-G trill and then a glissando up to high clarion C, which is then followed up the short initial appearence of the main theme played by the clarinet with the brass accompaining before the piano and orchestra later enters. The final part of the glissando is played with a "smear" ("bend" or "slide" whatever ya want to call it - like what a trombone does.)

Actually, I meant G-A trill.

Does anyone have any tips on improve for those of us who are just starting???????? I know all about staying in the right key and using the scales, but everything i play sound much more like dying animals than good jazz

YOU ROCK, I love jazz clarinet

hey you should do what u want and if u like jazz clar. then go 4 it!