Jazz Articles about Eddie Daniels

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The Eddie Daniels Quartet: Mean What You Say

by Jerry D'Souza
May 16, 2006

Eddie Daniels has been under the radar for several years now. The woodwind specialist has surfaced to play on occasion, but the presence that once marked him has been missing. He is now back with a stellar cast and a new recording. Daniels is in top-notch form on Mean What You Say, and hopefully he will continue to be more visible in performance and on record.

The selection of well-tested standards serves the band well. The musicians unveil them with ...

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Eddie Daniels: Mean What You Say

by Jim Santella
May 8, 2006

Straight-ahead jazz doesn't get much cleaner than this. When the Eddie Daniels Quartet goes to work, the business turns neat as a pin.

They swing, too, with the intuition of veterans who have yet to run out of ideas. Cohesiveness, tone quality, intonation and a personal feel for the music's syncopated rhythms give the group a positive foundation. To this formula, they add the kind of spontaneity and creativity that has given jazz its appeal for at least ...

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Eddie Daniels Quartet: Mean What You Say

by C. Michael Bailey
May 4, 2006

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 ...

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Eddie Daniels: Mean What You Say

by Dan McClenaghan
May 3, 2006

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 ...

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Eddie Daniels: Mean What You Say

by Paul Ryan
April 25, 2006

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 ...

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Buddy DeFranco / Rolf K: The Three Sopranos

by Jack Bowers
January 2, 2003

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 ...

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Eddie Daniels with the hr Big Band: Swing Low Sweet Clarinet

by Jack Bowers
May 1, 2001

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 ...