Results for "Clarinet"

Chuck Hedges

Born: July 21, 1932

Chuck Hedges built his reputation in his hometown Chicago in the early 50's along with George Brun, Danny Alvin and Muggsy Spanier. During the 60's Chuck was part of the great Dick Ruedebusch Band that recorded many records and performed on the Ed Sullivan Show. Chuck has made his home in the Milwaukee area and has been playing at The Grove Restaurant on Thursday nights. He also travels worldwide for jazz festivals. Chuck played with the late Wild Bill Davison all over Europe. Chuck continues to get requests to play in Europe as well as throughout the United States. Chuck also continues to play with Tommy Saunders' Wild Bill Legacy Band

Jimmy Hamilton

Born: May 25, 1917

Jimmy Hamilton was for a quarter-century a mainstay of jazz's most important large ensemble, the Duke Ellington Orchestra. On clarinet, Hamilton was a model of polished, cool style and substance, while his less often featured work on tenor saxophone allowed him to reveal funkier inclinations. Hamilton was hired by Ellington as the replacement for Barney Brigard in 1943, and he stayed on with the Duke until 1968. Prior to joining Ellington, he had worked with Lucky Millinder, Jimmy Mundy, and most noticeably Teddy Wilson's sextet (1940-1942) and Eddie Heywood; Hamilton also recorded “Gloomy Sunday” with Billie Holiday

Benny Goodman

Born: May 30, 1909

Benjamin David Goodman was born on May 30, 1909 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the eighth child of immigrants David Goodman and Dora Grisinsky Goodman, who left Russia to escape anti-Semitism. Benny's mother never learned to speak English. His father worked for a tailor to support his large family, which eventually grew to include a total of 12 children, and had trouble making ends meet. When Benny was 10 years old, his father sent him to study music at Kehelah Jacob Synagogue in Chicago. There, Benny learned the clarinet under the tutelage of Chicago Symphony member Franz Schoepp, while two of his brothers learned tuba and trumpet

Ben Goldberg

Clarinetist / Composer Ben Goldberg grew up in Denver, Colorado. He received his undergraduate music degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Master of Arts in Composition from Mills College. He was a pupil of the eminent clarinetist Rosario Mazzeo, and studied with Steve Lacy and Joe Lovano. In addition to composing for and playing in the Ben Goldberg Quintet, he currently performs in the following groups: Tin Hat; plays monk, a trio with Scott Amendola and Devin Hoff; Myra Melford’s Be Bread; Nels Cline’s New Monastery; and Go Home, a new quartet with Charlie Hunter, Ron Miles, and Scott Amendola. The 11- piece Ben Goldberg's Brainchild performs Ben's on-the-spot compositions

Jimmy Giuffre

Born: April 26, 1921

Reedman and composer Jimmy Giuffre was born in Dallas, TX. He started his musical education at age 9 learning the clarinet and within few years he was proficient enough to give solo clarinet recitals at local functions. After high school he attended North Texas State University receiving a B. A. in music. During his college years he played in local bands. Soon after graduation he enlisted in the Army and was a member of the official Army band. After discharge he became a professional arranger for several big bands including Boyd Raeburn's, Buddy Rich's, Jimmy Dorsey’s and most famously in Woody Herman’s where he also played tenor sax

Charlie Gabriel

Charlie Gabriel, known to friends and relatives as Charlie "G" was born in New Orleans, LA and hails from a musical family. His great grandfather, Narcesse Gabriel, who resided in New Orleans in 1856 was a bass player. Charlie's grandfather Martin Joseph, an accordion and cornet player had the "National Jazz Band" in New Orleans and hosted many jazz musicians. Martin Manuel Gabriel, father of Charles, was a clarinetist and drummer and worked with all of the jazz greats from New Orleans. Martin and his brothers Percy on bass and Clarence on jazz piano formed "The Gabriel Brothers Dixie- Land Band". Charles has played traditional style music with some of the top New Orleans musicians such as "Kid Howard", "Kid Sheik", "Jim Robinson", "George Lewis" etc

Pete Fountain

Born: July 3, 1930

Peter Dewey Fountain, Jr. was born July 3, 1930 in New Orleans, the cradle of American music, Jazz. He was a skinny kid who spent too much time hanging around the front stoop of the Top Hat Dance Hall near his home. The Top Hat was a stronghold of Dixieland Jazz and Jazz already had a strong hold on Pete Fountain. But, oh the sounds! This was music straight from the soul. Sounds that would never be written in stone, that would always be brand new because they were purely personal. Pete heard all the greats in New Orleans and he knew he wanted to play Jazz. After endless hours of practicing and listening to the recordings of Benny Goodman and Irving Fazola, the personal sound of Pete Fountain began to emerge and it was "Fat." By the time Pete was 16, he had already gained a reputation on Bourbon Street

Paquito D'Rivera

Born: June 4, 1948

Paquito D’Rivera - alto and soprano saxophone, clarinet, bandleader, recording artist, composer. Paquito D’Rivera is a stellar example of the marriage of Latin American music and jazz. A Grammy winning, best selling artist with more than thirty solo albums to his credit, he is equally luminous on the soprano or alto saxophones, and clarinet. He is a genuine musical sophisticate with a broad span of endeavors and achievements. Born on the island of Cuba June 4, 1948, Paquito D’Rivera began his career as a child prodigy. A restless musical genius during his teen years, Mr. D’Rivera created various original and ground-breaking musical ensembles

Johnny Dodds

Born: April 12, 1892

From the early days of the brass bands in New Orleans, to the hot jazz of the Roaring Twenties in Chicago, a key figure in the musical progression was the fluid toned, amazingly versatile clarinetist, Johnny Dodds. . Born on April 12, 1892, in New Orleans, by his early teens his father bought him his first clarinet. He was self taught but did take lessons from Lorenzo Tio Sr, a well respected musician in the city. He took a more serious interest in the instrument at around age seventeen, playing with local ensembles as the Eagle Band, and the legendary Tuxedo Band, led by “Papa Celestin during the early formative years of jazz

Buddy DeFranco

Born: February 17, 1923

Buddy DeFranco has the unprecedented distinction of winning twenty Downbeat Magazine Awards, nine Metronome Magazine Awards, and sixteen Playboy All-Stars Awards as the number one jazz clarinetist in the world.

Buddy is generally credited with leading the way for jazz clarinetists from the exciting era of swing to the exhilarating age of bop. Along the way he has set the example for all jazz musicians for technical brilliance. Improvisational virtuosity and creative warmth. He is one of the most imaginative clarinetists playing today.

Born in Camden, New Jersey, Buddy was raised in South Philadelphia and began playing the clarinet at age nine. By age fourteen he had won a national Tommy Dorsey Swing contest, and appeared on the Saturday Night Swing Club, sharing the spotlight with Gene Krupa. He was soon discovered by Johnny "Scat" Davis and began his road career with him in 1939. He joined Gene Krupa in 1941, Ted FioRito and Charlie Barnet 1942-43, Tommy Dorsey 1944-45, Boyd Raeburn 1946, Tommy Dorsey again in 1947-48. In 1950 he joined the famous Count Basie Septet.Buddy was appointed leader of the Glenn Miller Orchestra 1966-1974. Since then he has resumed his jazz career and has done countless clinics: Tri-State Festival, Stan Kenton Clinics, North Texas State Teachers College, Clinician and Soloist with the N.O.R.A.D. Band and Air Men of Note. Buddy has brought his clarinet and jazz groups to many famous clubs. His concert appearances include Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Ravinia Park with Tony Bennett, Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas, Kool Jazz Festival, Aurex Jazz Festival in Japan, Bern Festival in Switzerland, Radio Cologne with Bill Holman and the Radio Cologne Orchestra, Dutch Radio with Rob Pronk & Metropole Orchestra, European Tours, the Far East, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, South Africa, and Argentina ... wherever good jazz is played!