Hey i played clarinet in middle school and at that time they did not allow clarinets so I picked up a sax and learned to play it so I could join and then half way through the year my director let clarinets join. I think clarinets a great in a jazz band i am the only one in our high school jazz band and I must say that When there was the clarinet solo the judges loved it and not only did I get a first place soloist award for it the judge wanted my director to add another clarinet in so it would bring out the clarinet sound a little more. plus the judge eearned sax.

normally in jazz bands clarinet is a 2nd instrument. have you ever noticed that normally the sax player plays clarinet and flute when needed??

Of course this excludes soloist such as Benny Goodman.

But did you ever see a sax in a normal orchestra setting? Classical music existed before the sax, so unless it was rewritten it exludes it. Jazz is jsut primarily for sax & other instruments.

For my clarinet I use a O`Brien crystal mpc for jazz.

Classical music is still being written; it hasn`t stopped. And yes there are pieces which call for a saxophone to join the orchestra: Romeo and Juliette (Prokovief), Bolero (Ravel), and Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin). These are just a few of the pieces which call for saxophone in an orchestral setting.

My point entirely. Just like sax is sometmes in classical. Clarinet is sometimes in jazz. Just not all the time ( i was trying to say that without getting too wordy).

But someone was asking why clarinet isn`t in jazz bands 100%.

The fact that clarinet is seldom seen in a jazz context is easy to understand. Everybody know that even if there was awesome white players in jazz, the real jazz scene, where changes were occuring, the core of the movement, was ruled by black people. It`s not saying that white men cant play jazz, it`s saying that black people started it, and create the different movement. Then black people were playing instrument that was associated to blues and jazz(saxophone, bass, trumpet, piano, and later electric guitar). Clarinet was consider to be a classical instrument; people who played it had a classical training and they were not in the jazz scene...plus they were white, cause even now you don`t often see a black man in a classical orchestra. So the very few guys who put name on the jazz map playing clarinet were very good white guys who had their white band. They sure made more money cause their bands were accepted in white clubs and accepted by the white critics who were very influent, but they did`nt make history that much cause they didnt change things. Even Goodman admitted that jazz was a white man affair; his role model was Ellington.
So it`s easy to understand that even now clarinet is not associated with jazz because it hadn`t evolved with it.

I disagree Mr. Machine Gun. If you look back or listen to recordings (what little recordings exist) of early jazz you will hear and see that the clarinet played a prominent role. You were correct that most the musicians were black and that the music was rooted in the blues. However, the clarinet was very important in the early jazz ensembles and the electric guitar had not been invented yet.

You were also wrong when saying that the clarinet never took part in the advancement of jazz. There are more jazz clarinetist than just BG, and in fact the "other jazz clarinetist" were some of the more progressive players. Jimmy Giuffre, Art Pepper (saxophonist and clarinetist), Buddy Defranco, and more recently Bob Mintzer (bass clarinet) and Don Byron have all made some contribution to jazz.

The real issue is why isn`t the clarinet in big band. I think that it doesn`t have to do with white players versus black players, but instead with what affect the composer wants. I think that big band writers use saxophones over clarinets because they are considerably louder and because their timbre is better suited for matching the trombones and trumpets. A section of clarinets would lack the volume and depth that the sax section can get.

Also adding a clarinet to an existing sax section would throw off the balance. The lead alto should always be the predominant voice, and adding a clarinet that is higher in pitch would mess up the voicing of the composition and sound of the section.

not really unless u r tight with the band teacher which is only 1 person at my school.

NO and I`m MAD. I SO want to play with our jazz band. I love swing music and jazz music!

At my school we either have the clarinet players who want to join jazz band learn the sax, or we let them play a trumpet part along with a trumpetist. (we also let flutes join, but they have to transpose a sax part to play!)

At my school if you play a flute, and a piccalo then that`s ok. if you play a trumbone and a bass trumbone that ok to...My point is that at my school you can play more then just one instrument, or you can play a variety of instruments. And to answer your question, you don`t to have to know how to play a saxaphone and a clairinet togehter, but if you did, that would be perfectly fine.

yes and thats good but we have to play clarinet part and thats bad but next year i have to play something else like sax but i also play bass clarinet and suprano so i`ll try those

My school lets clarinets join the jazz band we just play the tenor sax parts one and two.

To those of you how have been hurt like me,

I have been playing clarinet for 4 years. I was so good in fact that my conductor allowed me into the senior ensemble. I also applied to be in the Jr. Jazz band they said o.k. I played 3 trumpet when my range is better than the firsts; I was not allowed to play in regional or nationals. And got into a lot of trouble persisting my conductor as to the reason, his reason was that there were never any clarinets in jazz band.

If your conductor is a little more accepting with clarinets, or just wants to give you a chance, my advice to you is don’t give them an opportunity to have an excuses to kick you out. Practice every day. If you can’t play with you schools band look for another or apply for solo competitions.

Above all keep fingering

Mine didn`t until I went in and faught the battle myself with the entire music staff from the coordinator on down.
As one person mentioned, many jazz bands get stuck in the rut of playing rather formulaic "school-band-written" (a term we coined to make a distinction between music originally written for a band of our level vs. music originally written for/by pro groups) jazz tunes or watered down versions of rock and roll tunes. This is, in fact, what leads to the exclusion of many instruments.
A piece written for a standard school jazz band usually (but not always) neglects the following instruments with the following reasons:

Flue - Lack of Interest. Many flute players aren`t interested, it`s not anywhere close to the instrument`s designed fortes. Range. A flute sticks out rather distinctly in a group made up of saxes and brass.
Clarinet - Tonality. Clarinetists are always taught to focus on tonality and creating a full, round, more gentle sound than a saxophone, it`s the instrument`s purpose in a concert band or a symphonic orchestra. Thus, it becomes much like teaching junior high vocalists how to sing jazz; while scat and swung rhythms may come naturally to them, it`s not always easy to explain where one should scoop and slur and when not to.
Double Reeds (Oboes or Bassoons) - Tonality. What the heck do you do with a nasal sound like that when you`re trying to get your saxes to stop blasting and sounding like that?
French Horn - Control over the instrument. The earlier a student starts to study a new genre, the better they should be at it by the time they`re a junior or senior in high school ready to lead the sections. Most teachers don`t allow students to try the French Horn until Jr. High b/c it`s so hard to control. Intonation. Not only are you teaching them jazz, but you`re also trying to make sure that basic rudiments like intonation are stable.
Baritone - Power. Being a "baby tuba" (or "Tenor Tuba" as it was once called - see Holst) it`s more powerful than a trombone, but equally unweildy and slightly lower in range. Much like the force, if it can be controlled, it can be weilded very well; if it can`t, it can throw the whole section out of whack.
Tuba - Power and Range. You`ve already got a bass (whose amp you probably can`t get low enough to not be overpowering), why do you want two of them?
"Odd-ball" brass instruments (Mellophone, Cornet, Fluglehorn, Eb Horn) - How many schools own enough to matter?
Secondary Percussion Instruments - Believe me, as a conductor, you`re happy enough if all your drummers hit the drums together, the less drums there are to hit, the better.
Mallet Percussion - Facility. While it would be a great dimension to add to a jazz band, there just aren`t enough students competent enough to make it a worthwhile part in the piece - it won`t sell.

Since most pieces that most bands end up playing don`t have pre-written parts for these instruments, it`s easier to just not allow them in to sit around doing nothing or to double up parts and get in the way harmonically. However, if one does allow these instruments into a jazz band, a whole new repitoire is made available which, by itself, can throw a band out of the rut of school-band-written pieces and rock arrangements.
Flute - Opens a new vein of latin music which can be explored. Hurdle: The player must be able to break out of standard marching or concert band playing both in balance with the rest of the band, and in tonality; otherwise it sounds like a Wagnerian soprano trying to sing Gershwin - a convergence of the twain in which both are beautiful and powerful, but never should meet.
Clarinet - As many of you have mentioned, the clarinet is key to swing, big-band, and dixie. Hurdle: Getting a band with that many saxes to balance to a dixie sound is a bear, plus getting them to back off of rock beats and the drive that comes with them - if done incorrectly - sounds like a train wreck.
Double Reeds - Useful to create some sounds to emulate particular synthesizer blends, to do off-beat blends, or to have them double in places to smooth over some sounds. Hurdle: Many double-reed players (particularly oboe) are very dependant on help from the conductor and other sections until they are comfortable with the odd tonality of the instrument - quite a distraction and a time sink for a conductor.
French Horn - People can`t seem to find a comfortable place for the band`s counterpart to the cello but it can be used lightly in the background and for effect in short bursts (see the Overture from Tommy by The Who). Hurdle: Is the horn itself in good condition and is the player confident enough to play out when needed as it is easy to overblow the instrument.
Baritone - Can bolster a low-confidence and/or young/less-powerful trombone section. Hurdle: Can they do that without completely smothering the trombonists they`re supposed to be helping.
Tuba - Can give an added level of depth and help convince the bass player to back off a bit. Hurdle: Being a big and cumbersome instrument it can be that one slat in the picket fence not quite as white as the others, and with a comprable sound, if the tuba and bass aren`t together you can end up with one band playing at two tempos.
"Oddball" Brass - It`s always fun to take out something the audience doesn`t get to see much. Hurdle: Do you have any of these and can anyone play them well?
Secondary Percussion - Gives your other drummers what to do and can help keep a basic beat. Hurdle: Can the players themselves keep a beat playing the same part with no fills or extras for a whole song.
Mallet Percussion - Is probably the best instrument to show off with in a jazz band just because of its build and the way it`s played. Hurdle: Moving it around and having someone skilled enough to play it and keep up while still having a part worth hearing.

I know what it is like for many of you trying to argue your way into a jazz band using Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. Don`t forget to use Sidney Bachet! He was closer to "pure" jazz (if there is such a thing) than the others. Be prepared, though, there will be times when you won`t quite fit in. I remember what finally convinced me to learn saxophone as my second instrument. After making such a strong case all through 6th grade to get into the jazz band, and after playing clarinet in the band for two and a half years, I finally decided it was time to learn saxophone in 9th grade when we took out an arrangement of the song Maniac and my ears had developed enough to hear that it just wasn`t something a clarinet should be playing. As time went by we got a different jazz director who was less able to work with "odd" jazz instruments and the programs were cut down to just the standard instruments. However, even though I graduated 3 years ago, the band still plays swing and big-band music from time to time and they still are more receptive to people who play "non-jazz" instruments. But, even for as much as my HS alma mater does and as much of an impact as I made and as grand a music department as it is, I think the days of a jazz bassoon at my high school have passed. It`s sad, and perhaps someday it will shrink down completely again. But the most important thing to remember is, never give up.

that`s a lot to type there...

neways, my school doesn`t let clarinet`s in the jazz band... but I also play piano, so I get to be the only piano player in there!!! Yipee... But playing with one stave instead of two would be easier, so I wish they allowed clarinets in there...