Home » Jazz Articles » Eddie Daniels
Jazz Articles about Eddie Daniels
Eddie Daniels Quartet: Mean What You Say

by C. Michael Bailey
The presence of Hank Jones permeates this recording so much that the Eddie Daniels Quartet may be better titled the Hank Jones-Eddie Daniels Quartet on Mean What You Say. In fact, the whole quartet, rounded out with bassist Richard Davis and drummer Kenny Washington, is top-drawer, which goes a long way in making Mean What You Say one of the finest mainstream jazz recordings of the year. Covering the Swing Era and bebop, Mean What You Say is no mere ...
Continue ReadingEddie Daniels: Mean What You Say

by Dan McClenaghan
Reedman Eddie Daniels, best known as a virtuosic clarinetist who crosses the borders between jazz and classical, offers up his first straight-ahead jazz set in a decade on Mean What You Say. It's a classic sound: tenor sax and clarinet backed by an understated but stellar rhythm team comprised of the venerable Hank Jones (piano), Richard Davis (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums).Daniels is best known for his clarinet playing, and his profile that rose considerably after he won ...
Continue ReadingEddie Daniels: Mean What You Say

by Paul Ryan
Only a handful of clarinetists on today's jazz scene can be described as truly accomplished on the instrument, and Eddie Daniels is one of them. On Mean What You Say he is joined by two former Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra bandmates, Hank Jones and Richard Davis, on piano and bass, respectively. Rounding out this formidable group is drummer Kenny Washington, who takes few solos but complements the playing of his cohorts admirably.
Daniels also plays tenor saxophone on ...
Continue ReadingBuddy DeFranco / Rolf K: The Three Sopranos

by Jack Bowers
Sopranos or pretenders, it really doesn’t matter -- there’s no need to split hairs when three of the world’s most renowned clarinetists are onstage, backed by one of Germany’s most accomplished contemporary big bands. Far better to disregard labels, loosen up and simply groove to the wonderful music produced by Messrs. Buddy DeFranco, Rolf Kühn, Eddie Daniels and the roaring hr Big Band from Hessen. The Three Sopranos is about as close to a clarinet enthusiast’s heaven as one can ...
Continue ReadingEddie Daniels with the hr Big Band: Swing Low Sweet Clarinet

by Jack Bowers
Without going overseas to pad the list (Don Byron, Buddy DeFranco or Ken Peplowski may win some stateside polls and honors; Antti Sarpila and Putte Wickman won’t), one can count the number of outstanding contemporary Jazz clarinetists on the fingers of one hand. One of the best of them is Eddie Daniels, heir–apparent in the Goodman / DeFranco / Tony Scott dynasty of unvarnished swingers who pays earnest homage to the instrument’s heyday on Swing Low Sweet Clarinet, ably supported ...
Continue ReadingEddie Daniels/hr Big Band: Swing Low Sweet Clarinet

by Dave Nathan
The clarinet is in the midst of something of a comeback in jazz. While not reaching the pinnacle it occupied during the 1930's and 1940's, it has regained some of the prominence it had as a jazz instrument, and not just with New Orleans traditional jazz, but mainstream, post bop and modern as well. This resurgence has been helped by the likes of Don Byron, Allan Vaché, Ken Peplowski, Antti Sarpila and, of course, Eddie Daniels. Daniels has now added ...
Continue Reading