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Does anyone else play the bass clarinet like Dolphy?


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Uhm, am I the only one who doesn't understand the original question here?

I mean why should anybody even try?

True, not the place to discuss the merits of b.clt players. Hopefully lp will be inspired to try Mr Murray and others.

Incidentally just listening to Herbie Hancock's' Mwandishi band - Benny Maupin gets a nice woody sound.

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With Bev on Dolphy's bass clarinet as an early fave - Green Dolphin Street! - and also loved discovering John Surman's use of same.

Unlike so many jazz musicians on a 'second' instrument, ED obtained a beautiful tone and, as others have said, played it well throughout its registers and not just for effect.

Made me love the instrument and still listen keenly for B.Cl passages in classical concerts.

It helps that ED's B.Cl. was sometimes so well-captured in the recordings.

Have we mentioned Broetzmann's use of it? Not at all the same thing but I'm an enthusiast of PB as what he is so I am glad to see him pick it up.

Trying to think who composed any chamber music for B.Cl. Not even Hindemith who got as far as a sonata for double bass and covered bassoon and oboe in his sonata writing, but apparently even for him B.Cl was not sonata-worthy. There must be something out there I don't know though, I don't have a much knowledge of chamber music.

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From Wiki:

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From Wiki:

Blimey. Have you heard any of them...?

Found a York Bowen Phantaisie-rhapsody thingy for bass clarinet and string quartet.

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Love Sclavis, but I never think of Dolphy hearing him. He has his own sound that you know it's Sclavis.

P.S. Nothing personal Andrew....but Shabaka Hutchings (at least on that track) is like listening to one of the Coltrane clones....or like some tribute rock band. They sound so much like them...there is no them in it....and I can just listen to Coltrane, or those bands....and Dolphy.

I think FWIW I may have sold Shabaka short by just posting that one track...I guess the composition can somewhat invite this approach (angular, post-boppish, etc.) - though on another day, he of course would play it totally differently. His range is much broader than just this one aspect (in fact, he plays very differently on each of the tracks).

I don't hear him as a clone - a kindred language for sure (hence linking this particular tune), but definitely not note-for-note Dolphyisms to my ears...at any rate, no problem...all cool - different strokes etc. etc..!

Yes to Sclavis (I really enjoyed the recentish Clean Feed trio with Taborn and Rainey), and Michel Portal.

John Surman - totally. IMHO honours the Dolphy concept by being completely his own man, at the same time as in some kind of tradition.

On the subject of Rudi Mahall - he is great, of course. Also one of the LOUDEST horn players (of any variety) I've ever seen live!

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Mahall is fine ... but he could try and strive for a bit more variety -- like he could start making use of any kind of change of loudness/volume, when I heard him in person, he was mostly working a range from ff to fff ... he might in fact be the second guy after Satchmo to think pp means "pound plenty" ;)

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Love Sclavis, but I never think of Dolphy hearing him. He has his own sound that you know it's Sclavis.

P.S. Nothing personal Andrew....but Shabaka Hutchings (at least on that track) is like listening to one of the Coltrane clones....or like some tribute rock band. They sound so much like them...there is no them in it....and I can just listen to Coltrane, or those bands....and Dolphy.

I think FWIW I may have sold Shabaka short by just posting that one track...I guess the composition can somewhat invite this approach (angular, post-boppish, etc.) - though on another day, he of course would play it totally differently. His range is much broader than just this one aspect (in fact, he plays very differently on each of the tracks).

I don't hear him as a clone - a kindred language for sure (hence linking this particular tune), but definitely not note-for-note Dolphyisms to my ears...at any rate, no problem...all cool - different strokes etc. etc..!

Yes to Sclavis (I really enjoyed the recentish Clean Feed trio with Taborn and Rainey), and Michel Portal.

John Surman - totally. IMHO honours the Dolphy concept by being completely his own man, at the same time as in some kind of tradition.

On the subject of Rudi Mahall - he is great, of course. Also one of the LOUDEST horn players (of any variety) I've ever seen live!

Alexander: Like I said it wasn't personal and just based on that one track. I haven't heard anything else by him to compare and too me it really does sound cloneish.

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Love Sclavis, but I never think of Dolphy hearing him. He has his own sound that you know it's Sclavis.

P.S. Nothing personal Andrew....but Shabaka Hutchings (at least on that track) is like listening to one of the Coltrane clones....or like some tribute rock band. They sound so much like them...there is no them in it....and I can just listen to Coltrane, or those bands....and Dolphy.

I think FWIW I may have sold Shabaka short by just posting that one track...I guess the composition can somewhat invite this approach (angular, post-boppish, etc.) - though on another day, he of course would play it totally differently. His range is much broader than just this one aspect (in fact, he plays very differently on each of the tracks).

I don't hear him as a clone - a kindred language for sure (hence linking this particular tune), but definitely not note-for-note Dolphyisms to my ears...at any rate, no problem...all cool - different strokes etc. etc..!

Yes to Sclavis (I really enjoyed the recentish Clean Feed trio with Taborn and Rainey), and Michel Portal.

John Surman - totally. IMHO honours the Dolphy concept by being completely his own man, at the same time as in some kind of tradition.

On the subject of Rudi Mahall - he is great, of course. Also one of the LOUDEST horn players (of any variety) I've ever seen live!

Alexander: Like I said it wasn't personal and just based on that one track. I haven't heard anything else by him to compare and too me it really does sound cloneish.

Totally - no offence taken :) To be honest, that's part of what makes all this stuff so great - that we can hear the same stuff differently in this way!

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glad Marty Krystall's name came up; best saxophonist on the planet and plays that bass clarinet thing; and check out Paul Austerlitz; on our New Tango CD he has a Dolphy-esque thing going on Bb clarinet, but he is quite brilliant on bass clarinet as well.

Edited by AllenLowe
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Dolphy kinda put the bass clarinet on the map I only recently learned from the liners of a Dolphy recording that Herbie Mann played it too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sKeTxDTY48

The Mann is from a session on which Mann plays only bass clarinet issued as "Great Ideas of Western Mann". This selection was added to the cd release. Obviously he doesn't sound like Dolphy but didn't Ken McIntyre (sp?) play bass clarinet?

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I know this from LP. Apparently the OJC has the wrong bonus track (from a compilation). The Fresh Sound has the correct bonus (which is the one featured in the youtube clip).


I remember buying it for the fact it was all on bass clarinet and I had never seen another album all on that instrument. Apart from the Murray I wonder if there are others led all the way through by b. cl.?

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