tribute to acker bilk...tribute to acker bilk 1929 - 2014 winter 2014 volume 39, no 4 saxophone...

Tribute toAcker Bilk

1929 - 2014

Winter 2014 Volume 39, No 4

Saxophone Fingering- your pull-out guide Life on the Ocean Waves What’s on, news, reviews and much more

Clarinet & Saxophone, Winter 2014 1

www.cassgb.org2 Clarinet & Saxophone

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Cover: Mr acker Bilk

Regulars

2 Editor’s NotesRichard Edwards

2 Clarinet & SaxophoneSociety Details

25 News

35 Reviews36 CD41 Instrument42 Music

44 Diary Details of concerts,courses and playdays

53 Index of Advertisers

53 Notice of AGM

54 New Members

54 Classifieds

55 Letters to the Editor

Features

4 Do We Really Need Music?Andrew Roberts

6 We Are SailingLife of a working musicianon the ocean waves, WilliamUpton

9 Who Are Our Readers?David Smith talks toStephanie Reeve

10 Selecting a ClassicalSaxophone MouthpieceTracy Heavner

13 Ben RedwineThe man behind RJ Music,John Robert Brown

16 Caroline Franklyn’s NewYear Quiz Reeds for thewinner

18 Clarinet & SaxophoneSociety’s Single Reed Day2014 The story in pictures,Peter Thompson

22 Tributes Acker Bilk, JohnFuest

24 Report The InternationalClarinet Association’sClarinetFest 2014, SarahWatts

28 Saxophone Fingering ChartPull-out Guide,WilliamUpton, Rob Buckland

31 ReportsClarinet Convention inCardiff 2014, Leslie Craven;Mark Walton and the bandfrom down under, StephanieReeve; Malvern WindsChamber Music Course, JuliaMiddleton

55 Where Can I Play?Loughborough, South Ulster,Hanley Swan

56 Giving UpDry knackering, a heloma,the saxophone and thechairman of the Federal Reserve, John Robert Brown

the official Publication of the Clarinet & Saxophone Society of Great Britain Winter 2014 Volume 39 number 4

Editor: richard edwardsClarinet & Saxophone, fron, Llansadwrn, Menai Bridge, LL595SL. tel: 01248 811285 [email protected]

Editorial Team: Philip Bee, David Campbell, Bethan edwards,Janet eggleden, Graham Honeywood, Kenneth Morris, SusanMoss, Stephanie reeve, William Upton, Sarah Watts

Membership: andrew Smith, tel: 08456 [email protected]

Advertising: Clarinet & Saxophone, fron, Llansadwrn, LL59 5SLtel: 01248 811285 [email protected]

Copy Dates: January 15, april 15, July 15, october 15

©all copyrights reserved 2014 • ISSN 0260 390XViews expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflectthose of the editor or the editorial Board

Join the Clarinet & Saxophone Society at www.cassgb.org

Inside

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RICHARD EDWARDS

to accommodate the Christmas periodwhen our printers and mail distributioncentre close, this edition of the magazineis prepared a little earlier than usual.Sadly, as it was nearing completion, thenews of acker Bilk’s death wasannounced. He must be responsible forso many being attracted to the joy oflearning clarinet and hearing him againon the news broadcasts, playingStranger on the Shore, will have broughtback memories for many of our readers.We have an obituary in this issue.

the music service i work for coversthree counties, anglesey, Gwynedd andDenbighshire. Just before packaging themagazine off to the printers we learnedthat Denbighshire Council have putforward a proposal to cut the financialsupport given to the county and areamusic ensembles and the administrationof the music service. if this proposal isaccepted it will have a devastating effecton music in the county and worryinglyDenbigh isn’t the only music serviceunder threat. the incorporated Society ofMusicians is running a campaign toprotect music education. Currently 135organisations are supporting thecampaign. Music education in Wales isunder threat and the iSM has threethings you can do. Please visitwww.protectmusiceducation.org tosupport the campaign. it may be as the

general election approaches moreattention will be paid to the voices ofvoters and the love of playing music cancontinue to be encouraged in ourschools.

thus andrew roberts’ discussion inthis issue on ‘Do We really need Music?’is most pertinent. on reading it iimmediately took issue with one of hispoints about the work of peripateticteachers and hopefully he will write ingreater detail in another issue to supporthis contention. i work in three primaryschools, in addition to secondary schoolwork, and am privileged to be allowed toteach as i wish with a good deal offlexibility with regard to approaches andduration of lessons. Sadly this is far fromuniversal. Can i look forward to a fullpostbag in response to andrew’s soapbox?

the CaSS Single reed Day and tradeexhibition at Haileybury College near

Hertford, in october, was verysuccessful. a huge thank you to themagnificent support from the traders,who seemed busy throughout the day ascan be seen from the story in pictures inthis magazine. the smaller musicpublishers were also occupied. Seldomnow can we go to browse in a fullystocked music shop as few exist,especially if one lives in a remote area. idon’t find it as easy to make decisions onnew repertoire via the web, quite timeconsuming apart from anything else, sothe day provided just a perfectopportunity to see what is available andwhat a wonderful resource theyprovided. the tutors and stewards wereexcellent, but perhaps the biggest thankyou should go to Janet eggleden whoworked tirelessly for months inpreparation for the day.

you are welcome to attend theSociety’s annual General Meeting at theHoliday inn Hotel, Coram Street,Bloomsbury, London, WC1 on Sunday11th January 2015 at 1.30pm. as atHaileybury it is always pleasing andinteresting to meet our members.

i hope that you enjoy our annual quiz,with the chance of winning reeds, if youhave time over the festive period. time tosign off and take my english Springerspaniel for a walk before night sets in.Richard Edwards �

Welcome to the winter magazine

EDITOR’S NOTES

The Clarinet & Saxophone Society ofGreat Britainwas founded in 1976 forthe benefit of everyone who has aninterest in the clarinet or saxophoneand their repertoire: teachers,students, professional or amateurplayers, manufacturers andcomposers. The Society has membersin over 35 countries. The Society is acompany limited by guarantee:registered in England no. 3010228,whose registered office is at 23Hanbury Close, Ingleby Barwick,Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 0UQ.

Presidents: Richard Ingham and JanetHilton

Past Presidents: Lt. Col. Trevor Le M.Sharpe MVO OBE, Jack Brymer OBE,Dame Thea King, Sir John DankworthCBE

Vice-Presidents: Paul Harvey, CharlesHine

Honorary Members: Janet Eggleden, PaulHarvey, Alan Lucas, Susan Moss, KevinMurphy

Executive Committee:David Campbell(Past-chairman), Janet Eggleden, GemmaHarvey, Graham Honeywood, Shea Lolin,James Rae, Stephanie Reeve, plus thoseindicated*

*Secretary:William Upton,Flat 504, California Building, DealsGateway, London, SE13 7SFTel: 0758 824 [email protected]

*Treasurer: John MacKenzie,1 Brookdene, Ashwell, Oakham, Rutland,LE15 7LQ Tel: 01572 [email protected]

*Editor: Richard Edwards,Fron, Llansadwrn, Menai Bridge, LL595SL, Tel: 01248 811285 [email protected]

*Membership Secretary:Andrew Smith, 23 Hanbury Close, Ingleby Barwick,Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 0UQTel. 08456 440 [email protected]

Back numbers of the magazine are available to members from the MembershipSecretary price £4.95 or via the website: www.cassgb.orgSoCiety of Great Britain

So should we care?one of the main reasons for this decline inour cultural jewels is the lack of politicalwill to see these institutions survive. innorthern ireland the sums of moneyinvolved are modest in the scale of theirtotal budget, with more spent on policingthe Unionist flag demonstrations than theorchestra would need for a whole year! inaddition, it has been revealed that far from acost to the city council, the Uo pays more inthe rental for the hall it plays in than itreceives from the council! interestingly thearts Minister for northern irelandannounced that it “wasn’t her job to drum upcash support for the under-threat Ulsterorchestra”, raising the question, what thendoes she think her job is?

Let’s hope that the situation of having twoof the finest concert halls in the UnitedKingdom, (the Ulster and the WaterfrontHalls) but no orchestra to play in them, willnot be allowed to come about.

in Westminster there is much the sameview, there are few votes in the arts as far asministers are concerned and with theMusicians’ Union seemingly powerless to doanything, there is little defence for money tobe channelled away from vital services suchas the nHS or education.

it is hard to justify spending money onseemingly non-essentials such as the arts atthe expense of health or education. My goodfriend, clarinettist tom ridenour, put thisrather well when we were discussing thisvery issue some years ago. “What is thepoint of teaching people to read and write ifthere is nothing for them to read and writeabout?” His point is that the arts provideinspiration for minds to developemotionally, spiritually and provide avenuesfor imagination to flourish, young and old.

We now live in a world where little is leftto the imagination, music seems to require avideo to put its message across to thelistener in ‘popular’ music, leaving little

scope for the person to develop their ownvisualisation of what is being described inthe song. i guess there is no going back fromthis situation now that Pandora’s box hasbeen opened, but it is a sad reflection onsociety that it doesn’t recognise what isbeing lost.

So do we really need orchestras and‘classical’ music?

With so much possible with electronicinstruments and computer-generatedsounds maybe we don’t. But it is still thecase that most film scores do not rely solelyon electrically produced sounds to havetheir full impact in film.

Composers such as John Williams andmany others know only too well that for anymood changing sequence, the richness andvariety of sounds an orchestra can produceadd a sensational and emotionalrollercoaster that is difficult to create anyother way.

if you think of any great moment in film, itis likely you will recall the music thataccompanied the scene, from elliot taking tothe air in E.T. to Johnny Depp leaping aboardhis ship in Pirates of the Caribbean, or thehaunting score for Schindler’s List hugelyeffective throughout, the music makes thefilm all the more effective and memorable.

Picture a simple static scene in a film, youmay have the impression that nothing ishappening, but the music can change themood, perhaps with a sinister undertone ora by creating a feeling of wellbeing, with noaction on screen required! Good directorsrecognise this secret power of music and useit to great advantage.

Music has become a vital and thrivingpart of our lives, but we too often take it forgranted as it surrounds us throughout theday and night.

imagine now if you will, a world withoutmusic. if only there were a way to show thepoliticians how vital a role music plays inour lives? Perhaps they should be made toexperience one whole day, including

watching a film, without any music. it might make them think twice before

allowing the axe to fall on any more of thenational icons that we should be treasuringin this country, our orchestras.

What else do orchestras add to our lives? Well, education is always quite rightly a

priority for any government, so how doesmusic influence this?

there have been many studiesundertaken across the world, which provethat music and learning to play a musicalinstrument to a good standard boosts thebrain function in a way nothing else does.Music stimulates and connects areas of ourbrain that don’t normally work together.

(See the teD lecture on this here:www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0JKCyZ8hng)

one study showed that learning to play aninstrument, to a high level was worth 18points on the iQ scale. there is a whole otherarticle to be written about the value ofmusic therapy, which can calm the mostdisturbed minds and bodies.

Some years ago, whilst undertaking apromotional tour for Leblanc clarinets, iwas invited to comment on the release of anew report, commissioned by the thengovernment, on a local radio station. thereport involved quite a large study of 10,000pupils, which covered three groups ofschoolchildren. one group had no extracurricular activities, a second worked oncomputers and the third learnt to play aninstrument in school.

the outcome was mostly predictable: thegroup of children who did no extracurricular activities did the least well, andthe children using computers did better, butthe children learning an instrument did aswell as those using a computer, except inmaths, where they performed 50% betterthan the other two groups!

the result of this study was that tonyBlair put computers in every school, verylaudable, but sacked most of the peripateticmusic teachers, very bad. there are areas ofthis country that have almost no musictuition in schools and the repercussions willnot be seen for some years yet, but will needmassive investment to reverse the damagedone. a whole generation of children arebeing disadvantaged by this decision.Perhaps we should question the reason forthe government’s choice, what incentive didthe computer manufacturers offer?

the government claims that there hasbeen no dumbing down within education,but the standard required for students to

Clarinet & Saxophone, Winter 2014 5www.cassgb.org

ANDREW ROBERTS

www.cassgb.org4 Clarinet & Saxophone, Winter 2014

take GCSe and a level or to begin a degreecourse in music have been lowered. Couldthis be as a result of the difficulty in findinginstrumental teachers to get the students toa higher level?

this reduction in instrumental teachershas also meant there has been a knock-oneffect in the number and standard of playerswho, in previous generations, had gone on toplay in local and county youth orchestras. insome areas of the country these musicalactivities are being brought under anumbrella known as a Music Hub, arebranded music service then.

enlightened thinking in severalprofessional symphony orchestras sees amove for them to steer the Music Hubs in theinterests of providing vital information andplayers of a good standard to try to redressthe diminishing number of instrumentalplayers.

increasingly the education and Learningdepartments of some of the majororchestras bring in more and more fundingfor the organisations to facilitate theinclusion of younger people. in Liverpoolthe orchestra gives a large number ofschools concerts, which see a capacityaudience sometimes twice a day. in one yearover 30,000 local children will have visitedthe ‘Phil’, as the Liverpool PhilharmonicHall is affectionately known locally. Many ofthese concerts for young people aredesigned and organised by the incrediblydedicated and talented alasdair Malloy,whose day job is as a percussionist in the

BBC Concert orchestra.alasdair works with many orchestras

around the UK bringing his enthusiasm andenergy to show young people that music isnot the reserve of an elite but is for all toparticipate and enjoy. the noise from theenthusiastic applause at the end of theseconcerts is one of the loudest things i haveever heard in the building!

in addition to the schools concerts thediverse Learning Department at theLiverpool Philharmonic oversee the mostsuccessful El sistema scheme in the UK, inHarmony Liverpool. this project, inspired bythe work of the Venezuelan José abreu, hasshown the amazing effect of bringing musicinto one of england’s most disadvantagedcommunities, and has led to one particularschool moving from special measures tooutstanding in all areas in less than fouryears.

the successful work that abreu developedin Venezuela, bringing about social actionthrough music is a lesson moregovernments should try to emulate.

on a recent tour to China the royalLiverpool Philharmonic opened two brandnew concert halls before they re-opened

their refurbished Liverpool home innovember. Clearly the Chinese governmentis keen on developing western culture,whilst the politicians in europe are happy tosee its demise! Perhaps the Chinese aretrying to acquire the ingenuity and designinnovation in which the UK has previouslybeen a world leader, realising that this canonly come about through a stimulatingcreative environment?

it is still a mystery to me that we areencouraged to celebrate our elite athletesbut rarely do we see elite artists givenrecognition. they are more likely to beaccused of elitism in a negative senseimplying exclusivity. Sadly, with the lack offunding, the truth is that to learn aninstrument in the current climate will meanit is inevitable that many will have to payprivately for their lessons. the governmentis making music more elitist with itspolicies!

So do we reallyneed music?

yes, if we want a better society withencouragement for us all to develop ourcreativity, our imagination or escape thereality of our world (without having toresort to drugs, prescription orrecreational). Perhaps we need to make aloud noise in the direction of the politicianswho have not discovered the secret of thepower of music... before it is too late! �

DO WE REALLYNEED MUSIC?By the time you get to read this it is possible that the Ulster Orchestra, whoI have just been working with, may have been forced to close down due toa lack of funding.

This follows hard on the heels of the recent announcement that RomeOpera in Italy have sacked their entire company, two hundred jobs lost.Francesco Paolo Scola, the principal clarinet in the Ulster Orchestra leftRome Opera four years ago. Financial pressures may yet see moreorchestras go to the wall in Italy in the near future, and more than likelyfurther losses around the world.

“The government ismaking music moreelitist with itspolicies!”


WILLIAM UPTON


this, apparently, was the career thatbeckoned if you did not pull your weight,and at the time this was enough to get meout of bed and into the practice room earlyeach morning. even if you do put in thehours, however, there aren’t a great numberof clear-cut jobs and career paths availablefor the performing musician. one unsungoption that is open for the young, free andsingle player is to sign on for a cruise shipand see the world while being paid.

anecdotes suggest that life on the cruiseships is dominated by a culture of heavydrinking and strict on board hierarchies.few of us, however, have much idea of therealities of this singular way of making aliving. Saxophonist and composer JenniWatson graduated from the royal northernCollege of Music in 2009 having alreadyperformed with the BBC Philharmonicorchestra and gained the attention of theroyal Liverpool Philharmonic orchestra asan exciting and melodic writer. i was in thefirst year when she was completing herpostgraduate studies, and her Master’srecital, for which she composed her 45minute-long Reflections suite, remains oneof the most magical concert experiencesi’ve had. Like many students at college atthat time, she too had never consideredworking on the cruise ships, but when theopportunity arose to exchange temporarilythe dreary Manchester drizzle for warmerclimes she found it hard to refuse. today sheleads a busy life as a freelance musicianand composer in London and recentlyreleased her second commercial CD

Meditations, on which she plays saxophone,violin, flute, clarinet, piano and sings(reviewed in this issue of Clarinet &Saxophone). She joined me to look back onher sojourn at sea, and to provide some foodfor thought for other students who might beconsidering their options post graduation.

Why did you sign up for thecruises?although a friend had mentioned the optionduring my time at college, it wasn’tsomething i’d really considered. Perhaps ifelt too keenly that it wasn’t what i had beenworking towards for so long. i think myeventual change of heart was down to thefact that i’d worked really hard for myBachelor’s and Master’s degrees, whilejuggling jobs and a house renovation, so ihad missed out on some of the socialopportunities. Working on the cruise shipsseemed like a chance to get out of thathothouse environment and to let my hairdown while using my skills. Most of all,having spent six years enjoyingManchester’s famous weather, it was hardto turn down the chance to go and spend amonth in the Caribbean!

Can you tell us about the kind ofband you were working in?i worked in what is called the Dep (deputy)orchestra. House orchestras (one of severalbands on board) ‘belong’ to a ship, and as ageneral rule they will spend three monthsworking on the ship and then one month off

it. the Dep orchestra goes from ship to shipfilling in for the various house orchestraswhile they’re on leave. the band consists oftrumpet, alto and tenor saxophones,trombone, bass, drums and keys, the latterusually played by the Musical Director. interms of what the orchestra does, youremployers can dictate what they want ofyou on any given day on board ship.typically, you might play for a three-hourballroom dancing session one night, whilethe next you could have a rehearsal andperformance accompanying a cabaret actor a musical theatre show. you may even dothe show, then play some cocktail jazz inthe bar before repeating the show a secondand sometimes even a third time in thesame night.

What skills do you need for thehouse orchestra?Without a doubt, sight-reading is the singlemost important skill. of course, tuning,ensemble ability, sense of time and all theother things that go into making a goodmusician are also very important, but theability to sight-read a lot of material onvery little rehearsal time, in a wide varietyof styles, is fundamental. each night youhave an hour-long rehearsal from 5-6pmfor a 45-minute show that could be at7.15pm. there’s rarely a chance to see themusic beforehand (the cabaret acts areparticularly protective of theirarrangements, and rightly so), so sight-reading is key. Some of the other higherlevels of musicianship are a bonus.

WE ARE SAILING

Stylistic awareness is also a big one.Being adaptable to the section leader(usually the trumpet player), and knowinghow to phrase things in different styles is amust. there’s no time to faff arounddiscussing whether to play this note longand that note short and whether to putvibrato on the last note of a phrase.Similarly, you need to know the classic popand big band saxophone and clarinet solos.they’ll usually be written down, butknowing how to sound on them is vital, andyou don’t want to be sight-reading BennyGoodman’s solo from Sing Sing Sing on agig. if you don’t know one then you go andlisten to the track between the rehearsaland the show and you nail it. you also haveto be very versatile – you go from backing aclassical violinist, to a West end singer, toan operatic soprano, to playing cocktail jazzin a quartet.

finally, you have to be patient. you mighthave been top of the tree at your universityor music college, but on the ships your jobis just to play the dots and leave anyproblem with the cabaret acts to the MD. ifyou do need to sort out a problem with thearrangement or the Pa you need to be ableto do it quietly and diplomatically.

What doubling skills do you need,and what kind of set ups workbest?you will be asked to take alto and tenor, butin reality you should only need one or theother. there is some doubling on flute andclarinet, but not a lot, and it’s so much moreimportant to be a strong sax player whodoubles rather than a flautist or clarinettistwho, as i have heard it said, “knows whichend of a sax to blow down”.

in terms of set up, you want to go for amiddle-of-the-road sound that allows youto be adaptable. i alternated between aclassical mouthpiece with a bright reed, anda mellow jazz mouthpiece like a Meyer 6. ialways took several reed, ligature and

mouthpiece combinations so that whateverthe other sax player turned up with i couldadjust to match their sound.

What level of ability is required?on saxophone, although the music is

often really easy, there can be a few reallygritty pieces you need to get stuck into atshort notice. if the cabaret act is kind theywill give you some advance warning ifthey’re going to play something that hasproven tricky with other bands. you need tohave a really nice sound and to deliverconvincing improvised solos. for goodplayers patience again becomes veryimportant, because it is easy to get boredplaying long notes, but that is preferable toa tentative musician who gets out of theirdepth when the notes start flying thick andfast.

What kind of genres do you needto be familiar with and to work onstylistically if you want to work onthe cruise ships?you need to be able to play pop, music fromthe shows, soul, rhythm ‘n’ blues, jazz, andlots of very cheesy music. the sax solos on IWill Always Love You and Just the Way YouAre are good examples of popular saxfeatures. Some music comes up over andover again, including say, anything byMichael Bublé, Feelin’ Good, and‘Somewhere’ from West Side Story. aboveall, just practise your sight-reading.

What do you have to say about thelifestyle, and do you need to be aparticular kind of person to do it?if you are disciplined then the sheer wealthand variety of food on offer is a wonderfulthing. there is a gym, and most of themusicians make the most of it, but younever lose weight – you just keep it off! therooms are sharing (usually bunk-beds), andyou will always be sharing unless you’re the

only girl in the band. this means that youneed to be very self-aware and conscious ofother people. you don’t just work with theother members of the band, you can end upspending every minute of every daytogether, so you have to be very easy going,particularly if there’s an argument inrehearsal.

the musicians tend to be in theirtwenties, but there are people who’ve beendoing the job for 30 to 40 years. it’s easy tosee how you can end up doing it your wholelife because it is very easy to becomeinstitutionalised. you may not have a houseto worry about, you are fully cared for interms of food, accommodation andsometimes even washing, and there’s an on-board doctor, so there’s no real need to beself-sufficient and some people end upfeeling like they can’t go back to being afreelance musician.

you have to be so careful to avoidsuccumbing to cabin fever. it’s reallyimportant to keep active and vary your daysand it’s all too easy to go into your shell andbecome a recluse. Similarly, it is very easyto become stale. if you are a self-motivatedkind of person then you can use all the freetime you have to do focused practice andreally hone your skills, although findingpractice space can be a challenge. therearen’t any dedicated practice rooms, andyou might set up back stage and be justgetting into the zone and a troupe ofdancers will turn up for a rehearsal.

With regard to the stereotype of thealcoholic ship-bound musician, you’re notallowed to be over the drink drive limit atany time. even as a musician you have aduty on board in emergencies, and drillsevery week to keep on top of it.

Have recent cruise ship disasterschanged how you feel?i definitely had a little wobble. When theCosta Concordia went down i was on myweek’s leave and i was on a night out with a

Career advice to music graduates can vary from non-existent to brutal. When I was at college rumours aboundabout a former Head of School who would have miscreantsand underperformers stand on their chair and ask theorchestra: “Would you like fries with that?”

Jenni’s temporary home dockedin the Caribbean

the house band

WHO ARE OUR READERS?


WILLIAM UPTON - WE ARE SAILING


When did you start playing?in 1954 i got a place at the local GrammarSchool in Darlington, Co Durham. all mymates also got in so it was only later that irealised how fortunate we were to be picked,and the opportunities that would be openedup for us. one of those was music.

the musical tradition in my family waslimited to an hour a week of alan Keith on theHome Service. at the new school every boywas given an elementary music test to see ifhe had what it took to join the school choir ororchestra. i scraped through and then had todecide what instrument to take up. i had noidea until a clown playing the clarinet(Charlie Cairoli?) appeared on our new blackand white television (this being the year ofthe Coronation). So i started weekly lessonsunder Mr Dobing for a subsidised twoshillings and sixpence (12½ p!) on an old,high pitch, albert system clarinet. Progresswas not impressive, but i did make grade fivein 1958, my most recent musicalqualification!

of my school subjects, science capturedmy enthusiasm with the help of someexcellent (and music loving) teachers, and ienrolled at Manchester University to studychemical engineering. i played the clarinet ina student orchestra and with friends, and wasa regular in the gods at the free trade Hall tohear the Hallé under Sir John Barbirolli, withPat ryan the principal clarinet. a few yearslater, in 1968, a particular memory was of aconcert of fifth symphonies: those ofBeethoven, Sibelius and Vaughan Williams.What a programme! My wife remembers theoccasion for a different reason. feeling a bituncomfortable during the performance, thenext day she gave birth to our first child. isthis another power of live music?

Tell me a little more about yournon-musical life?When i qualified, jobs were easy to come byand we moved to the Lake District where istarted work in the pharmaceutical industry.the location picked itself as we had alwaysbeen keen walkers. in those days every littletown and village put on an annual musicalshow, and they expected more than just apiano for accompaniment. So i got roped intoplaying with friends in pit bands and got used

to playing six successive nights preceded bya dress rehearsal on the Sunday. We nevermade it to the West end, but it was a lot of funplaying the likes of Oliver!, Show Boat, Oh,What a Lovely War! (very poignant) and lotsof Gilbert and Sullivan. Why is G&S, with itsgreat music and comedy as topical as ever,so neglected today?

Later, work took us to Scotland, then downto Hertfordshire (where we still live) andfinally to the far east (Singapore and China).My clarinet-playing contacts got disruptedand i gradually stopped playing. Subse -quently, i lost my clarinets in a store fire.

However, after a 30 year lay-off, a miraclehappened. our american granddaughter hadto choose an instrument to learn and,without telling me, she picked the clarinet.asked why the clarinet, Katie replied “Wellyou used to play, didn’t you?” By then retired,this was all i needed to take up theinstrument again and six years on, therearen’t enough playing hours in the day. it’swonderful that a nine year-old can havesuch a major influence on an old codger likeme! (But sadly Katie no longer plays!) theremust be some musical genes in the family asvarious grandchildren enjoy the guitar, thedrums, street dance and one, aged nine,appeared in a run at the national theatre.

Who in the single reed world doyou admire?Jack Brymer and Gervase de Peyer werealways my heroes and i loved their sound.the tutors and teachers on courses and dayslike today are also inspirational, as are manyof the players who give so muchencouragement.

Do you play in any ensembles?When work brought us to Hertfordshire, byfortunate happenchance we got a house notfar from the Benslow Music trust in Hitchin.after retiring i got involved with the charityas a volunteer, helping to organise concertsand as a trustee. it was only after steppingdown from these roles that i got back to theclarinet, and now i’m a serial courseattender, revelling in the world-class tuitionand amazing support from fellow playersthere. the chamber concerts and Benslow’ssuperb music library are added bonuses. i

also take lessons locally and am a memberof the Hitchin Concert Band, which hasopened several doors for me to play in smallchamber groups.

What do you enjoy about being aCASS member?My teacher, alison eales, recommended thati join CaSS and for me the magazine andplaydays are a must. David Campbell himselfhelped me choose a new ligature today - MrDobing would have been well-impressed!

Which part of the magazine do youread first?i either read it systematically, going throughpage by page, or i’ll cheat and flick throughlooking for new pieces to play or advice ontechnique.

What have you listened torecently?ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin in abeautiful arrangement for wind quintet. it’s asad story. the movements are dedicated toseven friends of ravel who fell during thefirst World War, the widow of one giving thefirst piano performance. But the music itselfis anything but sad. i’ve got the music for ourquintet and we have given it a try, while it’srather beyond my ‘play grade’ i’m addicted tothat gorgeous french woodwind sound.

Any other hobbies?Walking with the ramblers. We still likebeing out in the countryside and enjoyintroducing others to our wonderful networkof footpaths. also gardening, the family, andhouse projects.

What are your favourite TV orradio programmes?that’s easy: gardening with Monty Don(despite all those baking programmes thatpush gardening off the air). and radio 3 is acontinual source of delight, inspiration andof works new to me. �

With a wealth of members availableat the Single Reed Playday, StephanieReeve parked her trusty Toyota atHaileybury College and persuadedDavid Smith to tell all over lunch.

few people from my ship. one of the groupreceived a text from a dancer friend saying‘My ship’s sinking. Contact my parents.’that was an eye-opener, but we also knewfrom reports that the mistakes made in theway the Costa Concordia disaster washandled would never have happened on oneof our ships, because procedures are sostrictly adhered to.

Who should you talk to if you arethinking about working on theships?it is much easier to get work if you knowsomeone, however distantly, who is alreadyout there doing it. for example, if someonefrom a few years above you at college isworking on the ships then it would be agood idea just to touch base with thembefore applying. if not, then the cruise linesthemselves or agencies such as Proshipwould be the place to start.

What happens if you get strandedin port?Musicians got left in port a few times while iwas there, and it nearly happened to me! ifyou miss the ship, they leave your passportwith the port agent and you have to find andfund your way back to the next port with nohelp, even if that involves flying. this leavesyou with a dilemma, because taking your

card with you into port is usually seen as abad idea because thieves can see touristsand ship people a mile off, but if you don’thave it and you miss the ship you’re introuble. the moral of the story is don’t missyour ship!

Could you tell us about the workyou now do as a Classical GuestEntertainer on the ships?the Classical Guest entertainer goes onboard for anything up to three weeks anddoes up to nine 45-minute recitals, usuallyon days when the ship doesn’t reach port.each recital has to be different, and therepertoire is typically light classical music.they love Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango andthe classic works from the violin and fluterepertoire transcribed for saxophone. Bythe fifth show, by which time you shouldhave built up a rapport with the audience,you can start throwing in some slightlymore challenging works, like the BoutryDivertimento and the Muczynski Sonata. iwas worried about programming some ofmy own music, like Chasing Angels, butthey loved it, so it does show thatcontemporary classical saxophone musiccan appeal to the broadest of audiences.

Finally, what are the general prosand cons?the biggest pro is travelling the world forfree! i have seen some truly amazing places,like easter island and robinson Crusoeisland, St Petersburg, the Caribbean, newyork, Quebec, and so many more. you knowyou will never be able to afford to go tomany of them again under your own steam.although you only see the places in quite asuperficial way, you get a very good idea ofwhere you want to go back to as a tourist.My personal highlight was kayaking upGeirangerfjord in norway with one othermember of the band and not a tourist insight. amazingly, many musicians end upjust staying in bed rather than getting outand seeing the world beyond the port.

the biggest con is the lack of flexibilityand the nagging worry that you’re losingyour foothold back home. the Deporchestra is employed on short contracts ofaround a month, and if you want to they willrenew your contract at the end of eachmonth. if you miss a month, however, thenthey are likely to replace you permanently.it’s the same with the regular houseorchestras. this means that players oftenend up turning down big opportunities backhome. one ameliorating factor is the factthat you’re paid £65-70 a day whether youare working or not – that may not soundlike much, but if you spend more than halfthe days in a year working on board theships then you can claim all of the tax back,providing a great annual boost.

With regard to losing a foothold backhome, i found that many of the bestmusicians i worked with on the cruise shipshave ended up settling in London, so i had agreat ready-made network when i left theships. if someone is thinking of working onthe ships i would urge them to do it straightout of college, and to do everything you canto keep in touch with the friends you leavebehind.

athough at first i was very apprehensiveabout ‘halting my career’, which was how isaw it at the time, i actually made a greatnumber of my closest friends, developed ahuge professional network, found my ownstrengths and weaknesses as a player,learnt a lot of ‘industry terminology’, andhad some truly once-in-a-lifetimeexperiences.

regardless of your instrument it seemsthat there are few environments you can gointo where you are exposed to as much liveperformance as when working on the cruiseships. for the sheer amount and variety ofmusic encountered it is second only torecording work, and indeed renownedsession musicians such as andy findon cuttheir teeth on the ships. Ultimately, youwon’t know if it is right for you until you tryit, but hopefully we have given you aninsight into what to expect of this often-unacknowledged career choice.

Jenni Watson at times Square

You can find out more about Jenni, including her published music and recordings, atwww.jenniwatson.com. �

somewhat round in nature with severalfacings and tip openings available to meetthe requirements of various performers.

in addition to producing a good tone,several other performance aspects shouldalso be considered when choosing aclassical mouthpiece. Good response,intonation and control in all registers,amount of air resistance and if themouthpiece is reed friendly are allimportant factors to consider whenselecting a mouthpiece.

Mouthpiece response, control andintonation in all registers, especially in thelow and upper range of the instrumentshould be carefully examined. Manymouthpieces will sound great in the middleregister but when playing in the extremeregisters, both low and high, response maybe poor. also some mouthpieces, whileproducing a good tone on certain pitches,can be hard to control due to their chamberdesign, tip opening and facing. the resultcan be problems with squeaking, intonationand embouchure fatigue.

air resistance and reed friendliness aretwo other considerations that should not beignored. the amount of air resistance amouthpiece creates while being blown is animportant factor in how comfortable it willfeel when being played. Some saxophonistsprefer a free blowing mouthpiece with littleresistance while others like more airresistance.

reed friendliness refers to the ability of amouthpiece to produce a good tone on avariety of reeds that have the same strengthnumber but are not exactly equal in reedhardness. Since the strength number givento a reed by the manufacturer is only anapproximation of how hard the reed reallyis, saxophonists need a mouthpiece that canplay reeds that varying slightly in strengthin order to avoid problems when rotating orswitching reeds before a performance.

Having a reed friendly mouthpiece willgive the saxophonist peace of mind knowing

that if a reed is damaged or dies before a bigperformance, another reed can be easilysubstituted in its place.

Several popular classical saxophonemouthpieces used by professionalperformers and teachers are the eugenerousseau new Classic, Selmer Paris C* S80or S90, Selmer Paris Soloist and theVandoren optimum. for saxophonists whoprefer the original tonal concept of adolpheSax, the Sigurd rascher mouthpiece isdesigned to produce this sound. a sketch ofthe original adolphe Sax mouthpiece can beseen above.

Selecting a Classical SaxophoneMouthpiece

When selecting a classical saxophonemouthpiece, the performer must firstnarrow down the choices since it is difficultto play every brand of mouthpiece made.this can be done by researching variousmouthpieces using the internet, researchingmouthpiece brands and models played byprominent saxophonists, gettingrecommendations from saxophone teachersand finally test playing mouthpieces atlarger music stores that have them in stock.

if the local store does not have therequested mouthpieces in stock, someonline stores may ship several mouthpiecesat once for individuals to try. although thisis not the most convenient way to select a

mouthpiece, serious saxophonists shouldtest play many mouthpieces before decidingon the specific one to purchase. Whenordering mouthpieces online, some storeshave a return policy that will allow theperformer to keep the mouthpieces for up to30 days. this is very helpful since thesaxophonist can practise and perform on themouthpieces in a variety of situations andvenues such as rehearsals, sectionals,ensemble and solo performances.

By playing the mouthpieces for severalweeks, most of the time the saxophonist canbe sure that the mouthpiece selected is thebest one. if possible, each mouthpieceshould be recorded while being test played.it is often easier to determine which onesounds best using a recording since thisallows saxophonists to focus their fullattention on each example rather thantrying to play and listen at the same time.

When test playing any mouthpiece,saxophonists should protect it from marksor scratches caused by the teeth or ligature.if a mouthpiece is damaged in any way whenit is test played, saxophonists may have tobuy the mouthpiece even though they maynot want to. to assure that the mouthpiece isnot damaged when being test played, amouthpiece cushion or tape should beplaced on the mouthpiece beak to protect itfrom teeth marks.

to protect the body of the mouthpiece, aleather or fabric ligature in the rovner style,should be used so the mouthpiece will notbe scratched when the ligature is placed onit. By following this advice, manymouthpieces may be test played withoutdamage. if a satisfactory mouthpiece isfound at a local store but the price is higherthan buying the same mouthpiece online,the store manager should be asked if theonline price can be matched. Quite often thelocal store will sell the mouthpiece for thediscounted online price. �


TRACY HEAVNER

SELECTING A CLASSICALSAXOPHONE MOUTHPIECE


Tip Openings, Facings andChamber SizesWhen selecting a mouthpiece, the tipopening, facing and chamber size shouldcarefully be considered. the tip opening isthe distance between the tip of the reed andthe tip of the mouthpiece. Mouthpieces withsmall tip openings are easier to control,have a more stable pitch but require aharder reed. as the tip opening increases insize, control becomes more difficult, thepitch is more flexible and a softer reed mustbe used.

the mouthpiece facing is the distancebetween the tip of the mouthpiece and thepoint where the reed and the mouthpieceseparate. the longer the facing, the moremouthpiece the saxophonist will need totake into the mouth in order to line up thelower teeth with the position where the reedand mouthpiece separate. Due to this fact, amedium facing usually works best for mostperformers.

the mouthpiece chamber is the internalcavity inside the mouthpiece and its designhas a direct effect on tone and response. thechamber can be small, medium or large insize and have a variety of shapes from roundto rectangular. a small, rectangularchamber will produce a brighter tone withmore power. as the chamber size increasesand becomes more round in shape, the tonewill become darker and less powerful.

Classical Saxophone ToneWhen adolphe Sax invented the saxophone,he designed the mouthpiece with a large,round chamber that produced a dark, roundsound with little or no edge. His tonalconcept gave the saxophone a beautiful solovoice that was also desirable in ensemble

performance because it allowed thesaxophone to blend properly with otherinstruments of the orchestra and symphonicband.

With the formation of the jazz big bandsaxophone section in the 1930s, the designof saxophone mouthpieces changed givingjazz saxophonists the ability to play withmore power and edge in their sound. thistrait also carried over into the classical

arena as classical saxophonists adopted thistonal style to some extent. Modern dayclassical saxophonists still strive for awarm, dark sound but with the additionalpower afforded by the change in mouthpiecedesign.

Before attempting to select a classicalmouthpiece, the saxophonist must firstdevelop a classical tonal concept. thisconcept can be developed by listening toprominent classical saxophonists performin live concerts, lessons, masterclasses andfrom recordings. after this concept has beendeveloped, mouthpieces can then be testplayed to see which one allows thepreviously established tonal concept to beachieved.

Classical Saxophone Mouthpiecesthere are numerous saxophonemouthpieces designed specifically forplaying classical music. these mouthpiecesare usually made of hard rubber, have smalltip openings and are played with medium tohard reeds. their chamber design is

When striving to produce a good saxophone tone, one of themost crucial pieces of equipment is the mouthpiece.

Tracy Lee Heavner is a professor of saxophone, music education and directorof jazz studies at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, United States.He is an accomplished author and music educator and a distinguishedperformance artist for Cannonball, Yamaha, Beechler and D’Addario musiccorporations. He is also a recording artist for LiveHorns and has performedthroughout the United States and at international venues around the world.His latest book entitled Saxophone Secrets: 60 Performance Strategies for theAdvanced Saxophonist has received rave reviews and is published by theRowan & Littlefield Publishing Group.

there are many brands of saxophone mouthpieces being manufactured using avariety of materials, encompassing a wide price range and designed forperformers at all levels of development. Beginning saxophonists usually play thestock mouthpieces sold with their student model saxophones. these syntheticmouthpieces are inexpensive, mass-produced and primarily designed to producethe basic sound. as a saxophonist progresses, the stock mouthpiece is usuallyreplaced by one made of ebonite also known as hard rubber. these mouthpieces,which are somewhat more expensive, are made of a better material and with morecraftsmanship, allowing the performer to attain a better tone. they also come in avariety of tip openings, facings and chamber sizes providing saxophonists withmore opportunities to find a mouthpiece that better suits their particular playingstyle. Many professional saxophonists perform on hand-finished, hard rubbermouthpieces that allow for maximum expression and individuality.

View of mouthpiece fromunderneath

Side view of mouthpiece

Adolphe Sax mouthpiece Courtesy of Raschermouthpieces.com

BEN REDWINE


BEN REDWINE


“My high school was a famous jazz school.the jazz band won competitions every year.So i was always interested in saxophones,and wanted to play, but they wouldn’t allowclarinets in the band. i kept asking mygrandfather, but he said: ‘no. you have tomaster the clarinet’. i didn’t pick up thesaxophone until i got into college. the banddirector at college knew that i played jazz onthe clarinet. He invited me to play in the jazzband. i said: ‘Great. What would you like meto play?’ He said: ‘How about alto sax?’‘Great’, i said. a couple of days later hebumped into me in the hallway. He told me:‘the alto’s covered. Can you play tenor?’‘Sure’ i replied. another couple of days laterhe said: ‘Baritone?’ i responded: ‘Well that’sfine, but you keep moving me down anddown and down. What’s next? you’re goingto ask me to conduct?!’

“this was in oklahoma, where i grew up.My grandfather was the principalclarinettist in the oklahoma City Symphony,as it was then called. now it’s called theoklahoma Philharmonic. that was a WPa

You won’t have missed the advertisementsin this magazine for RJ Music. John RobertBrown’s curiosity was aroused; he took timeto chat to the proprietor.

“My grandfather was a professional clarinettist. At theheight of his teaching career he taught about onehundred clarinettists, saxophonists and flautists eachweek. I was really jealous to see his students file in andout of his studio. One day, when I was six years old, hesaid: ‘It’s time for you to play’. So I started the clarinet. Igot a couple of years into it, and then I lost my frontteeth. So I switched to flute for a year, then back toclarinet. I don’t remember a thing about the flute, exceptthat it took a lot of air. I felt light-headed when I played.

BEN REDWINE


orchestra (Works Progress administration).During World War ii, the rooseveltadministration put a lot of public fundinginto the arts. So the federal Governmentestablished that orchestra in oklahomaCity, the capital of oklahoma, which is inthe centre of the United States.

“i earned my bachelor’s degree in musiceducation from the University ofoklahoma. then i went on to earn amaster’s degree in clarinet performance atLouisiana State University, at Baton rouge.During both my undergraduate andmaster’s degree i was in the army reserveBand, which is a part-time military band.So i knew that this was a possible career asa musician. for two days per month we’dmeet and have band rehearsals. also, we’ddo concerts on one of those days - like thereserves in the UK.

“When i finished my master’s degree ientered full-time military service, andplayed in atlanta, Georgia, for four years, inthe US army Ground forces CommandBand. the army had four levels of bands,the top being the Premier band, the secondlevel being Major Command. at each levelbelow Premier Band you move fromlocation to location every three years. ifyou make it to a Premier Band you stay inone of those for your entire career. i waslooking for that opportunity. My firstenlistment was coming to an end, so istarted taking auditions. i was offered thejob at the army academy at West Point innew york, as well as the naval academyBand near Washington DC. My wife Leslieand i weighed up the pros and cons; wedecided that this area [DC] was the betterpart of the country to live in. West Point isbeautiful, we would have been happy there,but it is considerably colder thanWashington DC.

“i have several friends in the West PointBand. i knew that i would need to do otherthings to satisfy myself musically. Myfriends were having a difficult timebreaking into the new york musical scene.from what i knew about the Washington DCarea, i knew that it was a better place to be.the naval academy Band is a professionalmilitary ensemble which supports thenaval academy. thus, we don’t study orteach - we play ceremonies, concerts orparades. every band in the military has adifferent mission. ours is to support thenaval academy, which is a busy ceremonialcampus. Bands such as the Washington DCnavy Band play for funerals at theVeterans’ Cemetery, play for concerts, andsupport events that the President attends.

“Most of the important military officers,in the navy and US Marines at least,graduate from the naval academy. theyreturn to give lectures, and we are requiredto play for ceremonies. for instance, whenan admiral dies, we play for the funeralservice. i remember playing for admiralZumwalt’s funeral a few years ago.President Clinton attended. each member

of the band had to play his instrument infront of the drug-sniffing dog, to confirmthat this was really a musical instrument,and not a pipe bomb!

“our main job was to support theacademy. thus, we might venture as faraway as new york City, which is about afour-hour drive, or Philadelphia, which is athree-hour drive, or south to norfolk,Virginia, which is another four-hour drive.interestingly, from my perspective, i playedabout three gigs on a ship in my entirecareer! only about two weeks ago did ifinally play on a moving ship, which was fora private jazz gig.

“i finished my degree at the CatholicUniversity of america last January, with adoctorate in clarinet performance, and aminor in Latin-american music history.While i was a student i taught someundergraduates. When i graduated, therehappened to be an opening, so i was takenon as a lecturer. now i teach severalstudents there, coordinate the woodwindchamber music groups, and am anassistant conductor for the wind ensemble.i’m recruiting very heavily to turn it into afull-time job. the music department issmall, though it has gained a greatreputation over the years. the Dean of theUniversity is Grayson Wagstaff.

“My interest in equipment came later.the eminent clarinettist ignatius Gennusamoved to live in an area close to me. He hadbeen the principal clarinettist in theBaltimore Symphony, and taught at thePeabody Conservatory. By the time i methim he was not playing anymore. i reallyliked him, played for him, hung out withhim a little, and received some instructionfrom him. Back in the 1950s Chedevillemouthpieces were very popular. theChedeville company had gone out ofbusiness in the 1950s. During the 1970s, alot of clarinet players here in the UnitedStates had acquired copies of theirChedeville mouthpieces. ignatius Gennusa,most people referred to him as iggy, taughtme to reface mouthpieces and to work onthe interiors of mouthpieces. My wife and isaw that iggy’s health was declining. Webought the business from him while he wasstill alive, and started having a machineshop make the mouthpieces for us. afactory makes the blanks, then i hand-finish them. the material is hard rubber.We also offer an intermediate mouthpiecein hard plastic. i believe that everybodyplays differently, which is why there are somany mouthpieces on the market. Certainpeople prefer certain types.

“Canyes Xilema [‘she-lemma’] Spainmakes the reeds in Spain; i import theminto the United States. Some 10 years agothe company sent me three boxes. i couldhave played a concert on any one of thosereeds. the consistency is unmatched. theowner of the company has become ourfriend; she makes all of the reeds byherself. She tells me that she throws away

about 40 percent of the cane that shepurchases. Visually she can tell that itwon’t be good. Perhaps that explains theconsistency.

“three years ago Leslie and i purchasedthe Reed Wizard Company. We have amachine shop that produces the tools thatBen armato (a long-time member of thenew york Metropolitan opera orchestra)invented - the Reed Wizard and thePerfectaReed. in addition, we publish thebook armato wrote about reeds, and allthings clarinet: PerfectaReed and Beyond,as well as his opera excerpt book, TheOpera Clarinetist. the book contains soloclarinet parts taken from the Metropolitanopera library.

“the acquisition of the Reed Wizardcompany falls in line with our businessmodel, which is to either make or to sell allof the products that i use and believe in as aprofessional clarinettist. i’m lookingforward to the release of my next CD earlynext year. the record is a tribute to the JazzSamba album of Stan Getz and CharlieByrd. the CD arose out of my research intothe history of the samba. for a time,Charlie Byrd studied with Segovia. He hadan unfocused career, until he discoveredthe bossa-nova on a tour in Brazil. Hebrought it back to the United States. in 1962he recorded the album Jazz Samba, forwhich he brought in Stan Getz as thesoloist. the music was recorded at the allSouls Unitarian Church in Washington DC,and became the album that launched thebossa-nova craze.

“My band went into that same locationto record a tribute album. Charlie’s brotherwas Gene Byrd (we called him Joe Byrd).Joe lived in the town where i live currently.He died a few years ago. i played severaljazz gigs with him over the years. He washeard playing both bass and guitar on theoriginal album while still a student at thePeabody Conservatory.

“i have a classical CD waiting for CDcover art work before release. CalledPromenade, it contains Charlie Barnett’sFireman’s Carnival, a concerto for clarinetand string orchestra which i’ll première inMay in Washington DC. Barnett is aHollywood composer who lives in a DCsuburb. i recorded Fireman’s Carnival atthe end of a television recording sessionwhen we had some extra time, but i haven’tperformed it yet. the album includes theMozart Quintet, and another quintetwritten for me by John Stephens, theWashington DC composer. and there’s alsoGeorge Gershwin’s Promenade, from thefred astaire and Ginger rogers movie ShallWe Dance? of 1937.

www.redwinejazz.comwww.rjmusicgroup.comwww.reedwizard.comwww.canyesxilema.com �

15


CAROLINE FRANKLYN’S


Every completely correct answeris worth two points

1 Which actor/film director, who died in August 2014, wasthe first voice on air at Capital Radio in 1973, and becameits Lifetime President?

2 For which instruments are these nicknames? Mississippisaxophone, liquorice stick, bull fiddle, sweet potato?

3 Which composer became Master of the Queen’s Music inJuly 2014?

4 Which real-life group appeared in The Archers (Radio 4) on25th August 2014?

5 Who conducted the New Year’s Day concert (2014)broadcast from Vienna?

6 What relates a cheesy snack with the first note ofBeethoven’s Fifth Symphony?

7 Which American poet, who died in 2014 wrote: ‘Musicwas my refuge. I could crawl into the space between thenotes and curl my back to loneliness.’

8 Which composer, a member of the Women’s SuffrageMovement, served two months in Holloway Prison, andwas visited by Thomas Beecham, who found herconducting with a toothbrush?

9 Which island-based clarinet choir finished its tour ofBritain in a concert with the Cambridge Clarinet Choir, on19th August 2014?

10 Which orchestra was founded in 1978 by Vivienne Price?

11 What links the American rock band, who recorded I’ll Feela Whole Lot Better in 1964, with an English Renaissancecomposer who became organist and choirmaster atLincoln Cathedral in 1572?

12 Who wrote the music for the TV series The Last of theSummer Wine?

13 What type of dog is owned by the Editor of this magazine?

14 What links a song (music by Haydn Wood) published in1914, with the term for a major chord at the end of a pieceof music which is in a minor key?

15 What type of dog is depicted falling into the River Wye, inthe 11th of Elgar’s Enigma Variations and what was thedog’s name?

16 The name of what kind of music is derived from theHebrew words kli and zemer (meaning ‘vessel of music’)?

17 What links a) an opera by Rossini, first performed in 1817;b) a ballet by Stravinsky, first performed in 1910; c) a piecefor flute and piano by Messiaen, first performed in 1952?

18 At approximately what pitch (between which two notes)are the Radio 4 ‘pips’ played?

19 Which musicians’ lives are depicted in these biopics? a)Walk the Line; b) What’s Love Got to Do With It? c) I’m NotThere?

20 Which BBC Prom (2014) was inspired by a play and filmbased on a novel by Michael Morpurgo?

21 For how many instruments was Stravinsky’s Symphoniesof Wind Instruments originally composed (the numberwas slightly reduced in 1947); and to whom was the workdedicated?

22 In the harmonic series, if D is the ‘fundamental’ (or ‘pedalnote’), what is the pitch of the 10th note?

23 Which British singer/songwriter appeared in a late-nightBBC Prom (2014) with the Guy Barker Orchestra?

24 What links Arnold John Dorsey with an opera, firstperformed in Weimar in 1893?

25 Which music shop, in Oxford Road, Manchester, wasfounded by a saxophonist?

26 In what kind of room, such as the one in the University ofSalford, Manchester, can one only hear the sounds createdinside one’s own body?

27 What links a) a musical, music by Sammy Fain; b) a balletby Aaron Copland, premiered in 1942; c) an opera byPuccini, first performed in 1910?

28 Which of Mahler’s symphonies is known as TheResurrection?

29 Who dubbed Audrey Hepburn’s singing in My Fair Lady;and Snow White in the Disney film of 1937?

30 Russian sweet/cake, or Russian composer? 1) Roslavets, 2)Ptichie Moloko, 3) Eshpai, 4) Khanon, 5) Gozinakh

31 Which saxophonist (born in 1955) has played with theMichael Nyman Band, released Emotional Jungle in 1984,and was a founder member of the Myrha SaxophoneQuartet?

32 What is the term for the use of more than one key, playedsimultaneously, as in Charles Ives’s Variations on America?

33 Which Northumbrian Pipes player, born in 1967, releasedher first album On Kielder Side at the age of 16?

34 Who wrote the music for the film Gone with the Wind?

35 In the Folk Awards 2014, who won a) Best Duo, and b)Musician of the Year? And who was the first entrant to beinducted into the Folk Awards Hall of Fame?

36 Which musician put her musical career on ice for a year,in a bid to take part in the 2014 Winter Olympics?

37 Who wrote the theme music for the TV programme Matchof the Day?

38 In the 2014 Brit Awards, who won Best British Group andBest British Male Solo Artist?

39 Name the English composer (b 1886) who was so admiredby Elgar that he (Elgar) had a standing order for all hisnew recordings, as they were issued?

40 What is the diameter of a standard CD?

41 Who normally presents In Tune on Radio 3?

42 In 1909 the British National Anthem was performed 17times, by a German Band, while waiting for the King to getdressed. Who was the king?

43 Which American country music singer/songwriterappeared at Glastonbury 2014, at the age of 68?

44 Which Venetian composer (1671-1751) inherited abusiness manufacturing playing cards?

45 Who was the cellist who was recorded by the BBC,playing in her wooded garden to the accompaniment of anightingale, in 1924?

46 In which year did Mamma Mia (ABBA) replace BohemianRhapsody (Queen) in the number one slot of the UKSingles Chart?

47 What unique ‘organ’ in Virginia was the brainchild ofLeland W Sprinkle, and was designed and implemented in1956?

48 Who composed the music to a) the film Charade; b) theballet Parade; c) the ‘Entertainment’ Façade?

49 In which Californian town is the Civic Musical Road, andwhat is the tune that it is designed to play as you drivethrough?

50 What (accidentally) links a) a term used by cutlerymanufacturers, referring to knives and spoons; and b) aterm used in medicine, for needles and scalpels that havebeen used, and need to be discarded in special containers?;c) a person having an innate talent for a particular task oractivity? �

Name

Address

Post Code

Reeds requested if you win!

To enter: fill in this form (or photocopy) and send it with the answers to Competition, Clarinet & Saxophone, Fron,Llansadwrn, Menai Bridge, LL59 5SL by January 31st.

The first correct entry drawn will win the prize. Answers and the winner’s name will be published in the Spring 2015 issue ofClarinet & Saxophone.


XXX XXXX XXX


PHOTOS: PETER THOMPSON

Clarinet & Saxophone Society of Great Britain

SINGLE REED DAY THE STORY IN PICTURESSunday, 19th October, 2014 • Haileybury College, Hertford

Stephanie reeve conducts a single reed choir tom Bacon withD’addario’s tradestand (sponsors)

Masterclasses with David Campbell

repairer eddie ashton never stopped Stephanie reeve directingMoney changing hands

James rae directing a saxophone choir

trade exhibition - busy throughout the day

James rae conducting a single reed choir

Single reed choir directed by David Campbell

Lunch is served

XXX XXXX XXXPHOTOS: PETER THOMPSON

Daniel Bangham and Vincent Kerhervelead a mouthpiece seminar

Saxophone choir led by Gemma Harvey

David Campbell explains

Kerry Long running sponsors Barnes & Mullins stand

Gemma Harvey coaching

Clarinet choir conducted by Stephanie reeve

tom & Will’s stand

Clarinet & Saxophone, Winter 2014 21www.cassgb.orgwww.cassgb.org20 Clarinet & Saxophone, Winter 2014

Jeffery Wilson led two jazz workshops

i remember the excitement i felt hearing Johnfuest warming up on stage before a concertwith royal Liverpool Philharmonic orchestrawhen i was around 12 years old (he hadpreviously been principal clarinet with the Cityof Birmingham Symphony orchestra). afterhearing his wonderful playing on manyoccasions at the Phil, i eventually gathered upthe courage to talk to him on the platformafter a concert.

John was such a charming and friendlygentleman as he enthusiastically showed mehis new Buffet clarinets, that i was inspired tocontinue my clarinet playing and to try to havesome lessons with John in the future.

Some years later John came to hear aconcert, in which i was playing with theCheshire youth orchestra, his daughter Janetwas playing violin in the orchestra. John wasvery encouraging about my playing and wasinterested in my crystal mouthpiece at thattime, a lifetime’s interest in mouthpieces is oneof my most endearing memories of John.

Both Janet and i went on to study atChetham’s School of Music and i performed onseveral occasions with Janet and kept in touchwith John. Later, whilst attending the rnCM, icontacted John for some help with my playing,and as a result i began the first of many tripsto his house in neston.

i spent many happy hours with John and hiswife Wendy, who was always referred to as“Mum” by John, he then became known by hisPhilharmonic colleagues as “Dad”!

after some time John invited me to come toplay in the rLPo next to him doubling thesecond clarinet part in Beethoven’s 9thSymphony, a memorable occasion as it was myfirst professional gig.

i learned such an enormous amount fromsitting next to John in the many concerts wegave together with the rLPo, and from friendslike Colin Pownall, then bass clarinettist withthe orchestra. Colin remained a close friend ofJohn and Wendy and was able to continue tosee them after John retired and left neston forManchester to be with Janet’s family, as Colinmoved to work with the BBC Philharmonic.

John’s enthusiasm for the clarinet neverceased, both his son David and his grandsonoliver are very fine clarinettists, and for manyyears John’s friendship with Mike Meyerowitz,then principal clarinet of the BBC Concertorchestra, led to many experiments withmouthpieces, reeds, ligatures etc. i wasfortunate to have had the letters that wentbetween John and Mike over many years,which showed how deeply they both caredabout the clarinet sound. any new versions ofmouthpieces being recorded and listened backto as soon as they could.

John instilled in me the importance of

listening to one’s playing, and we both sharedan interest in recording machines. on my lastvisit to see John in hospital a few weeks ago,he wanted to hear my recent performance ofthe finzi Concerto on my latest recordingmachine, along with looking at my latestmouthpiece and clarinet. When i had becomethe endorser for Leblanc clarinets, John wasone of the first to swap to the opus clarinets;he subsequently passed them on to hisgrandson oliver.

John was also a keen follower of cricket; hesometimes had the radio on with an earpiecelistening to an important match, during theless interesting rehearsals, and occasionallyshouting out when a wicket fell!

i have fond memories of a visit to Llangollenwith John and Wendy for another of hispassions, a journey on standard gauge railway,where we both got to stand on the footplate ofthe steam engine. Both John and Wendy weremost passionate about their family, and wereproud of all that they were achieving, when ilast spoke to John he was proudly telling me ofoliver’s success, currently playing clarinetwith the Philharmonia orchestra.

John and Wendy were married for over 50years and when Wendy passed away a coupleof years ago John continued to have the sameenthusiasm for news on the clarinet in thephone calls i had with him. Sadly his healthwas too bad for him to visit my workshop inLiverpool but he did enjoy seeing the photos ofthe tools and machinery that i now use, he wasa great supporter of my new career directionand of my clarinet playing. His advice wasoften concluded with the sentence “Well, it isbetter really you know” which i will truly misshearing.

there are many examples of John’s fineclarinet playing to be heard on the many

recordings he made with the rLPo throughthe years with Sir Charles Groves, tod Handleyand Libor Pešek, which i will continue totreasure in the years to come. the clarinetworld has lost a true gentleman, i have neverheard anyone speak about Jf with anythingless than genuine affection and respect, rest inpeace my friend.Andrew Roberts

Having passed my audition at the BirminghamSchool of Music, i arrived for my first lessonwith John fuest in September 1967. He wasfriendly enough, and explained that the firstpiece he asked all new pupils to play was theConcertino by Weber, as it was one whichcontained a bit of all the various elements ofclarinet expression, from tone through tospeed and tonguing. there were four othercontemporaries studying with him at the time,anne osborne, Colin Smith, tim Pegg androger tempest. John kindly praised each of usfor some good qualities as clarinettists,though qualifying by saying that we all hadweaknesses as well, and a perfect playerwould need to have the combined goodqualities of all of us! He said that my bestaspect was my quality of tone, but i know thatmy obvious weakness was lack of speed - veryapparent in the fast passages of theConcertino.

John was principal clarinet in the CBSo,where he been for several years, and twooccasions of his playing stand out in mymemory, the first being his role in thepremière of the Concerto for Orchestra bythea Musgrave, when he was required to movearound the orchestra to play in differentplaces, which he did not enjoy, and seemedrather grudging about any merits the piecemight have. i said i thought it had somethingworthwhile, and he shrugged ratherambiguously! the other occasion was a lunch-time concert on the radio he mentioned wascoming up, when he played the Mozart ebSerenade for wind, a glorious piece, which ihad also played with wind ensemble there,under the direction of frank Downes, the hornplayer in the BBC Midland Light orchestra. imanaged to tune in on the day to hear it, andall went well until the final movement, whenthe speed was faster than any otherperformance i have heard, and it started tocome apart at the seams about half waythrough. When i mentioned this in my nextlesson, his only comment was: “Livedangerously!”

in my second year he helped me find asecond pair of 1010s, which needed a lot moreair than my old emperor, and i got them only acouple of weeks before my diploma, before iwas quite used to them, but somehow scrapedthrough the exam. in my final year, Johnmoved to Liverpool to be principal there, andhad to commute at first. andrew roberts hascovered this part of his career.Richard Carder �

REMEMBERED


REMEMBERED

ACKER BILK1929 - 2014

JOHN FUEST 1928 - 2014


the clarinettist acker Bilk died onnovember 2nd. He was 85. Born BernardStanley Bilk, on January 28th 1929 inPensford, Somerset, his name ‘acker’ is alocal word meaning mate, or pal. Leavingschool at 14, acker Bilk worked first at theWills tobacco factory in Bristol; later he wasemployed as a builder’s labourer and ablacksmith’s apprentice. acker was arelatively late starter, taking up the clarinetin 1948 while on national Service inegypt. the story was that the clarinettistwas imprisoned for three months for fallingasleep on guard duty; he taught himselfthe clarinet while in jail. His boyhood activities resulted in severalinjuries, including the loss of two front teethand the top joint of a finger. His loss ofteeth, which he claimed was the result of aschoolyard fight, enabled him to place theclarinet mouthpiece in the consequentialgap!

Bilk formed a semi-professional band inBristol shortly after demobilisation fromthe army. then, early in 1954, he wasinvited to join the band of cornettist KenColyer, the prominent British neworleans-style musician. Bilk found life inLondon so disagreeable that he left afteronly a few months, returned home, andtook a variety of manual jobs.

in 1956 he formed his Paramount JazzBand. the band became popular on theone-nighter circuit. Shortly after that iheard him play at the St George’sBallroom in Hinckley. even at this datethere were crowds pressing around thestage. nevertheless, acker remainedmodest and accessible, as i discoveredwhen i chatted to him to make a request.

acker’s first chart hit came in early1960, when Summer Set (an instrumentaltribute to his own county) reached thetop 10. in the same year he recorded hiscomposition Stranger on the Shore witha string orchestra, as the theme music toa BBC television play for children. thetune became popular, being the first-ever simultaneous hit in Britain andamerica. acker referred to it as ‘my old-age pension’. Stranger on the Shorestayed in the top 30 single chart for 53weeks, gained entry to the GuinnessBook of Records, and was subsequentlyrecorded by dozens of other artists,including Duke ellington. the recordingcontinues to sell in prodigiousquantities, ranking among thebestselling records of the 20th century.

the song was originally written foracker’s daughter Jenny, and namedafter her, but the title was changed

when the BBC used it as the theme tune ofthe eponymous BBC children’s tV series.Stranger on the Shore went on to crest theamerican top 20 six months later, ackerbeing the first British artist to top the US popmusic charts. today that easy-listeningrecord seems to have been an unlikelydouble number one on both sides of theatlantic, but in pre-Beatles days the chartscontained an eclectic mixture of ballads,rock ‘n’ roll and Dixieland-style trad-jazz.

in recent years, acker Bilk had begun tolimit the number of his appearances. a keen

amateur painter, he spent more timepainting and relaxing at his home inPensford than in his big house at PottersBar, north London. in 2000 he was treatedfor throat cancer. He was appointed MBe in2001.

acker is survived by his wife, Jean (néeHawkins), whom he first met when theywere schoolchildren, a daughter, Jenny, anda son, Peter. John Robert Brown �

the 2014 Clarinetfest was held at theLouisiana State University in Baton rougeand superbly hosted and directed by robertDeLutis. in the summer 40 degree heat,welcome golf buggies were on standby totransport players and audience between themusic department where the majority ofconcerts were held and the student unionblock where the exhibition hall was. for aBrit abroad, it was a unique experience to betransported from the off campus hotel everyday to the university in an orange americanschool bus!

the musical offerings were exciting andfull of variety and went from 8am to past11pm. as with any Clarinetfest there was fartoo much choice for one listener and therewere occasions where i had to make a toughdecision as to which performance i wouldattend.

the opening evening saw D’addario (thefestival’s gold sponsor) present an eveningconcert of concertos, with the ritz Chamberorchestra playing the accompaniment role.this evening included a performance ofGerald finzi’s Clarinet Concerto with theBritish star Julian Bliss who provided theaudience with what can only be described asone of the highlights of the week. not onlywas the concerto flawless in technique, butBliss gave a mature and astounding musicalinterpretation. the second movement washeart wrenching and the spokenintroduction by Bliss added to his ability tocommunicate to the audience in a way thatenhanced the music that followed. JulianHerve (principal clarinet of the rotterdamPhilharmonic orchestra) performedKrzystof Penderecki’s Sinfonietta no. 2. thiswas a stunning choice of music and one thatreally gave the programme somethingdifferent and very special with hauntinglybeautiful high notes that truly showed amaster at work. Herve’s sound and controlis something that all enthusiasts need todiscover and appreciate. the eveningreached a truly splendid climax as a silversequinned dressed Julia Heinen came on tothe stage to perform Black Dog by ScottMcallister. Heinen is a wonder woman andto watch her play with an astonishingtechnique full of growls and barks wassomething i have treasured for the rest ofthe summer. this lady has balls - and i toldher so!

the thursday provided me with atempting recital of British music. i wasinterested to see that a former Britishwinner of the CaSS clarinet competitionJonathan Holden was performing WilliamHurlstone’s Four Characteristic Pieces andJohn ireland’s Fantasy Sonata. Holden who

is now based in the USa has a good soundand his playing was sparky and assured,however i missed some of the Britishwarmth and heart that so much of theenglish repertoire needs. the afternoonprogramme included the Louisana StateUniversity Woodwind trio and i was lookingforward to some chamber music withclarinet, flute and bassoon. However i wasdisappointed with poorly executedperformances of robert Mucyznski’s Duo forflute and clarinet and Walter Piston’s ThreePieces for trio. the performance ofPoulenc’s duo for clarinet and bassoon (apiece that i am very close to) was alsolacking in interpretation, humour andcolour with too many basic errors. thedisappointment of this concert was morethan made up later in the afternoon by aperformance of Mozart’s Quintet for clarinetand strings with Sean osborn taking to thestage. Many players can play fast andvirtuosically, but to me true artistrycomes from the ability to play slowmelodies. osborn can certainly do thisand his interpretation of the ‘Larghetto’was mesmerising - you could haveheard a pin drop with his quiet legatoplaying in the recapitualtion; quitesimply just beautiful playing.

no trip to Lousiana would becomplete without new orleans Jazz anda shrimp boil - another highlight of theweek. Doreen’s Jazz new orleans andJimmy ‘Swamp Dust’ Babin providedboth. Doreen J. Ketchen can surely onlybe described as the ‘Mama’ of the

festival. What a sound, what a technique andwow - she and her band could swing!Combined with fresh shrimps, corn on thecob, salad, stew and rice this was also anevening to remember. after the meal, i justmanaged to catch the end of ‘a night of Jazz’with evan Christopher, Gregory agid, felixPeikli and Harry Skolar back in the mainUnion theatre. to have an evening’sentertainment by some of new orleans’finest clarinet ambassadors waseducational and inspirational.

a highlight of the friday was an earlyafternoon concert of works with stringquartet. Sergio Bosi gave one of the mostmusical performances of the Weber Quintetthat i have heard. it is easy to hear and seewhy he is such a successful recording artist.His technique, sound, intonation andmusicality are faultless. only one performercan share a concert with such a player andthat was another italian favourite the bassclarinettist rocco Parisi. it should be notedthat this was also the only chance to hearthe bass clarinet in the big theatre - it was ashame that the bass clarinet was absentfrom the evening gala concerts. Parisiperformed the première of a new work forbass clarinet by arthur Gottschalk calledCapriccio Genovese which is a welcome newwork for this combination. then he did whatonly rocco can do - Paganini! High, low, fast,slow - the string quartet did a sterling jobkeeping pace and the performance boughtthe house down!

the friday evening gala event wassponsored by Gold Sponsors Vandoren andfor me the highlights of the evening were byPiero Vincenti from italy and Philippe Cuperfrom france. Vincenti who hosted the 2013event in assisi, italy, is a performer who justmakes the entire concert hall smile with hisplaying. With an array of clarinets, hisitalian passion and melodies were at thecentre of this engaging performer. PhilippeCuper is a performer who just gets betterand better and it is just a sheer joy to listento him. His performance of the CavalleriaRusticana Fantasia, by Carlo Della Giacomawas just jaw dropping. His mastery of theinstrument, ability to sing a melody throughthe clarinet and his note count per second iswhat every player dreams of - a true delightto listen to.

Saturday was my own chance to play and iwould like to thank the audience who cameto show support as this really was theafternoon for bass clarinet performances

NEWS


CLARINETFEST 2014 - BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA30th July - 3rd August 2014

The Clarinettist as EntrepreneurReport by Sarah Watts

with some of my colleagues presentingsome stunning performances. around myown recital i managed to listen to StephanVermeersch who performed an interestingand engaging programme. Vermeersch isthe worthy new european representative forthe iCa and performed duos with roccoParisi and richard nunemaker. richardnunemaker who is truly a great master ofthe bass clarinet teamed up withVermeersch for an engaging performance ofMarc Mellits’ Black for two clarinets.Vermeersch finished his recital with his ownpiece WE for bass clarinet and five desk bellswhich was a fun piece and one i hope towitness again. following on fromVermeersch was another highlight of theweek - this time by Dutch clarinettist CelesteZewald who performed rudolf escher’sSonata for clarinet solo and OrientalReverie by alexander Glazunov for clarinetand string quartet. Zewald’s control andmastery of the clarinet is unquestionableand her ability to communicate with heraudience made this performance a must seeevent. i look forward to hearing more of herplaying in the future.

i was sorry to miss so many amazingperformances by so many friends andcolleagues. Some of the events that i hadwanted to go to, but other events orrehearsals got in the way includedperformances by Saurio Berti, JonathanCohler and Stanley Drucker, eric Mandatand robert Spring.

My chance to listen on the Sunday wasdisrupted by a very welcoming invitation toperform in the closing concert with theprofessors’ choir, so an enjoyable hour wasspent rehearsing in a band room withclarinet professors from the USa andabroad. Between the rehearsal and theconcert i managed to listen to radovanCavallin Zerjal perform 11 per 1 in 1, byDubravko for solo clarinet and BarbaraHaney perform In a Deep Funk: Dance Setfor solo bass clarinet by Daniel Dorff. Bothplayers introducing me to two great workswith technically assured and characterfulperformances. the final performance i sawwas a performance of Solo furmelodieinstrument und Ruckkopplung.Formschema III, by Stockhausen performedby Jason alder. this was an incredibly rareopportunity to hear this work that featuresthe use of live electronics. alder did anamazing job considering the lack of set uptime and it was a privilege to have been inthe audience.

the convention ended for me sitting in asection of more than 10 bass clarinets in theProfessors’ Choir. there is only one way tofinish a clarinet convention and that is withthe première of Souvenir of The Piano Man:‘Granadilla Rhapsody’, by George Gershwinand arranged by Guido Six. and yes byending with Gershwin the thinkable wasdone - an entire clarinet choir playing thefamous Rhapsody in Blue glissando inunison.

the 2015 Clarinetfest, will be held inMadrid, 22nd – 26th July. �

REPORT

THE THIRD LISBON INTERNATIONAL CLARINETCOMPETITION the competition will take place in Lisbon from 30th March to 2nd april 2015 and is open toclarinettists of any nationality no older than 35 years on 30th March 2015. the first prize is1000 euro, a Buffet Crampon Prestige clarinet and a concert with the Lisbon Metropolitanorchestra during the 2015/16 season with expenses for travelling and accommodationcovered. the second prize is 500 euro plus a professional model clarinet and the third prize aprofessional model clarinet.applications must be received by midday on 31st January 2015 with a video for theeliminatory round of Poulenc’s Sonata for clarinet and piano, second movement andStravinsky’s Three Pieces for solo clarinet (second and third piece).full details can be found on www.lisbonclarinetcompetition.org

BRITISH CLARINET ENSEMBLE - 20 YEARS OLD

2015 sees the twentieth anniversary of the formation of the British Clarinet ensemble. thegroup has recorded three CDs, commissioned 12 new works for clarinet choir from Britishcomposers and performed frequently in the UK and abroad. the ensemble is nowestablished as one of the nation’s leading clarinet choirs. the year will see a number ofperformances both in the UK and abroad, a new commission from Stephen Mcneff and anopportunity for clarinet players to attend a playday with BCe members that will exploretheir repertoire. the playday takes place at Kingshott School in Hitchin on Sunday, 19thapril. for more information about the day see the diary section of this magazine.

MUSICAL DIRECTOR SOUGHT IN DARLINGTONthe Darlington Clarinet ensemble is seeking a new Musical Director to take over from JohnMacKenzie. the DCe was formed over 30 years ago and meets fortnightly during term timeat the Hurworth Grange Community Centre near Darlington. information about theensemble can be found on their website www.darlingtonclarinetensemble.co.uk. for furtherinformation telephone Mike frankton 01324 359415.

for CLarinet

Superpads

Only from www.woodwindco.com [email protected]

27www.cassgb.orgwww.cassgb.org26 Clarinet & Saxophone, Winter 2014

REPORTS


Seventy-five clarinettists attended this dayfull of activities to choose from: concerts,classes, workshops and clinics for reed andmouthpiece problems and advice foreverything ‘clarinetty’ plus the Conventionclarinet choir conducted by joint courseleader Peter fielding. now well into itssecond decade, the event was sponsored byJohn Packer, Woodwind and Co., D’addario,Vandoren (Barnes and Mullins), Clarinet andSaxophone Society of Great Britain,reedimensions, Hummingbird andMaskarade, MarCa, Silverstein Works andGonzalez (Dawkes Music).

this year saw trio masterclasses forclarinet, violin and piano and several workswere discussed including the KhachaturianClarinet trio, Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale trioand a new trio by roma Cafolla. Duringbreaks, participants were intrigued by tryingnew accessories and instruments from thetrade stands and new publications from thevarious publishers.

the lunch hour concert was very excitingand featured two completely different stylesof music. in the first part Leslie Craven withvirtuoso friends Lana trotovsek violin (ofrecent solo success with Valery Gergiev andthe Mariinsky orchestra) and pianist yokoMisumi, performed some of the newlycomposed trio works of the music of romaCafolla to a rapturous reception. (the triosperformed were recorded recently by thetrio for a new double CD album availablefrom www.lesliecraven.co.uk andwww.romacafolla.co.uk ).

to contrast the wonderful romantic musicof Cafolla (sheet music available fromforton Music), robert Plane (principalclarinettist BBC national orchestra ofWales) played a brilliant rendition of thechallenging Boulez Domaines (fromnumerous different positions, movingaround the concert hall from stand to stand)followed by long and thoroughly deservedenthusiastic applause.

along with giving a masterclass later inthe afternoon, Peter fielding also gave amini recital of new and not so new bassclarinet repertoire to a highly appreciativeaudience.

alistair Logan (author of Music@Site) tookmany younger players through their pacestrying out new pieces or their exam pieces toget more experience and coaching, someplaying with piano accompaniment for thefirst time.

roma Cafolla, the resident composer forthe day from northern ireland, composed

(just one month before the event) a newpiece called Irish Stew for clarinet choirwhich featured many familiar irish tunesintertwined in virtuoso fashion. the piecewas received with huge enthusiasm andwarm applause by the large audience at theend of the evening (final) concert.

all in all the day was a huge success andthe convention is still going strong thanks tothe loyal supporters’ innovative ideas andsuggestions for the day’s activities (viafeedback) and the generous sponsorshipfrom the music industry represented. The 2015 event will yet again feature

something completely new: classes andperformances of Klezmer clarinet anddoubling/tripling with London West endshow and studio doubling specialist, James

Mainwaring, himself a product of a Welshmusical education, so a most fitting returnto Cardiff for James. Do join the Conventionand book early for this coming event on May3rd as places are limited. all proceeds (aftercosts and tutors/accompanists fees havebeen met) have, for the last three years,been donated to a prize fund for theestablishment of a clarinet prize for theCardiff University Music School. it is hoped(with the addition of funds from this year) tobegin awarding a sustainable prize in 2016and yearly thereafter as long as theconvention is in existence. �

University School of Music, Cardiff4th May 2014

Clarinet Convention 2014Leslie Craven looks back as the 2015 event approaches

robert Plane (principalclarinettist BBC nationalorchestra of Wales) plays inthe choir

Leslie Craven, Lanatrotovsek and yoko Misumi infull flight playing MotoPerpetuo by Cafolla

Mark Walton is a clarinet and saxophonesoloist, educator, composer, arranger andleader of community music projects. equallyat home working with elite students orbeginner adults he has encouraged andinspired countless musicians across theplanet. He has taught in the remotest partsof australia, travelled to europe, the USa,Japan and afghanistan and developed waysof teaching across continents using Skype.During June he was in england for animportant concert for the royal overseasLeague as well as leading a week longcourse for 40-odd antipodeans in Lavant,West Sussex which was where Stephaniereeve managed to catch up with him.

i had arrived on Wednesday 21st June intime for lunch at a quintessentially Britishscene, a village green bathed in sunshine,looking forward to an afternoon ofrehearsal and the opportunity to meet Mark.Several musicians were milling around andinside i found Mark who immediately asked,“Have you got your clarinet with you? Good.you can play in this afternoon’s concertthen!” this caught me slightly off guard as ihadn’t realised there was a performance andhaving spotted the band in their smart blackt-shirts i pointed with concern to my jeansand trainers. “oh don’t worry about that. it’llbe fine.” the concert was a last minuteaddition to the schedule and was due to takeplace at the local primary school. Mark’swelcoming chat and efficiency with sortingout my music helped to put me at ease andhe quickly showed me the clarinet two padcontaining many arrangements of well-known works alongside australian andMaori traditional tunes immaculatelypresented in smart folders. i then joinedMark, Jo and several of the courseparticipants from both australia and newZealand to find out a little more about thetour.

the band consisted of flutes, clarinets andbass clarinets, alto, tenor and baritonesaxes, and a few brass players. the courselasted for the whole week with dailyrehearsals at Lavant Hall culminating intwo evening concerts at the end of the week.the Band from Down Under played withPetworth town Band on the friday and adurConcert Band on Saturday. While all theplayers knew Mark and Jo from variousactivities and courses, the Saturday morningwas the first time they had all playedtogether. Players from australia, newZealand, Canada and the UK met for thatfirst rehearsal and were giving their firstperformance at Lavant fête that afternoon!

it was here that they saw maypole dancersfrom Lavant Church of england PrimarySchool and Mark, never one to miss anopportunity, offered the band to give aperformance at the school during the week.the head teacher was delighted and a timewas arranged for the Wednesday afternoonwhich coincided with my visit. i washonoured to be involved as i was able to seefirst-hand how Mark interacts with hisaudience and his players. Wearing smartBand from Down Under t-shirts (thereverse read Banned from Down Under) thegroup gave an hour long performance to thepupils. the programme featured several ofthe band’s favourite pieces and Markperformed two pieces as a soloist as well askeeping the children involved in theperformance by asking them questions andexplaining some of the differences betweenenglish and aussie life. Children were ableto ask questions, all answered by Mark witha high level of enthusiasm and humour.Several band members were invited to tellthe pupils a little about where they lived.Clarinettist Cookie lives on a farm thatcovers a vast area. She was asked how bigthe snakes were around Lavant beforestretching her arms out as wide as possible,demonstrating how australian snakes canbe “this long”, and why you need a fencearound the house to keep them out.

no time for relaxation as it was back tothe village hall for the next rehearsal wherethe focus returned to music for the nextconcert which was with the Petworth townBand. rehearsals were relaxed but with aserious aim and players were comfortable inquerying points within the music whichMark answered clearly, ensuring all hadunderstood. there was some serious groundcovered here but at the same time the

enjoyment poured out and the band leftrefreshed rather than exhausted.

i asked Mark where this particular ideafor a course had come from. “i put the ideaup quite a few years ago” says Mark, “and wewere so overwhelmed with people that wegot scared and cancelled that one.”eventually the idea came up again and whenMark and Jo finally accepted how muchwork it would be they sent a note out at 8amone Sunday morning. “By 8:10 we had thefirst person saying yes and by the end of theweekend we had 45 people who said theywere going to come and just about all ofthose did. Some had to drop out for variousreasons but other people joined in so it wasjust an amazing thing to come from theother side of the world.” the choice of WestSussex as a base was an easy one. Havinglived in Haslemere for nine years Mark andJo knew the area well and Jo still has familyhere. “it’s an expensive thing but they can’tget enough of playing and being together.We’re all such good friends but at the sametime because we live in two countries to seeour new Zealand people mixing with ouraustralian people and to have my sister-in-law and her husband from Canada isamazing.”

the commitment to a project like this ishuge and i ask if this is currently Mark’smain work. “at the moment it is a bit ofeverything, i’m very much a freelancer and ihave students in many different places so avariety and i’m my own boss. every dayteaching is up and down. obviously i loveteaching but some days can be shockers andnext time you go they can be just wonderful,you never actually quite know when it’sgoing to be a shock or when it’s going to bewonderful! But i certainly teach a completerange of students from very advancedstudents who would be elite studentsanywhere to adults who are trying toremember where f sharp is!”

one of Mark’s great passions is that it isnever too late to learn and he is committedto encouraging learners of all ages. “it’sgreat to provide an opportunity for them toplay together and socialise and i think thatthis is a really huge growth area becausemany people learn as kids and then theygive it up. they think the thought of playingagain is appealing if there is somewhere thatthey can play with a group and i think that

REPORTS


REPORTS


Lavant, West SussexJune 2014

Mark Walton and the Band from Down UnderReport by Stephanie Reeve

where people take the trouble to encourageadults they get very enthusiastic pockets ofadult groups around. i think the ideal groupis when you’ve got adults and young peopletogether as it is a lovely situation whengenerations blend together. in our grouptoday we’ve got a grandmother and twoteenage grandchildren so that’s a nicething.” Many of Mark and Jo’s adult learnershave contributed to an e-book Notes ofDiscovery which is a fascinating collection ofvignettes written by the many players whohave taken up instruments and must havebeen taught, guided or motivated by Mark atsome point along the way. almost allmention the enthusiasm andencouragement given by Mark and Jo atsome stage in their learning.

the vastness of australia has guided Markon one of his earlier missions, how to getmore music education into the remotecommunities. “it was always my concernwhat on earth all the music graduates frommusic colleges were going to do” explainsMark, “and i feel strongly that musiccolleges don’t think enough about actuallywhat happens to their students in the end. ifthey did then they should modify theircourses so that they actually turn outpeople who are capable of playingexquisitely but also capable of being happy,being able to cope in the real world. a lot ofemphasis is put on orchestral excerpts andthings like that that are actually prettyesoteric for what most actual graduates endup doing and i think that my grand planwhen i was at the Conservatorium in Sydneywas to actually try and earmark studentswho were not the most high achieving andtrain them up so that they were capable ofteaching a range of instruments in remotesituations and demonstrating how muchthey were going to be appreciated by thecommunity. the fact is that they couldcreate ensembles and support the townband and so on, and those things justseemed to make sense. it’s a very differentsituation in australia than it is here and innew Zealand because in australia we’retalking about such vast distances and alsonot only about placing them in regional andmore outback areas but trying to link themtogether so that they don’t feel as thoughthey are lost to the world, which is veryimportant.”

With a life as packed as this a book isinevitable, and as well as the Notes ofDiscovery there is Teacher Talk, an amusingguide for teachers and pupils, and Mark’sown autobiography How Did That Happen?which tells the tale of Mark’s life growing upin Christchurch, family closeness, desire tostudy with players such as Stanley Drucker,travels around the world, meeting Jo inSouth africa and to his current life spreadover two countries. Mark’s energy isapparent the whole way through and this isdefinitely a recommended read as there istoo much to sum up in a short feature suchas this. the book is now sold to raise fundsfor the Christchurch School of Music whichwas devastated in the earthquake of 2011.“it’s interesting because i did start to write a

book in aid of the school of music and if theearthquake had happened first i wouldn’thave written the book because the firstchapters really are about growing up inChristchurch and that aspect ofChristchurch has now disappeared. thedevastation in Christchurch is just colossal.the CSM was this beautiful four storey brickold convent and during the secondearthquake it was so badly damaged it hadto be demolished soon afterwards. on thatday staircases collapsed, internal brickwalls fell down. it was so violent. there were90 quakes that day in february and i wassupposed to be in the music school but luckycircumstances meant that i wasn’t. i don’twork for the music school any more, i’dstopped before the earthquake, but i wasstill involved in the fund-raising so it’s justan amazing thing. i had instruments in mystudio, my alto and tenor saxophone, which ithought i was never going to see again butsomeone did get into the building andretrieved things. i thought if they hadn’tbeen crushed already they were going to becrushed by the bulldozers and wreckingcrew. Suddenly i had them back and theywere playing music, a revival from thedead!”

Mark’s current clarinets are yamahas.Having moved through Buffet and Selmerinstruments Mark now plays on the newyamaha CSG Series 3 clarinets. “i had aproblem in a concert with a clarinet andsomeone lent me a yamaha clarinet fromthe audience and i thought ‘i love thisclarinet’. i bought one two days later andi’ve been playing on yamaha clarinets eversince. and i’m an absolute convert. i justlove them and the new CSG clarinet which isquite a different sort of clarinet for me hastaken some getting used to but i really likeit. i’m an unusual player because i play oncrystal mouthpieces. i don’t like new crystalmouthpieces so they have all been boughtsecond hand. So i play on Vandoren 3 reedsand this beautiful crystal mouthpiece whichi just love.”

We move on to talk about Sunday’sconcert and i ask about practice and how isMark preparing for the concert. “yesterday idid some practice. i’ve got all my music andthis evening i shall find a corner, maybeoutside, and i shall practise the gnarlier bitsof Paul Harris’s music! He writes very hard

music for the clarinet so i’m playing a pieceby him called Swiftly which doesn’t fallunder the fingers. no matter how manyhours practice i do i’ve still got to practise itagain. i tend to do lots of practice duringholiday time when i can get away fromthings and i love to practise. i’ve got agarden shed in new Zealand where i go. it’sa very deluxe garden shed and i go there andthat’s my favourite time of the year when i’min there.”

this particular project began on aprevious trip to england when Mark wentmusic shopping to replace music he had lentto his australian pupils and not hadreturned. Back in his studio he realised therewas a huge amount of repertoire he hadnever played so he booked time with pianistDavid Miller to try out various pieces. theonly time they both had available was 7am!Some music went onto the enjoyed-play-again pile while some onto the never-to-be-seen-again pile. from that they worked outa way of sifting through the enjoyable pileand discovered a considerable amount ofenglish music. over the next few monthsMark contacted composers for new worksand put together an ambitious programmeto be performed at overseas House. (Markwas a Gold Medallist in the 1978 roSL MusicCompetition.) nicholas Cox’s review lastissue gives a full account of what was a veryspecial event. each composer was able tosay a few words about their particular pieceand the warmth that they spoke with wastouching. Mark clearly knows all of thecomposers personally, another lovely touchto the significance of the event. for me it waslovely to see so many of the Lavant coursemembers showing their continued supportfor Mark before they headed back home.

following the tour many of the playersflew back down under while others usedtheir time in europe to see family, friends orto visit previously undiscovered areas. Markand Jo had lunch in Paris, and then had afew days in Scotland before they headedback to prepare for a course in Broken Hill.it may be a while before they return but welook forward to their visit which will nodoubt be as eventful as this one!

Mark’s CD Clarinet Hidden Treasuresfrom England is available fromwww.markwalton.com.au �

Mark Walton Welcome

Band from Down Under Photo: Jill Leemen

REPORTS


Course leaders/tutors: Sarah Watts,Laurence Perkins

Tutors: Anneke Scott, Roy Carter, DanaMorgan, John Flinders

Malcolm arnold once stated: ‘Music is thesocial act of communication among people,a gesture of friendship, the strongest thereis’. How true this was during an intense andchallenging week of chamber music makingat Malvern College under the expert, energyfuelled, inspired and patient guidance of ourteam of tutors. the central message waslisten! a bassoonist summed up hisexperience with: “it strikes me that chambermusic is the ultimate in adult responsibility;we are at times peers, leaders, followers,soloists and accompaniment”. Having beena jazz musician in a previous life i wasobviously well-versed in the art of listening,but oh so different when one has to follow avery precise, intricate score and attempt tomake accurate entries at the correctdynamic and tempo.

each day started with a warm-up, led bydifferent tutors ranging from roy Carteremphasising the importance of tuning,intonation and sound quality, with somerelevant group exercises, to instructivebreathing exercises, light-hearted rhythmgames, and tongue twisters with the eversmiley and effervescent Dana Morgan. Wealso enjoyed confidently led andentertaining physical and rhythmic starterswith Sarah and anneke, and a very thoughtprovoking session with Laurence focusingon resonance, tone development andpractice at different dynamics. thesesessions moved seamlessly into eitherinstrumental sessions or one of our pre-arranged chamber groups each morningand certainly blew any cobwebs away! Sarahand Laurence chose an extraordinarily wide

range of music for us to play, whichthankfully was sent to us in advance! alwaysa sucker for a challenge, i agreed to play theunfamiliar C clarinet in the Strauss Sonatinafor 16 wind instruments. this kept me out ofmischief for several weeks, along with thescore for the eclectic and contemporaryFigures in the Garden by Jonathan Dove.these pieces formed the substance of mytwo tutor groups for the week and it was ajoy to feel the pieces evolving, my peers andi getting to know each other (and themusic!), relax, and most importantly to gainexperience in ensemble playing at a highlevel. We were all challenged, and it was thesheer energy, passion, patience, dedicationand talent of the tutors that made thesesessions so inspiring.

instrumental sessions were also ahighlight for everyone, learning fromexperts was a great boost for my ownplaying as well as my own teaching. Sarah’steaching style was relaxed, gentle,informative, compassionate and focused.our piece for the week was the relativelyunknown but beautiful Strauss Romanzewhich served as a perfect springboard fordiscussion of warm-ups linked to the tune,interpretation suited to the context andstyle, and relevant technical issues.Performing the piece to our peers with Johnflinders at the piano was a real treat, notonly was it extremely useful to get feedbackfrom all, but John also gave us tips to thinkabout from an accompanist’s point of view.Working on note production, harmonics andmultiphonics, linked to altissimo registeralso gave us much to ponder and of coursepractise!

the pre-supper ‘Magic Hours’ forumcould be renamed ‘Spectacular Hours’ andthey were a highlight for me, and a greatchance after such focused playing to sit,

relax, enjoy and learn! anneke’s masterfulhorn recital with Steven Devine opened usup to the enormous variation of timbres thehorn can produce, as well as the variedrepertoire – Gallay, Danzi and Schubertsongs arranged for the instrument. annekealso shared her passion and knowledge ofperiod horns, as well as the development ofthe french horn which was new territory forme. Sarah, equally, displayed her virtuosityand opened our eyes and ears by explainingthe background, structure and performancedirections to Domaines by Pierre Boulez. astunning and captivating performanceshowed her mastery of the clarinet andtechniques such as flutter tongue, tonalrange, varied sound palettes and rhythmicintensity used to create effects such assuspense, surprise and intrigue. the final‘Magic Hour’ was both touching andfascinating as the tutors had giventhemselves the tricky task of choosing onepiece of music with a personal significanceto share with us, which varied from PatMetheny to fritz Kreisler! and finally theconcerts! Cuillin Sound (Sarah Watts bassclarinet, Dana Morgan flute and LaurencePerkins bassoon) gave us an extraordinaryvisual, musical and historical feast.fabulous arrangements of Scottish folktunes in the first half led beautifully intoDistant Lands, a Hebridean Journey wheremore traditional tunes were playedalongside vintage documentaries of life inthe Highlands, the result of many hours ofskilled work by Laurence Perkins. the effectwas quite mesmerising and at times moving;a soaring flute symbolising beautifullandscapes, rhythmic segments as theisland women worked hard at waulking andat other moments humorous (Sarah’schatting bass clarinet!). this performancewas thoroughly original and spectacularand will remain with me for a long time, aswill the tutor concert in Malvern Priory alsofeaturing anneke Scott, roy Carter and Johnflinders. again, the performers displayedtotal mastery of their art providing us with arich variety of music and styles anddemonstrating what they had been teachingus all week! the last day of the course wasour chance to shine and make the tutorsproud, which i believe we did! each tutorgroup performed their pieces from the weekand at times it was very hard to believe thiswas a course for amateurs, the level ofplaying was outstanding given the intricacyof the repertoire which included classical,baroque, contemporary, english music andeastern european folk dances. Despite beingnervous (tutors included i reckon!) we wereall delighted to show what we had learnt,and to bring us all together the culminationof the day was to perform Laurence’sarrangement of tallis’ Spem in Alium forwinds, creating a 16th century surroundsound effect. Quite an experience for bothperformers and audience and the perfectway to end such a memorable week! Next course dates: 8-15th August 2015

www.cuillinsoundmusic.co.uk �

Malvern Priory, Worcestershire9th - 16th August 2014

Malvern Winds Chamber Music Course Report by Julia Middleton

Sarah Watts and Laurence Perkins aftertheir performance in Malvern PrioryPhoto: Mike Bell www.discovered-light.co.uk

CD REVIEWS

REVIEWS - CD


REVIEWS - CD


SAXOPHONE

PARKER’S MOOD Various Charlie Parker Groups 1947-49Frémeaux et Associés, 3-CD set, FA 1335

this set makes upVolume 5 of alaintercinet’simportantchronologicallibrary of the bopaltoist’s (so farrecoverable)works. reviews ofVolumes 1 – 4 plus

6 and 7 have previously appeared in thismagazine and my guess is that there areprobably two or three more to come. none ofthe seven 3-CD sets make easy backgroundlistening – they, and their constantly top-quality discographical notes, are designedfor players or musicologists wishing to get togrips with the development of Charlie’sinnovative and enormously influential style.typically material from studio recordingsessions, in this set principally from the‘Savoy’ period, contain false starts, abortedtakes and alternative takes. Material fromradio transcriptions, in this case from thenew york City nightclub the royal roost(nicknamed the Metropolitan BoperaHouse!), contains radio announcements andinputs from supporting musicians far lesstalented than Parker or indeed less favouredby the recording engineers.

nevertheless over more than three hoursof music, Charlie’s work here is magnificent,every version of every multi-take is different,his range of improvisational ideas is endless,no matter what the underlying chordsequence (examples Slow Boat to China,White Christmas) and in my opinion thetracks document some of his very bestplaying.

after two rather odd tracks with nealHefti’s orchestra and its rhythm section(Repetition and The Bird) all but three morein the 30 track CD 1 content are devoted toSavoy takes of the Charlie Parker all Stars(Miles Davis, Duke Jordan or John Lewis,tommy Potter and Max roach). numbersinclude Another Hair Do, Bluebird,Klaunstance and Bird Gets the Worm. thethree item balance is made up of 52nd StreetTheme and Koko from a royal roosttranscription and Drifting on a Reed from aprivate recording.

the second CD again featuring the allStars (John Lewis or al Haig on piano) mixPerhaps, Marmaduke, Steeplechase andMerry-go-round from the Savoy Studios withprobably Miles Davis’s last gig with the allStars playing nine excellent numbers at theroost on 11th December 1948, marred onlyby banal announcements from Symphony

Sid.the final CD opens with two weird tracks of

Charlie playing with Machito’s afro-Cubanorchestra. the moment Charlie startsplaying each piece is transformed, when he’sfinished its like someone has switched all thelights out. 10 transcription tracks now follow(again the roost) from a ‘new’ all Stars lineup with Kenny Dorham in the Davis chair.they’re playing on the evenings of ChristmasDay/new year’s Day 1948-49 and clearlyKenny’s on a learning curve with Charliecounting off a couple of numbers around260-280 crotchets per minute! Sid gets in theway a little but the alto playing is fluent.finally the set closes out with the 1949Metronome (magazine poll) all Stars (Dizzy,fats, Miles, JJ/Kai, Buddy Defranco, CP,Charlie Ventura etc.) playing both 78rpm andlonger 45rpm takes of Overtime and VictoryBall.Kenneth Morris

FOUR CLASSICALBUMS PLUSBuddy DeFranco (clarinet) quartets/quintet2-CD Set AVID JAZZ AMSC 1135

for any lover ofmodern jazzclarinet playing(‘bop’ style) thishas to be thebargain of the year.Buddy displays hisformidabletechnique andimprovisation

abilities as well here as on any of his originalUK issued (MGM) shellac 10” platters, 45 rpmePs or early CDs, now very scarce. the aViDset contains all of the contents of four LPs:Buddy DeFranco (1952), The Artistry ofBuddy DeFranco (1954), Mr. Clarinet (1953)and Pretty Moods (1954) plus two tracksfrom Jazz Tones (1954). the whole providingtwo hours and 38 minutes and anunbelievable 33 fantastic solos! not a singlebad track.Buddy virtually rescued the (soprano)clarinet from modern jazz oblivion providingthe platform from which eddie Daniels in theUS, rolf Kuhn in Germany and Vic ash, alanBarnes, Pete Long and Julian Marc Stringlein the UK have maintained the presence ofblackwood in the brass modern jazz jungle.

it takes only a single solo to get a feel forBuddy’s trademark sound. He delivers a veryeven fully rounded tone whatever theregister. His articulation viciously (there’s noother word for it!) drives the entireperformance – uncanny. and the fluidity ofhis playing, all the ‘changes’ over any rangeand up to crochet 240 are truly remarkable.

the majority of the material comes fromThe Great American Song Book (Gershwin,Kern, young, romberg, Mercer etc.) but thereis a sprinkling of originals and the

supporting musicians (nearly all in piano,bass and drums format) displaying a honedperformance of good quality ‘head’arrangements.

as a clarinet ‘geek’ i rate all tracks as verygood indeed but many are outstanding: GetHappy, Lover Come Back to Me, Carioca,Sophisticated Lady, Titoro, You Go to myHead, Mine, Buddy’s Blues. there are fastnumbers, ballads, blues and Latin-americanpieces. Something for everyone. a monsterrecord from a monster musician - verystrongly recommended.Kenneth Morris

EUROPEAN COOL JAZZ1951-59Various Groups - 2 CD SetFrémeaux et Associés FA 5428

anotherfascinating set puttogether by alaintercinet (theproducer of TheComplete CharlieParker seriescurrently underprogressive reviewfor this magazine)

on behalf of frémeaux based in Paris. on thisoccasion we have no less than 42 differentgroups spread across 46 tracks with a totalplaying time of over two and a half hours.Disc one is devoted to french aggregations,rarely bigger than an octet, all recorded inParis and graced by a sprinkling of americanvisitors plus, on one track, Don rendell. Disctwo carries similar sized groups fromScandinavia, Germany, austria, italy, thenetherlands and Great Britain. as most ofthe tracks were originally produced in 78rpm shellac record format the averagelength is under three minutes which does notgive the improvisers much time to stretchtheir legs. However, the album is supportedby the usual very high quality discographicaldata and notes (alain again) in english aswell as french.With such an enormous variety of content,and this being a single reed oriented journal,i hope you will excuse my concentration onthe many saxophonists and the single (butglorious) clarinettist appearing in alain’sselection. But firstly an explanation ofcontext. During the period 1947 -1955 bothfrench and english jazz musicians had foundwork in the commercial dance bands on thenewly re-introduced luxury liners plying theatlantic. With 24 hours off duty in new yorkmany headed for the 52nd Street jazz clubscene where Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespieand their cohorts were busily developing the‘bebop’ style. on return to Paris and othereuropean capitals they were anxious toreplicate this new way of playing and scoringsmall combos for their domestic audiences.in the same period american arrangers, in

particular Gerry Mulligan, Gil evans andLennie tristano were writing innovative andchallenging bop influenced charts for USmusicians whose subsequent records andvisits fired up the ambitions of the artistsnow captured on these two discs.

Disc one contains numerous good solosfrom: tenorists andre ross, Bobby Jaspar(very Getz-like), Don rendell, Jean-Claudefohrenbach, Barney Wilen, Jean-LouisChoutemps and alan eager; baritone saxistsarmand Migiani, William Boucaya and JayCameron. a splendid number of arrangersare credited, andre Hodeir, ChristianChevalier, Bobby Jaspar, francy Boland,Pierre Michelot, Henri renaud and MartialSolal. all show distinct homage to Gil evansand/or Gerry Mulligan!

Disc two features altoists Bo Magnussen,arne Domnerus, Lee Konitz and emilMangelsdorff, tenorists Hans Koller, CarlHenrik norin, rolf Billberg, Gianni Basso andtoon van Vliet, baritonists Lars Gullin, runefalk and Willi Sanner. on no account must imiss out an excellent clarinet solo by PutteWickman in Meatballs by the Bengt Hallbergensemble. in 1954 Wickman was playingsuperb bop clarinet, one of very few tomaster the technique. arrangers involvedinclude Bengt, Joe Zawinul and JohnDankworth which leads me to the final fivetracks, all British and all good. theDankworth 7, Vic Lewis’s new Music, theronnie Scott Jazz Group, the Don rendellSextet and Johnny Keating and his all Starsfeaturing: Don, John Dankworth, ronniesChamberlain/Scott and ross, Derek Humbleand tommy Whittle.

in summary, 46 flashes of nostalgicsaxophony as european jazzers get to gripswith the stylistic legacies of Charlie Parker,the Miles Davis nonet and Lennie tristano.Kenneth Morris

SYNAESTHESIATodd Oxford (alto and soprano saxophone)Equilibrium Records EQ106 www.equilbri.com

todd hails fromUSa where he isassistant Professorof Saxophone andChamber Music attexas StateUniversity and alsoan extremely giftedtouring performerthis 67 minute

2014 production carries an interesting andeclectic mixture of modern light classicalwriting in a wide variety of styles fromcomposers located all over the planet.Whilst todd delivers a consistently awesometechnique (albeit with a fairly pronouncedvibrato) not all of the writing matches hisstandard – nevertheless there are some finerecital pieces here and the overallprogramme has a good balance.

the opening track, Synaesthesia for altoand piano, sports a light, bright romp fromits composer aaron Carter-enyi who alsoprovides track eight Elision a not toodissimilar duo exercise. next up is a strangeitem from the norwegian frode fjellheim,

composer of the title song of the Disneyblockbuster Frozen who supplies Night Yoikwith an attractive theme for sop sax andwomen’s chorus. Transformations 1 abeautiful rhapsodic piece (and a later Nas-T -a party piece for solo alto, choc full ofaltissimo fireworks, slap tonguing and allsorts of virtuoso noises) originate from thearkansan composer Brian rhodes.the three movement The Miraculous Talefrom Halim-el-Dabh is scored for alto andderabucca, a sort of ‘as-you-go tunable’bongo drum. Plenty of contrast between themovements ‘Lightening’ (dance-like),‘tenderness’ (contemplative) and‘Stratosphere’ (again dance-like). Quaint butforgettable, mainly because of odd squeaksand growls interpolated into the opening andclosing movements. another odd item Talesfrom another Time from David Schnyder forsop sax and bass trombone has a strongklezmer feel.

two pieces of 10 and 19 minute lengthrespectively complete this recital withaplomb. they are Fantasy from thefranco/italian armando Ghidoni a splendidballad theme and variations for alto andpiano properly showing-off the capability ofthe single reed instrument and its owner.Winds of Time from David Heckendorn (a USbased music educator/polymath) couplestodd on alto with the texas State UniversityWind Symphony. i felt that this threemovement composition was easily the bestitem on the CD, a modern but fully accessiblework with gorgeous voicing from theorchestra throughout. all-in-all aninteresting addition to the recordedsaxophone repertoire.Kenneth Morris

THE CRUXTommy Andrews (alto saxophone andclarinet) with his quintetJellymould Jazz JM-JJ015www.jellymouldjazz.net

tommy andrews, a2010 graduate ofthe GuildhallSchool of Music, isjoined by guitaristnick Costley-White, pianist rickSimpson, bassistDave Manningtonand drummer Dave

Hamblett to deliver seven of his owncompositions in what i would describe as avery ‘British’ modern jazz style. Whereas ifind the recent US modern jazz efforts, e.g.Steve Coleman’s M-Base, totallyinaccessible, tommy’s is at least accessiblebut not so far as to supply memorablethemes, novel harmonies/fertile chordsequences, interesting structure orbreathtaking improvisation.

Clearly a great deal of effort has gone intothe making of this 49 minute CD (seetommy’s website: www.tommy-andrews.co.uk) – all of the instrumentalistsare on top form and in places thecompositions generate exciting climaxes andstimulating atmospheres but i found mosttracks disappointing in one way or another.

Dave Hamblett is no doubt influenced bytony Williams and Jack DeJohnette, but doeshe have to play as loudly as both at the sametime? tommy’s, rick’s and nick’s solos areexcellent but there are too many instances ofcounter improvisation from elsewhere in thegroup. two tracks have quite strange suddenends.

Whilst tommy is listed as playing alto andclarinet the latter instrument is very little inevidence. With a quarterly magazine (likeClarinet and Saxophone) reviewerssometimes have the opportunity of readingother critics’ thoughts before putting their‘pen-to-paper’. in this case i did see at leastfive. i believe mine to be the most honest.Kenneth Morris

MAGIC 101Frank Wess (tenor saxophone)IPO Recordings Inc. IPOC 1023 www.iporecordings.com

this exquisiterecording, largelyof tunes from TheGreat AmericanSong Book, wasmade at a nyCstudio during 2011by a true master ofthe tenor in his89th year. frank

sadly died in october 2013 but at the time ofthis session his solos yielded an effortlessstream of inventive improvisation drenchedin musicality. His style, heavily influenced byLester young, Coleman Hawkins and perhapsa little by Johnny Hodges, is very easy on theear, slightly boppish but nothing to frightenthe horses and a splendid role model forstudents of jazz improvisation. His feeling forthe ‘changes’ is exemplary and absolutelysure-footed even when playing in the twoduo tracks (Pretty Lady and Come Rain orCome Shine with piano) and the finalcompletely unaccompanied solo exit track(ellington’s All Too Soon).

the two piano duets and four standards(Say It Wasn’t So, The Very Thought of You,Easy Living and Blue Monk) are fortified bythe amazing piano playing of Kenny Barron –another absolute master of the 60s/90s styleso effectively provided for others such asStan Getz. equally high quality support istastefully delivered by Kenny Davis on bassand Winard Harper on drums.

it is very rare indeed to hear recentlyproduced jazz recordings of such highperformance quality. i can unreservedlyrecommend this CD to any saxophone playerwith a penchant for jazz.

Biographical note: frank Wess had, fromthe end of the Second World War, a virtuallycontinuous record of first rank roles as alead altoist, world-class jazz flautist,composer and arranger as well as a tenorist.He appeared with the orchestras of Billyeckstine, eddie Heywood, Lucky Millinderand Count Basie. His recording career wasprolific with dozens of groups across a scoreor more labels.Kenneth Morris


REVIEWS - CD

LA DANZASirocco Saxophone Quartet £11.99 direct from www.siroccosax.co.uk

on their debut CDthe SiroccoSaxophone Quartethave shownthemselves fullycapable of the kindof finesse andmusical incisiontypically associated

with top string quartets, not saxophoneensembles. their crisp, well-balancedsound, together with an attractiveprogramme of music, make this a releasethat will appeal to a wide audience. Keepinga quartet together beyond college is achallenge on many levels, and thisrecording is an example of what can happenwhen a good student and then graduateensemble makes the transformation into atop professional one. Credit must also go toproducer thilo Schaller, who has capturedSirocco to their full advantage. the disc opens with a selection from ferencfarkas’s (1905-2000) Old HungarianDances. Despite the title, do not expectanything in the way of Béla Bartók’s flesh-and-blood approach to folk material fromthese highly manicured neoclassicalvignettes. these are a wonderful vehicle forSirocco’s refined sound, which combineswarmth and sparkling clarity. throughoutthe disc the quartet show that they have avery clear idea of how they want to sound

and what they want to achieve with eachcomposition. Sometimes, however, they areguilty of forcing things a little. on severaloccasions during the farkas they choose toforeground virtuoso figures that would havebeen better left as delicateaccompaniments to the ultimately moreinteresting melodic substance.

Matthew Curtis (b.1959) is one of Britishlight music’s great melody writers, and thisis in evidence throughout his KlezmerTriptych. Despite this, and notwithstandingSirocco’s skilful playing, the first twomovements lack the depth and ambiguity offeeling that characterises klezmer. thework doesn’t truly come to life until thethird and final theme of ‘freylacher Bulgar’,where soprano saxophonist MichaelaStapleton’s shimmering timbre anddynamic control in the upper registers isused to full effect.astor Piazzolla’s (1921-1992) broodingMilonga del Angel is the most sustainedwork on the disc, and each instrument isgiven the chance to shine, solo fragmentsblossoming and then slipping back intoperfectly weighted ensemble passages.Sirocco revel in Piazzolla’s musicalunderstatement, resisting the kind ofmusical histrionics that so often reduce hismusic to melodrama.

Leonard Bernstein’s (1918-1990) WestSide Story is a popular choice amongsaxophone quartets, and in thisarrangement Sirocco is joined by Stephan

Steinhoff on percussion. the opening ‘i feelPretty’ feels a little lacking in the vivacity ofthe best vocal recordings, and to my taste ismore than a little on the fast side. However,Sirocco’s lightness of touch and precisearticulation is perfectly suited to ‘Scherzo’and ‘Cha Cha’, and in ‘Gee, officer Krupke’they achieve a satisfyingly fat big bandsound.

the disc closes with igor Lunder’s(b.1969) Charleston, which shows Siroccoplaying with a hard-edged contemporarysound, proof that they are able to tackle anyidiom with authority and panache.

Sirocco is that rare thing, a chamberensemble with a distinctive sound thatknow exactly how they want to play a pieceof music and have the ability to execute it.one minor quibble is that for a CD soobviously programmed with a lay audiencein mind, it seems strange to list composersas obscure as farkas, Curtis and Lunder bylast name only. i look forward to hearingSirocco tackle some major repertoire infuture releases.William Upton

Windband Ltd, 9 Greyfriars RoadLongden Coleham Shrewsbury SY3 7EN

Tel: 01743 367482www.windband.co.uk

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INSTRUMENT REVIEWS

REVIEWS - INSTRUMENT


REVIEWS - CD


CLARINET

TIMELESS SHADESSCAW – Sarah Watts (bass clarinet), AntonyClare (piano)CUILL1002 double CD www.scawduo.com

Bass clarinets areon a roll aroundthe world, itseems. the latestedition of the iCamagazine, TheClarinet, isdedicated to theinstrument, and itcontains reports

from far and wide about the burgeoning lifeof bass clarinets, bass clarinet players andbass clarinet repertoire. at the forefront inthe UK is the indefatigable Sarah Wattswhose CD Timeless Shades presents agenerous 80 minutes or so on two CDs ofworks by composers British by birth oradoption. She is joined by pianist antonyClare in a programme of duo works, plusone solo bass item.

Starting with highly energetic andcolourful fragmentary exchanges thrownbetween the two instruments, PiersHellawell’s Minnesang moves towards apeaceful coda with evocative multiphonicsand resonant registral extremes from bothinstruments. a satisfying opening to thedisc. George nicholson’s intimate DarknessVisible is written in memory of alan Hacker,and is ‘a study in darkness and shade’ with

shafts of light coming out of bassmultiphonics and piano harmonics.nicholson quotes from Milton’s ParadiseLost

‘… on all sides roundas one great furnace flamed, yet from

those flamesno light but rather darkness visible

Served only to discover sights of woe…’as a beautiful summing up of the paradox ofthe title.

elizabeth Winters’ Ding Dong Bell looks atthe ‘often rather disturbing backgroundsbehind children’s nursery rhymes’. thethree continuous movements each has astarting point of a different rhyme cleverlyembedded in the generally dark texture.Those sweet, sweet melodies written in 1986by Graham fitkin sets a strong and jaggedbass clarinet line against a percussivedriving piano. the occasional resting pointsare launch pads for the next episode in ataut five-and-a-half minutes of fitkinesquehigh energy.

the final item on disc one, being for solobass, allows the performer a welcomefreedom of approach, and thomas Simaku’sSoliloquy IV benefits from a committed, attimes beefy, performance, that projects avariety of avante-gardey material in a mostassured manner.

Disc two opens with Stephen Davismoon’sTimeless Shades of Green, offering a changeof pace with contemplative multiphonicsand short expressive phrases reflected on bya supportive piano that seems to encirclethe bass with sparse music in its extremeregisters.

‘Winning composition of the World BassClarinet Composing Competition,rotterdam, 2005, child to the black facednight is a haunting, gentle exploration of thenight and dreams that culminates in apassionate sting-in-the-tail conclusion.’enjoyable and musically strong as it and theprevious item are, they might have benefitedfrom being separated by a work with adifferent kind of energy and pace to furtherheighten their impact.

two to go! iain Matheson’s Taking Shape is a mosaic

of a handful of musical shapes ‘…whichconstantly rearrange themselves, infragments of unpredictable length.’ it isvery satisfying as it progresses on itscharacterful and kaleidoscopic goingnowhere musical journey.

Sarah Watts’ confident and tonally richhigh register is impressively demonstratedin the opening of the final work, Fall of theKing, written by her SCaW pianist partnerantony Clare. the descent from the heightsto a dramatic exploration of the lowest notesoffers a striking and powerful ending to animpressive recital. throughout, bothperformers demonstrate musical integrityand technical assurance. the clarity ofSarah’s delivery of some highly challengingmusic is to be applauded, and the range andcontrol of dynamics, legato, articulation andextended techniques, particularlymultiphonics, enables the musical intent toshine through. Bravo! Ian Mitchell �

the trouble with reviewing shiny newsaxophones is that you realise just howdecrepit your own is. i was asked to reviewthe yanagisawa alto saxophone aW01 andaW010 mainly due to the fact that i play on ayanagisawa alto. When i took possession ofthe two trial instruments, it soon came backto me why i love my alto so much, why ichose yanagisawa in the first place and whyi needed to take my sax to be serviced!

The AW010this saxophone is a very attractive lookinginstrument. it has a lacquered brass finishand has the addition of some tastefulengraving. it blows well and speaks easilyand evenly across all octaves. even movingacross from the lower to the middle registeryou don’t have to work too hard. thealtissimo register was also easy to find. thissax has a warmer sound than the aW01 withan excellent depth of tone and a verypleasing dynamic range. My first impressionwas that it was slightly ‘edgier’ at the bottomof the register and perhaps sounded a littlethinner. However, with a little morewarming up this decreased.

the intonation was generally good. ifound the throat C/C# a little ‘under’ but itwas a tolerable amount. However, the longfingering for the top f was quite a lot flatterthan the short fingering, and this gave mesome cause for concern.

the pad noise was acceptable, and i reallylike the double brace on the low C# and ebkeys. i find it makes a huge difference to theease of getting those notes to speak easilywhen played quietly. i don’t have very bighands and the extra brace aids these notesto speak more readily, without resorting tobrute force and monkey grips!

the octave key is quite stiff, but nicely setup, so that your thumb has to move theminimum distance to get into the upperregister. i also really like the underslungcrook key. the aW01 doesn’t have it and ithink it would particularly aid the school-aged players to have this. Without a shadowof a doubt the most common repair issue isee as a teacher is bent crook keys. Howevermuch care our pupils take when assemblingsaxophones, the general wear and tear doesoften result in bent keys. the underslungkey seems to reduce this problem whether intheir hands or in the case. the aW010 issporting new ‘feet’ under the side keys, but ifelt this made the side keys rather spongy.the other improvement on both instrumentswas the shape of the spatula key at the front.With practice, i believe this would work verysmoothly, but when i asked a couple of mypupils to try the saxophones to give a pupil’sopinion, they both found the spatula hard tofind, and like me, have small hands to thepoint where their index finger wasdisappearing down the gap!

the aW010 came with a yanagisawa 7mouthpiece. this is a good all-roundpurpose mouthpiece that blows easily, andbridges the gap between classical and non-classical playing.

The AW01this has basically the same feel as the abovemore superior instrument. its keywork isslightly lighter in feel but has the samesponginess in the side keys as the aW010. italso plays easily across all the registers. thepad noise was greater than that of theaW010 and the octave key mechanism wasparticularly noisy. the octave key is set upin such a way that when depressed it settlesfurther back than i would like. this makesfast legato playing backwards and forwardsacross the register less easy than on theaW010. Having played the aW010 first youdo notice the single brace on the eb/C# keyas those notes are harder to make speakquietly without the double brace.

anyone used to playing a yamaha willnotice the more indented pearl of the keyson the yanagisawas. Whilst it is different, itdoes encourage better finger work, and youmay find yourself needing to bend yourfingers more to get a better legato, whichcan only be a good thing.the yanagisawa does have a thinner tone,and having tried to play it really loudly, itdoesn’t seem overly keen! it’s very much thestudent ‘workhorse’.

the aW01 comes with ayanagisawa 6 mouthpiecewhich like the 7 blowsvery nicely and is a goodchoice for a beginner and once againbridges the style gap.

The sling the same sling comes with bothinstruments. it’s a quality sling with asprung, closed clip. i liked it very much,but my shorter pupils did fairlycomment that the adjusting buckleneeded to be almost right up to theirnecks for it to be at the correct heightwhich wasn’t terribly comfortable!However, this sling can be operated onehanded, which is a huge advantage tothe beginner when trying to grapplewith correct sling height.

The caseonce again the same case is providedfor both instruments, and is a hugeimprovement on its predecessor. it’s avery smart looking case and hasexcellent clasps that are almostimpossible not to shut properly.

My pupils were a fount of knowledgewhen it came to talking about cases!one of them regularly walks the milefrom the station to school with one of

these cases on her back, and speaks veryhighly of it. She has properly ‘road tested’the case, and along with the ingeniousstraps that neatly appear and disappear intoa side pocket, i’m told it is very comfortableto use. the zip on the music pouch iswaterproof and would take a4 music easily,but you won’t be fitting any of the frenchstuff in there anytime soon! Good qualitysewn handles are situated in the middle andon the end of the case. it’s good to see an endhandle, i only wish i was tall enough to useone!

i’m really pleased to see that this qualitycase is used. i’m neurotic about how andwhere my sax gets handled in its case. Myhusband will vouch that i regularly beg himto drive over the Cambridge speed bumpsslower so that the jolts won’t wreck theregulation! However these cases are prettybombproof, and might just stand up to theweekly rigours of the school instrumentstore.

yanagisawa have produced two very goodquality instruments and will fit two quitedifferent markets. i really enjoyed playingthem, and as a result of my week with themhave booked my yanagisawa alto sax in for aseriously overdue service! Viv Halton �

MUSIC REVIEWS

MUSIC - REVIEWS


GLOBAL TOURMike CurtisSaxophone quartetAdvance Music £16.99

Global Tour is apiece in fourmovements forSatB saxophonequartet. as its namesuggests, it takes ina variety of styles ofmusic from aroundthe globe. the firstmovement, called‘funky’, is atypically upbeatnumber containing

much syncopation, with notated licksdistributed amongst all four parts. thesecond movement is a calmer jazz waltz andis the shortest of the four movements. thethird movement is a homage to klezmer withthe swoops and krechts characteristic of thestyle. the final movement is possibly themost interesting of the four, and is in tangostyle. it’s a fun piece to play and would suitthe more advanced players at around gradesix to seven level.Andrew Smith

ÉCOUTE, JE JOUE!Jean-Marc Fessard, Chantal Boulay, CyrilleLehnClarinet Gérard Billaudot GB9516 £19.95

Listen, I Play! is aseries of three tutorbooks. Volume 1has a series of 20stages and the finalpages contain wellknown songs,complete withwords, and threeduets to beintroduced at stagefour, eight and 15.the layout is clear

and attractive. each leçon or stage has fiveor six exercises to practise new notes,rhythms or theory and three or four originalpieces. Speech bubbles and shaded boxesexplain elements further and there arequizzes and suggestions for games andwritten practice. Unusually for mostbeginner books e, D and f are introduced instage one with G appearing in stage two andC introduced in stage three. this is perhapsaimed to include slightly younger playerswho take a while to get all three left handfingers in place for C. tonguing is brought inat stage five and middle register notes instage 18, presumably as preparation forVolume 2. there is plenty of material foreach stage so there is no rush to get throughthe book. the pieces are attractive and covera huge range of styles. each has a demotrack and backing track on the CD which are

well produced. Use of instruments such aspizzicato strings, glockenspiel for the slowerones and electric piano, percussion for therocky ones are imaginative and questionsrelating to the choice of instruments appearin the book. this is a lovely book and one iwould consider using were it not for onesmall drawback which is that it is entirely infrench! the music is of course not affectedby the language and some titles are inenglish (From Liverpool, Rock on the Block)but as one example C, D and e are doh, reand mi. even the italian terms have beenshunned with moderato, allegro andallegretto appearing just a few times. i doteach some french students who are on six-month exchanges with english students butthey are here to learn english so i amstruggling to find a target market. thoseenglish pupils who would like to learn toincorporate french language with learningan instrument are in a very small group. Stephanie Reeve

KLEZMERBettina Ostermeier, Günter VoitClarinetBärenreiter BA 10616 £22.95

this is a collectionof eight melodies instraightforwardarrangementsaround two to threeminutes each. allare traditionaltunes and rangefrom the slowShalom Aliechem,to a lively TantsIstanbul and thesong Zol Shoyn

Kumen Die G’ule which has a recitative-likeopening before the main theme which startsslowly and increases in tempo throughout.as they stand melodies are around gradefour to six standard and some phrasesrequire transposing up or down an octave ona repeat. the preface explains that theclarinet can be thought of as a human voiceand in order to convey the music there are afew techniques that can be used such asvarying the tempo, dynamics andarticulation. the pieces themselves havebeen left largely unedited so it is up to theplayer to embellish. those who do havesome experience of the style will find thelack of detailed instruction refreshing whilethose who have less experience may benefitfrom hearing klezmer players. i playedthrough a few tunes then found a recordingof Giora feidman, who is quoted in thepreface, playing Mazel Tov. My second go atthis tune was completely different and a lotof fun! two scales are printed in the prefacefor reference and the piano parts arestraightforward, mainly accompanyingbased on chords with the chord symbolsgiven. Stephanie Reeve

NOCTURNE ET PRESTO Rene Ruijters Clarinet and pianoGérard Billaudot GB9491 £9.90

Dutch composerruijters has writtena few works forclarinet and as aplayer knows itscapabilities. thework has twomovements. theNocturne openswith a slow, dreamytheme which slowlyawakensincorporating

whole tone scales and jazz influences. Littleideas appear and the interplay with thepiano is gentle but always keeping theinterest. a cadenza leads to a furioso sectionwhich only lasts for eight bars before thedreamy opening returns and the movementfinishes pianissimo on a top D. the Presto ismade up of little figures darting around insimple, compound and irregular timesignatures. it is original and imaginative andthe contrasting textures with the piano arefun to explore. there was almost a hint ofHorovitz here so if you like his Sonatina, thiswill probably be an enjoyable piece to try.five-and-a-half minutes suitable for gradeseven upwards. Stephanie Reeve

SLEEPING BEAUTY SUITE,AFTER THE BALLET OP. 66Tchaikovsky, arr. Joachim ForlaniClarinet and pianoGérard Billaudot GB9297 £29.50

this particularsuite was compiledas forlanicompleted variousmovements forclarinet and piano,10 in total. He hasremained faithful tothe music in formand mostly in key,so both B flat and aclarinets areneeded to cope with

keys. Some movements work well.‘introduction and Lilac fairy’ from the Suiteop. 66a captures the dramatic opening andthe Lilac fairy tune works well. Shorternumbers such as ‘the Silver fairy’, ‘Dance ofthe Maids of Honour’ and ‘Dance of thePages’, and ‘Pas de caractère’ (act iii, no. 26)work well. Less successful as performancepieces were perhaps the ‘Waltz’ (act i, no. 6)which could have been abridged and the‘Scene’ (act i no. 5) which is mainly a motoperpetuo exercise. tchaikovsky was a masterof orchestration so in using just clarinet andpiano for the longer numbers there is a risk

that these movements could be toodemanding for both player and listener ifear! there is no Rose Adagio or Bluebirdhere but perhaps forlani is saving those foranother suite. the current movements havebeen arranged in a performance order butplayers could be encouraged to work outtheir own suite of movements that work forthem. the more advanced numbers are forgrade seven and above while some of thesimpler ones might suit grade five. thepianist needs to be competent and happyplaying orchestral reductions, as they willneed to represent tremolo strings, harpglissandi and fast first violin and flute lines,all with the dynamic range from full brass tosolo cor anglais!

Stephanie Reeve

WOOF! 6 CANINE CAPERSPolly FennTwo clarinetsQueen’s Temple Publications QT143 £3.95

Six short duets forequal clarinets.each gives thename of the dog asthe title with a sub-title giving a littlemore of thecharacter so theBritish Bulldog isshort, solidlyformed, and withoodles of characterand the duet pretty

much fits that description, 16 bars ofstaccato crotchets and swung quavers. theWest Highland White Terrier is a Celticmelody with Scotch snaps, Toy Poodle is awaltz in one, American Cocker Spaniel,another swing number and Irish Greyhoundis a Gaelic gallop in 6/8. the Chihuahuaappears to be dainty but the 6/8 3/4 middlesection and semitone clashes just a few barsfrom the end suggest otherwise. the rangeis from bottom e to D above the stave andthere are lots of trills, grace notes,accidentals and jazzy rhythms throughout.these are enormously good fun, suitable fora good grade three and above and makegreat sight-reading and performancematerial for advanced pupils. you’d bebarking mad not to try these!

Stephanie Reeve

CHOCOLATE WALTZRachael ForsythMixed ensembleRoo Records £12.99

Chocolate Waltz is ashort jazz waltz in Gminor (a minor forclarinets and eminor for altosaxes). after a pianointroduction threevery short sectionsbased around thesame theme areheard and thewhole piece is just

under one-and-a-half minutes long. thethree instrumental parts are ‘a forawesome’, ‘B for Brilliant’ and ‘C for Cool’and are available for C, B flat, e flatinstruments and strings. one part for eachis provided within the book and photocopiescan be made for the ensemble so you neednever worry about losing the parts. the tuneitself is quite sweet and, considering therange and simple form, is suitable for gradeone to two in a first ensemble. Clarinets goup to C above the stave in part a, and Gsharp just above the stave in part B. Part C ismainly chalumeau register but there are afew middle line Bs. e flat parts are almostall within the five lines of the stave so thereshould not be any problems there. Dynamicsare well placed and good for early ensembleplayers particularly the last section wherethe same figure is heard mf, mp and finallyp. Bass and percussion parts, again for threedifferent levels, are provided and guitar andhorn parts at awesome level. My onlyreservation is that it would have been goodto have at least one other piece as this wouldhave filled up the blank pages on the reverseof each part and would have provided analternative within an otherwise wellpresented book. Stephanie Reeve

MARTIN KLASCHKAFunny FolksMixed ensembleDoblinger 36 376 £22.95

a collection of 16folk and traditionaltunes as eitherarrangements ofwell-known piecesor originals in aparticular style. AllThrough the Night,La Cucaracha,Schumann’sNorwegian Song,and O Susanna are

included. Klaschka’s own pieces such asFunny Folk with the melody mainly in thebass line, and Balkanika, in 7/8 time areamusing numbers. the four partarrangements are simple but effective andthe parts are clearly laid out. Parts one andtwo are available for C, B flat and e flatinstruments, part three for C treble clef, Bbbass clef and f, while part four is availablein C only. this is the only disappointment asi have bass clarinettists in one or two of myensembles who help support the solitarybassoon competing with the many flutesand alto saxes so it would have been handyhaving a B flat treble clef part for line four.also note that part two is too low for flutesand oboes so this isn’t quite the same line upas other four part flexi arrangementsavailable. However it is suitable for brass sois ideal for mixed woodwind and brassensembles. 16 tunes at just under £23 makesthis good value. Stephanie Reeve �

Steve CrowSaxophone Specialist

0113 440 09870789 900 1099

[email protected]

for CLarinet

SuperpadsOnly from www.woodwindco.com [email protected]

DIARY - CONCERTS


DIARY

CONCERTSJANUARY 2015

6 Purcell room, Southbank Centre, London,Se1 8XX, 7.45pmPark Lane Group Young Artists Concert -Borealis Saxophone Quartet alastair Penman (soprano), Mélina Zéléniuc(alto), Gillian Blair (tenor), Daniel White(baritone)Jonathan Dove, Tuning In; Darren Bloom , newwork (PLG Commission – première); tomHarrold, Gentle Skies; Joseph Horovitz,Variations on a Theme of Paganini.tel: 0844 847 9910www.southbankcentre.co.ukwww.parklanegroup.co.ukwww.borealissaxophonequartet.com

6 Chapel royal, 164 north Street, Brighton,Bn1 1ea, 1.10pm Luca Luciano (clarinet) and James Hayes(piano)Programme of original compositions byLuciano from the album Neapolis, and musicby Puccini, Churchill and Gershwin.admission: £3 at the door tel: 01273 719524

17 the Dolphin Centre, Darlington, DL1 5rP,7.30pmCuillin SoundDarlington Music SocietySarah Watts (clarinet), Dana Morgan (flute),Laurence Perkins (bassoon)Programme includes music by Bach, elgar andtraditional Scottish folk melodies set tostunning Hebridean photographs.www.communigate.co.uk/ne/dms/index.phtml

18 Caliente in BerkshireCaliente andy Scott on saxophone, Clare Southworth onflute and Lauren Scott on harp, will give aconcert including original works andarrangements by andy Scott. there will also bea workshop for Academy@Maestros in theafternoon, following which 40 talented youngflautists, saxophonists and harpists will joinCaliente for two items in the concert. Please see andy Scott’s website for furtherdetails including start time and venue in thenew year.www.andyscott.org.uk

20 Loxwood Jazz, north Hall, Guildfordroad, Loxwood, West Sussex, rH14 0Se, 8pmSimon Bates Quartet with special guestGeorgina JacksonSimon teams up with trumpeter and vocalistGeorgina Jackson. Described as a mix of HarryJames and Doris Day, Georgina is widelyacknowledged as the finest female leadtrumpet player in the country and one of thetop jazz vocalists.tickets: £10 tel: 01403 752954www.loxwoodjazz.co.uk

22 the Sage Gateshead, St Mary’s Square,Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, ne8 2Jr, 7.30pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet)Promoted by royal northern SinfoniaCopland, Clarinet Concertowww.sagegateshead.com/about-us/northern-sinfonia

22 Grimsby Central Hall, Duncombe St,Grimsby, Dn32 7eG, 7.30pmAmy Green (saxophone) and ChristineZerafa (piano)Programme to include works by Schumann,Boutry and Bonneau.www.amygreensax.com

23 arts Centre, Brunel University, KingstonLane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, 1.10pmLuca Luciano (clarinet) and BrunoD’Ambra (piano)original compositions by Luciano from thealbum Neapolis and music by Vivaldi,Churchill and Gershwin.admission freetel: 01895 266074

30 egremont Market Hall, Market Street (offMain Street), egremont, Ca22 2Df, 8pmFell Clarinet QuartetProgramme to include works by Piazzolla,farkas, Harvey, McGuire, Sayers and Gershwin.admission: £15/students £1/accompaniedchildren free.www.sasra.co.uk/affiliated-sections/music-a-arts.html

31 Westmorland Hall, Burton road, Kendal,Cumbria, La9 7HX, 7.30pmTimothy Orpen Promoted by royal northern Sinfonia.Copland, Clarinet Concertowww.sagegateshead.com/about-us/northern-sinfonia

31 St Paul’s Church, reading road,Wokingham, rG41 1eH, 7.30pmNicholas Shipman (clarinet)reading Symphony orchestra, Stefan Hofkes(conductor) Weber, Overture Oberon; Britten/Matthews,

Movements for a Clarinet Concerto;Mendelssohn, Symphony no. 4 in aBox office: 0118 986 0707/ 0118 973 5517www.rso.org.uk

31 Coach and Horses inn, 66 White Sands,Dumfries, DG1 2rS, 10pmSax Ecosse - Celebrate 10 years as aquarteteddie McGuire, Hidden Dialects; Barbarathompson, Body Language; John DeSimone,Being Here... Spoken word by aidan Mceion.www.saxecosse.comwww.bigburnssupper.com

FEBRUARY

1 Wigmore Hall, 36 Wigmore St, London, W1U2BP, 11.30amRichard Hosford (clarinet)Wigmore Coffee ConcertBrahms Clarinet Quintet in B minor op.115www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

2 St Michael at the north Gate, CornmarketStreet, oxford, oX1 3ey, 1pmLuca Luciano (clarinet) Clarinet SoloProject Programme of original compositions byLuciano from the album Partenope, with musicby Messiaen, Gershwin, Vivaldi, Puccini andStravinsky.admission free 01865 240940

3 eastgate theatre and artsCentre, eastgate, Peebles, eH45 8aD, 7.30pmScottish Wind EnsembleCarpenter,Pantomime for 13 winds;Mozart,Gran Partita in Bb Major K. 361www.scottishwindensemble.co.uk

4 Cramphorn theatre, Chelmsford,essex, CM1 1JG, 1.00pmDarkwood Wind Ensemblea varied programme of music on clarinets andsaxophones.Lunchtime concert 01245 355227 [email protected]

8 Municipal Hall, High Street, Biggar, ML126Dt, 2.30pmScottish Wind EnsembleCarpenter,Pantomime for 13 winds;Mozart,Gran Partita in Bb Major K. 361www.scottishwindensemble.co.uk

8 Durham Gala theatre, 1 Millennium Place,Durham, DH1 1Wa, 3pmEmma Johnsonorchestra north eastProgramme to include John Dankworth`sClarinet Concerto, and the Mozart ClarinetConcerto.www.galadurham.co.uk/index.php

8 Little theatre, Hoghton Street, Southport,Pr9 oPa, 7.30pmMaghull Wind Orchestraa programme of music to capture yourimagination, raising money for Queens CourtHospice, Southport.tel: 0151 531 9562www.maghullwindorchestra.co.uk

9 St Martin within Ludgate, 40 Ludgate Hill,London, eC4M 7De, 1.05pmAlistair Logan (clarinet), Sarah Pope(viola) and Gisela Meyer (piano)Hurlstone, fairyland; Uhl, Kleines Konzert;Mozart, Kegelstatt Trio.

10 St Margaret’s Church, 170 easter road,edinburgh, 7.30pmMusic at St. Margaret’stetrax - quartet with 12 instrumentsoriginal music and arrangements for multi-handed quartet.tel: 0131 554 6183/07795 556 [email protected]

13 Hall one, 90 york Way, London, n1 9aG,7.30pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet)Promoted by Kings Placeaurora orchestra concertSteve reich, New York Counterpoint for soloclarinet and tape.www.kingsplace.co.uk

14 Big School, tonbridge School, High Street,tonbridge, Kent, tn9 1JP, 7.30pmBenson Young Artists Concertamy Green (saxophone) and PaulMcKenzie (piano)

17 St Stephen’s Church, 39 Walbrook, London,eC4n 8Bn, 1pmLuca Luciano (clarinet) Clarinet SoloProject Programme of original compositions byLuciano from the album Partenope with musicby Messiaen, Gershwin, Vivaldi, Puccini andStravinsky.free admission 0207 626 9000

17 Loxwood Jazz, north Hall, Guildfordroad, Loxwood, West Sussex, rH14 0Se, 8pmPete Long / Simon Bates QuintetSimon and Pete appear together for awonderful night of musical sparring and jollityfeaturing Paul Morgan on bass.tickets: £10 tel: 01403 752954www.loxwoodjazz.co.uk

21 St Botolph’s Church, St Botolph’s Street,Colchester, essex, Co2 7ee, 7.30pmCarol Taylor (clarinet)Colchester Bach Choir and orchestra, PatrickMcCarthy (conductor)Programme to include Weber, Concertino;Mozart, requiem.in aid of the Mayor’s Charitiestickets: red Lion Books,[email protected], or at the doorwww.colchesterbachchoir.co.uk/index.html

25 St Mary’s Church Hall, High Street,Sandbach, CW11 1HD, 8pmMike Hall and Dan Whieldon at SandbachSandbach Concert Season presents a concertby jazz saxophone and piano duo Mike Hall andDan Whieldon, preceded by a spotlight concertby talented young people from Sandbach at7pm. andy Scott is artistic Director of thispopular local concert series.www.sandbach-concert-series.co.uk

MARCH

4 Christ Church,the Broadway, Bexleyheath,Kent, Da6 7Bt, 1.05pmSouth London Saxophone Quartetnoelle Sasportas (soprano), Bob Lowdell (alto),

Dave eastham (tenor), ian noonan (baritone)Lunchtime recital, free admissionwww.southlondonsaxophonequartet.co.uk

5 Middlesborough town Hall, albert road,Middlesborough, tS1 2QJ, 7.45pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet)Promoted by royal northern Sinfonia.Director/soloist Kyra Humphreys (violin)Copland, Clarinet Concertowww.sagegateshead.com/about-us/northern-sinfonia

6 room 32, national Gallery, trafalgar Square,London, WC2n 5Dn, 6pmLaefer QuartetProgramme of music reflecting the paintings inroom 32.

8 the Maltings theatre, eastern Lane, Berwick-upon-tweed, tD15 1aJ, 3pmSax Ecosse - Celebrate 10 years as aquartetSax ecosse return to Maltings theatre topresent an afternoon recital of classicalsaxophone quartet music to celebrate their10th anniversary.tickets: £13/£10.50/ £6 Box office: 01289 330 999www.saxecosse.comwww.maltingsberwick.co.uk

11 St Mary’s Centre, St Mary’s Hill, Chester,Cheshire, CH1 2DW, 7.30pmAmy Green (saxophone ) and ChristineZerafa (piano)Programme to include music by Dubois,Marcello, Decruck and Piazzolla.

17 Loxwood Jazz, north Hall, Guildfordroad, Loxwood, West Sussex, rH14 0Se. 8pmSimon Bates / Nigel Price QuartetSimon appears with award winning guitaristnigel for a night of cool, swinging jazz.tickets £10Box office: 01403 752954 www.loxwoodjazz.co.uk

19 Peacock room, trinity Laban Conservatoireof Music & Dance, Greenwich, Se10 9Jf, 1.05pmBass Clarinet and Friends 3Programme includes the première of PaulHarvey Greenwich Suite for four bass clarinets,and other works for multiple bass clarinets.admission freetel: 07881 950 693

20 St. Katharine Cree Church, 86 LeadenhallSt, London, eC3a 3BPCity Wind OrchestraProgramme to include: alfred reed, ArmenianDances and alan Hovhaness Symphony no.23,

‘ani’, op.249. tickets: £10/£8. available in advance and onthe door www.citywind.org.uk

21 Caliente in rochdaleCalienteandy Scott on saxophone, Clare Southworth onflute and Lauren Scott on harp, will give aconcert including original works andarrangements by andy Scott.Please see andy Scott’s website for furtherdetails including start time and venue in thenew year. www.andyscott.org.uk

24 Cheltenham town Hall, Cheltenham, GL501Qa, 1.05pmLaefer QuartetProgramme to include music by Mendelssohn,escaich and Poulenc.www.laeferquartet.wordpress.com

25 St Mary’s Church Hall, High Street,Sandbach, CW11 1HD, 8pmCaliente in SandbachSandbach Concert Season presents a concertby Caliente, andy Scott’s trio with flautist ClareSouthworth and harpist Lauren Scott,including original works and arrangements byandy Scott. this event will be preceded by aspotlight concert by talented young peoplefrom Sandbach at 7pm. andy Scott is artisticDirector of this popular local concert series.www.sandbach-concert-series.co.uk

27 tabernacle arts Centre, Penrallt Street,Machynlleth, Powys, Sy20 8aJ, 7.30pmAmy Green (saxophone) and KaoruWada (piano)Programme to include music by Boutry,MacMillan and Vaughan Williams.www.amygreensax.com

APRIL

12 the Clarendon Muse, Watford GrammarSchool, rickmansworth road, Watford, WD178Jf, 4pmTimothy Orpen (clarinet) and John Reid(piano)Promoted by octagon Music Society.finzi, Five Bagatelles op. 23; Stravinsky, ThreePieces for clarinet solo; Schumann,Fantasiestücke, op. 73; Brahms, Sonata in eflat major op.120 no. 2; Schumann, threepieces from ‘Waldscenen’ op. 82; Giampieri, IlCarnivale di Venezia.

nicholasShipman inWokingham31st January

a varied programme of music on clarinets andsaxophones in Chelmsford, lunchtime, february 4th

18 the J28 Church, the Common, Southnormanton, Derbyshire, De55 2eP, 7.30pmEquinox Saxophone Ensemblewww.equinoxsax.org.uk

21 the forge, 3-7 Delancey Street, London,nW1 7nL, 7.30pmLaefer QuartetProgramme to include premiere of alexanderGlyde-Bates’ new work for saxophone quartet.www.forgevenue.org

21 St Brides Church, fleet Street, London, eC4y8aU, 1.15pmLuca Luciano (clarinet)Clarinet Solo ProjectProgramme of music by Luciano, Stravinsky,Berio, Puccini and Vivaldi. free admission tel: 0207 427 0133

21 Loxwood Jazz, north Hall, Guildfordroad, Loxwood, West Sussex, rH14 0Se, 8pmSimply Swingthe Simply Swing Band has been at the heart ofthe London entertainment scene for over 15years. Playful and dramatic, cool and current,Simply Swing will take you on a musical

journey from frank Sinatra to Michael Bubléwith class, humour and virtuosity.Box office: 01403 752954 ticket £10 www.loxwoodjazz.co.uk

27 Palm House, Sefton Park, Liverpool, L171aP, 1.15 – 4pmMaghull Wind Orchestraan afternoon of music to suit all tastes.tel: 0151 531 9562www.maghullwindorchestra.co.uk

MAY

8 Venue tBCBloomsbury Woodwind Ensemblethe beautiful metropolis - a programme ofmusic for woodwind orchestra inspired byLondon in all its differing facets. www.bloomsburymusicgroup.org.uk

8 St. Bride’s Church, fleet St, London, eC4y8aU, 1.15pmLaefer Quartetwww.laeferquartet.wordpress.com

8 Chelmsford Cathedral, 53 new Street,Chelmsford, essex, CM1 1ty, 12.30pmLuca Luciano (clarinet) and Paolo Losi(piano)Contemporary clarinet recital.Programme to include original compositionsby Luciano from the album Neapolis, andmusic by Vivaldi, Weill and Gershwin. admission free 01245 294492

15 Coronation Hall, Ulverston, Cumbria, La127LZ, 7.30pmSnake Davis and the Suspicions, withguest Jess Gillamafter taking Ulverston by storm for the pastfour years, saxophone legend Snake Davisreturns with his eight-piece soul band to playnorthern Soul, atlanta and Motown Classics,joined by Jess Gillam, described by Snake as“one of the best young saxophonists in the UK”. tickets: £15 www.jessgillamsax.co.uk

19 Loxwood Jazz, north Hall, Guildfordroad, Loxwood, West Sussex, rH14 0Se, 8pmSinatra JukeboxSuperb jazz interpreter Gary Williams togetherwith saxophonist Simon Bates and pianistextraordinaire Harry the Piano, entertain with100 great Sinatra songs to choose from, butwhat will tonight’s concert be? you, theaudience, choose the songs; they make up theconcert on the spot. Box office: 01403 752954 ticket £10www.loxwoodjazz.co.uk

20 Music on the Green, esher Parish Church,esher town Centre, Surrey, 1.10 – 1.50pmSouth London Saxophone Quartetnoelle Sasportas (soprano), Bob Lowdell (alto),Dave eastham (tenor), ian noonan (baritone)Lunchtime recital, free admissionwww.southlondonsaxophonequartet.co.ukwww.facebook.com/southlondonsaxophonequartet

21 St Matthew’s Church, 71 Station road,redhill, Surrey, rH1 1DL, 1.10 – 2pmRiver City SaxesChris Hooker (soprano), Bob Lowdell (alto),Martyn thomas (tenor), Geoff Williams(baritone)free lunchtime concertwww.rivercitysaxes.com

McKenzie Sawers Duo- Beyond the Coral Sea Tourfollowing the success of their Delphian CD TheCoral Sea, the McKenzie Sawers Duo playworks for saxophone and piano including anewly commissioned piece by Martin Green,Lau.april 30th CCa, Glasgow; May 2nd tolbooth,Stirling; May 3rd Summerhall, edinburgh; May8th Hull University; May 14th the town House,inverness; May 16th Mareel, Shetland.full details: www.mckenziesawersduo.com

ON THE HORIZON

17th World Saxophone Congress9th - 14th July 2015Strasbourg, francewww.saxopen.com

47

DIARY - CONCERTS


Borealis play in thePurcell room,Southbank Centre,London in the ParkLane Group youngartists Concert, 6thJanuary

DIARY - COURSES


DIARY - COURSES


COURSES JANUARY

2 – 4 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBClarinetFesttutors: Shea Lolin, Paul Harris and anthonyBaileythe course offers the opportunity forclarinettists of all abilities to come to BenslowMusic and focus on repertoire fromrenaissance to the contemporary alongside afull campus of like-minded players. thiscourse is streamed and a group suited to yourability for workshops and choirs at theappropriate level will be formed, as well assessions focusing on technique andmusicianship.fees: residential £265, non residential £190 tel: tel: 01462 459446 www.benslowmusic.org

2 – 5 alston Hall, alston Lane, Longridge,Preston, Pr3 3BP New Year Saxestutors: Debbie Scherer and Sarah Jobsona great way to start the new year. this courseis suitable for those with at least 18 monthsexperience of playing saxophone. Participantsplay together in a large ensemble as well as insmaller groups where you will be matched withthose of similar ability. there will be a vastlibrary of music available which offers works ofall different styles. there is sure to besomething to suit everybody.the tutors are happy to be contacted to discusshow this course will benefit your playing andperformance.tel: 01772 784661www.alstonhall.com

16 – 18 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBJohn White’s Wind Chamber Musictutors: John White, Michael axtell and ShaneMoroneythe course is designed for individualapplicants and will focus on helping windplayers improve their chamber music skillsand give the opportunity to play with fellowmusicians in a supportive environment. Plentyof music will be provided but please feel free tobring your own. Pre-formed groups can beaccepted on this course with the agreement ofthe tutors.fees: residential £265, non residential £190 tel: 01462 459446www.benslowmusic.org

8 – 12, 12 -16 and 16 -20 the old Medina,essaouira, MoroccoClarinet and Saxophone courses inMoroccoone-to-one courses with coached ensembles.Combine clarinet playing with relaxedsightseeing in the historical Moroccan seasidetown of essaouira. Step back in time andabsorb the colours, smells, tastes and friendlychaos of the local souks where craftsmen andartisans are busy at work.www.zamzammusic.com/courses_flute_clarinet_saxophone_49.html

23 – 25 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBDance Bandtutor: roger Moonthe course will focus on the strict tempo musicwhich developed in the dancehalls of the 1920s

and 1930s, the kind popularised by VictorSilvester. We’re looking for trumpets,trombones, saxes, violins, guitar, double bass,drums and perhaps a singer or two, to createthe sound of what is often called the ‘Goldenera’ of British music.fees: residential £265, non residential £190 tel: 01462 459446 www.benslowmusic.org

FEBRUARY

6 – 8 the Burn, Glenesk, Brechin, angus DD97yPScottish Saxophone Academytutors: Sue McKenzie and Michael Brogana weekend of saxophone playing fun inbeautiful Georgian country housesurroundings.fees: £220/£250 per person (full board). non-participant price available.www.suemckenziesaxophone.com/#!the-burn-2015/cwdv

6 – 8 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBWind Ensembles with the LondonMyriadstutors: Members of the London Myriadensemblesa weekend designed specifically for pre-formed wind ensembles offering individualtuition of the groups on a rotation basis to workon the repertoire you choose to bring, as wellas workshops focusing on rehearsaltechniques. applications from anyconfiguration of wind or wind and pianoensembles from trios to dectets welcome.fees: residential £265, non residential £190 tel: 01462 459446 www.benslowmusic.org

13-15 Knuston Hall, irchester,Wellingborough, northamptonshire, nn29 7eU Beginning To Read and Play Musictutor: Sarah JobsonDo you know someone who wants to be able toread music but never had the courage totry? Do you know someone who has alwayswanted to play an instrument but thought itwould be too difficult? Has anyone ever said toyou: “i wish i could read music”, then thiscourse is ideal. it will address all these issuesand much more. in a relaxed and comfortablemanner, the course unravels the mystery ofmusic notation and how musicworks. Participants will not necessarily befluent by the end of the course but they will bewell on the road to entering the wonderfulworld of music.tel: 01933 312104www.knustonhall.org.uk

15 – 20 Knuston Hall, irchester,Wellingborough, northamptonshire, nn29 7eU Saxophone Weektutors: Debbie Scherer and Sarah Jobsona fun and informative course for saxophonistswith at least two year’s playing experience. Setin beautiful grounds, Knuston Hall is theperfect place to relax and enjoy making musicwith other players of similar ability. Groupsalter throughout the course so everyone can besure to develop at a pace suitable for them. avast library of music will be available so thereis sure to be something to please everyone.Sessions will include classical as well as jazzplaying. the tutors are happy to be contactedto discuss how this course will benefit yourplaying and performance.

fees: £556 full board single room, £492 fullboard shared room, £377 non residential,including lunch and dinner.tel: 01933 312104www.knustonhall.org.uk

16 – 19 fordwells farm Barns, Minster Lovell,Burford, nr Witney, oxfordshire, oX29 9PrStudent Flutes and Woodwind Friends Grades one – eight. a luxury, battery charging‘boot camp’,www.flutesenvacances.co.uk/students_2.html

20 - 23 fordwells farm Barns, Minster Lovell,Burford, nr Witney, oxfordshire, oX29 9PrAdult Saxophonesall levels of adult amateur on soprano, alto,tenor or baritone. one-to-one help, grouptuition for tone and technique, ensembles withparts written to suit. www.flutesenvacances.co.uk/saxophone_courses__25.html

22 - 25 fordwells farm Barns, Minster Lovell,Burford, nr Witney, oxfordshire, oX29 9PrClarinets en Vacances in Witney,Oxfordshirenicholas foster and Julie Wrightall levels from beginner to experienced,nervous to confident. ideal for the late starter,lapsed learner and those keen to improverapidly. Small numbers for maximumattention, we specialise in confidence buildingand development of the individual player. aluxurious venue easily accessible from manyregions, with home cooking and special dietscatered for. www.flutesenvacances.co.uk/clarinet_courses_42.html

MARCH

6 – 8 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBThe Kerry Camden Advanced WindEnsemble Coursethis course, named in honour of the latebassoonist who led it for so many years,continues under the expert guidance of Simonde Souza and his team of coaches. each of thecoaches specialise in a different instrument, sobetween them they cover all bases. the coursefocuses on the wind quintet and double quintetrepertoire and is designed for individualapplicants of a confident grade six and above.the emphasis is on playing a range ofrepertoire during the course so you should be agood sight-reader and, most importantly,willing to mix-and-match with your fellowmusicians. the course culminates in aninformal play-through on the final afternoon.fees: residential £265, non residential £190 tel: 01462 459446 www.benslowmusic.org

7 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBIntroduction to Wind Chamber Music Daytutor: Janet Myatteach year, Janet Myatt runs a series of coursesdedicated to introducing players to the world ofone-to-a-part playing, in groups of similarability. this year the programme is expandedto include this day course designed for playersof grade three upwards to join together for aday. We are looking for flutes, clarinets, oboesand bassoons, and Janet will provide a vastlibrary of music for a variety of combinations.the course is also a useful opportunity to trythe Benslow Music experience before

committing to one of our longer courses. theday will begin at 10am and will finish around5pm and, as always, lunch and coffee breaksare included.fees: £75 tel: 01462 459446 www.benslowmusic.org

23 - 26 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBClarinet Choirtutor: Shea Lolina wide-range of repertoire, both original andarranged, will be played and the course offersthe chance to play in a large ensemble withlike-minded players. Clarinets fromcontrabass to e flat welcome.fees: residential £375, non residential £285 tel: 01462 459446 www.benslowmusic.org

23 - 26 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBMixed Chamber Coursetutors: Steve Bingham, Colin touchin andnigel ClaytonCourse for flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon andhorn players, string players (including doublebass) and pianists. as balancing this coursecan be very tricky, confirmation might bedelayed whilst we find the other instrumentswe need. if you think you may know anyonewho may be interested (strings in particular)please drag them along. you are most welcometo bring your own repertoire, but what we areable to play will depend on who comes. Goodsight-reading is an absolute must, as isconcentrated attention on repertoire pieces, so

you should be at least a confident grade seven. fees: residential £375, non residential £285 tel: 01462 459446 www.benslowmusic.org

APRIL

3 – 6 Gartmore House, Stirlingshire, fK8 3rSRichard Ingham’s Gartmore HouseSaxophone Weekendthis residential course for saxophonists willgive you the opportunity to play in large andsmall saxophone ensembles and meet newfriends in the saxophone world. you willreceive invaluable coaching on your ensembleplaying, technique and tone production. Bringone saxophone, or perhaps bring the sixdifferent ones you play. everyone will becatered for with music selected from one of thebiggest libraries of saxophone music in europe,which will be available to use in your free time.Come as an established ensemble, or as anindividual. the music will be an eclecticmixture of classical and jazz. Visit the tradedisplays. outstanding accommodation setamidst national Park landscape. the 2014course was full, so book early!www.largo-music.co.uk/course_ghsw.php

7 – 10 Knuston Hall, irchester,Wellingborough, northamptonshire, nn297eUExtend your Saxophone Skillstutors: Debbie Scherer, Sarah Jobson, Susietolley, Matthew McGuffiethis course will be of particular interest tothose in the early and intermediate stages ofsaxophone playing. the course content will

allow for those with some experience(recommended maximum playing ability gradefive approximately) as well as those with onlysix months’ learning. those taking onsaxophone as a second instrument will alsobenefit from this course. Material and tutoringwill be appropriate to the standard of eachindividual and the timetable will be devised toenable progressive learning.fees: £411 full board single room, £360 fullboard shared room, £276 non residential,including lunch and dinner.tel: 01933 312104www.knustonhall.org.uk

10 - 12 Knuston Hall, irchester,Wellingborough, northamptonshireExtend your Saxophone Skillstutors: Debbie Scherer, Sarah Jobson, Susietolley, Matthew McGuffiethis course will be of particular interest tothose in the early and intermediate stages ofsaxophone playing. the course content willallow for those with some experience(recommended maximum playing ability gradefive approximately) as well as those with onlysix months’ learning. those taking onsaxophone as a second instrument will alsobenefit from this course. Material and tutoringwill be appropriate to the standard of eachindividual and the timetable will be devised toenable progressive learning.fees: £279 full board single room, £245 fullboard shared room, £188 non residential,including lunch and dinner.tel: 01933 312104www.knustonhall.org.uk

DIARY - PLAYDAYS


DIARY - COURSES


17 - 19 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBIntroduction to Wind Chamber Music Daytutor: Janet Myattthe course is designed to introduce windplayers to one-to-a-part playing in groups ofsimilar ability. Janet brings with her a vastlibrary of music to suit different combinationsof instruments, so you should be a reasonablesight reader. We are looking for flutes,clarinets, oboes and bassoon who are ofroughly grade three standard and above. Wemay be able to accept a horn player or twocloser to the time depending on the balance ofother instruments.fees: residential £265, non residential £190 tel: 01462 459446 www.benslowmusic.org

17 - 19 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBSpring Saxestutors: Gerard McChrystal, neil CrossleyGerard and neil lead a saxophone coursewhere you’ll play in ensembles ranging fromquartets to whole sax choirs. you will explore awide range of repertoire and will benefit fromGerard and neil’s wealth of experience asperformers and educators. in a friendly andsupportive atmosphere, they will coachensembles, technique classes and also giveindividual attention to any issues you mayhave. the course is taught in a friendly andmutually supportive atmosphere, and is alsovery good fun! Please let us know what size(s)of instruments you intend to bring when youapply.fees: residential £265, non residential £190 tel: 01462 459446 www.benslowmusic.org

20 - 24 isle of raasayIsle of Raasay bass clarinet and bassooncoursethis unique and established course will onceagain be held on the beautiful Hebrideanisland of raasay with tutors Sarah Watts (bassclarinet), antony Clare (piano) and LaurencePerkins (bassoon). all aspects of bass clarinetplaying covered with many opportunities forlarge and small ensembles. all standards welcome. Booking early isadvised. Sarah 07961 364758 www.raasaymusiccourses.com/raasaycourses/Welcome.html

MAY

1 - 4 Knuston Hall, irchester, Wellingborough,northamptonshire, nn29 7eUAn Extended Weekend of Flutes andClarinetstutors: Sarah Jobson and Debbie Schererthis course is aimed at flautists andclarinettists who want to play in specialistensembles and a mixed woodwind choir. anextensive library combined with experiencedtutors ensures that participants will have theopportunity to enhance both theirinstrumental and ensemble skills. formaximum benefit participants should have atleast 18 months of playing and have experienceof sight-reading. you do not have to be able toplay both flute and clarinet to benefit from thiscourse!fees: £287 full board single room, £336 fullboard shared room, £258 non residential,

including lunch and dinner.tel: 01933 312104www.knustonhall.org.uk

5 – 9 and 9 - 13 Krakow City Centre, PolandJulie Wright (Flutes) and Nicholas Foster(Clarinet)www.flutesenvacances.co.uk/clarinet_courses_42.html

11 - 14 Benslow Music, Benslow Lane, Hitchin,Hertfordshire, SG4 9rBQuintessential Clarinetstutors: Shea Lolin, Clifton Hughesthis course carefully caters for a wide abilityrange, aims to develop your solo and ensembleplaying both by working through the piecesyou bring along and by presenting you withfresh challenges. you will have the chance towork with the course pianist individually onpieces you have previously prepared, andshould you want to share your performancewith the group then you can, in a supportive,informal ambience. all areas of performance,including stagecraft and coping with nerves,will be addressed, and we’ll also look atpractice, rehearsal and sight readingtechniques, issues common at all levels ofplaying. the course runs alongside two otherwind courses, so there may also be theopportunity for some inter-coursecollaborating.fees: residential £375, non residential £285 tel: 01462 459446 www.benslowmusic.org

18 – 23 La Moreau, Charente-Maritime, franceAndy Scott’s Saxophone Course inFrancethis annual one week course offers theopportunity to combine top quality saxophonecoaching in small groups with some of the bestof french food and drink, the perfect holidayexperience for the saxophone enthusiast. thecourse is designed for beginners to moreadvanced players who want to improve theirensemble playing in a friendly, supportiveatmosphere. During the week andy runs sessions onimprovising and transcribing, composing andarranging music for the saxophone.Participants play in duos, quartets and a largersaxophone ensemble, and have the opportunityto join in an evening jam session. each playeralso benefits from an individual lesson withandy.www.creativevacances.com

ON THE HORIZON

18 – 25 July Gartmore House, Stirlingshire,fK8 3rSRichard Ingham’s Gartmore HouseSummer Saxophone Coursenew course! Come and play saxophone in largeand small ensembles, with richard inghamand guest tutors. Coaching in classical and jazzperformance, with masterclasses, repertoiresessions, jam sessions, walking. Music for allsaxophones from sopranino to bass. Hugelibrary of ensemble music. outstandingaccommodation set amidst national Parklandscape. www.largo-music.co.uk/courses.php �

PLAYDAYSJANUARY

31 regent Hall, 275 oxford Street, London,(nearest station: oxford Circus), 10am - 5pmWoodwind Orchestra Play Daytutors: Steve Dummer, Charles Hine, Colintouchin and James raethe east London Clarinet Choir present a playday for woodwind orchestra. trade stands:Hummingbird, Maskarade, rico, Sempre Music,Vandoren and Wood, Wind & reed. fees: £40/£35tel: 0208 553 4973 www.elclarinetchoir.co.uk

FEBRUARY

5 the Venue, Leeds College of Music, 3 QuarryHill, Leeds, LS2 7PD, 10am - 5pmWoodwind Orchestra Play DayGuest tutors: Keiron anderson and Carl Vincent the east London Clarinet Choir present a playday for woodwind orchestra.trade stands include Hummingbird,Maskarade, rico, Sempre Music, Vandoren andWindstruments. fees: £40/£35tel: 020 8553 4973 www.elclarinetchoir.co.uk

8 Winchester Cathedral education Centre, theClose, Winchester, So23 9LS, 10.30am - 5pmRob Buckland presents ‘Sound, Style &Sophistication’Saxophone ensemble workshops open tosaxophonists grade five standard. Music coverssuch a wide variety of styles and genres, thesophisticated saxophonist needs to develop anacute awareness of these styles, and anunderstanding of how to adapt their playing tobring their performances to life.tickets: £25 from Winchester Cathedral Boxoffice (booking fees may apply)More details from Sarah Heard 07779 927613 tel: 01962 857275 www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk

22 St thomas of aquin’s High School, 2-20Chalmers St, edinburgh, 9.30am – 4.30pmScottish Saxophone Academy -Saxophone Day (Under 18s)tutors: Sue McKenzie and Michael Brogana day of large ensemble playing, small groups,jazz improvisation and tips to help improveyour playing as well as help on upcomingaBrSM exams. www.suemckenziesaxophone.com/#!scottish-saxophone-academy/c1zq5

MARCH

1 Colchester institute - Centre for Music andPerforming arts, Sheepen road, Colchester,Co3 3LL, 9am - 6pmEast Anglian Single Reed Festival 2015Play all day at the 26th Single reed festival.Start the day with a massed single reed choir,and then into separate ensembles and browsethe trade stands for instruments, music, reeds,accessories, CDs and much more. finish theday with a concert for all participants.features include single reed choir, novicegroup, jazz group, clarinet and saxophonechoirs, clarinet and saxophone clinics, and aninstrument repair section.for more information and to book your place,email [email protected] or visitwww.singlereeds.co.uk

1 the Centre, Birchington, nr. Margate, Kent Ct79eG, 11.30am – 4.30pmEast Kent Clarinet Band Playday of clarinet choir music.fees: £10 all welcomeBooking: [email protected]

8 Maidment Building, Shrewsbury School, Sy37Ba, 10am – 5pmShrewsbury School Saxophone Daya chance to work with andy Scott and robBuckland in workshops, masterclasses andensemble sessions, and participate in a concertin the lovely surroundings of ShrewsburySchool. trade stands will be availablethroughout the day. Kindly supported byVandoren, Selmer and astute Music. Minimum standard approx grade five. apollo Saxophone Quartet concert 7 – 8.15pm,with participants guesting in one piece.tickets: Saxophone day £30. Concert £10, freefor Sax Day participants. Maria eglinton [email protected]

15 Putnoe Primary School, Church Lane,Bedford, MK41 0DH, 10am – 4.30pmBedford Saxophone Workshop Playdaytutor: andy Scottalthough we meet regularly throughout theyear, our annual playdays have been wellsupported over the years and are open to alladult sax players; soprano, alto, tenor, baritoneand more, with doubling to adjust balance. themorning session will be playing music writtenand arranged by andy Scott that is scored forlarge sax choir. in the afternoon we will bejoined by a rhythm section to play someSaxassault charts. the aim is to further developensemble skills and pick up playing tips on theway. fees: £[email protected]

22 Great Kingshill Village Hall, Bucks, HP156Dr, 10am – 4pmKingshill Clarinet Choir Play Day Led by David Smithopen to adult grade five plus musiciansPrior booking necessaryContact: [email protected]

22 Djanogly arts Centre, University Park,nottingham, nG7 2rD, 10am – 6.30pmNottingham SaxDaytutors: alistair Parnell, naomi Sullivan, SarahMarkham, Julia Mills, nicola Pennill, Chris Jollyensembles, workshops and masterclasssessions for the intermediate and advancedplayer (grade five plus)[email protected] www.saxday.co.uk

APRIL

19 Stapleford Granary, Bury road, Stapleford,Cambridge, CB22 5BP, 1 – 6pmCambridge Clarinet Afternoon withJames Raefollowing on from our clarinet days, we inviteintermediate and advanced level players to amore intensive clarinet ensemble day. Jamesrae will guide you through stimulating andenjoyable repertoire from the Clarinet &Saxophone Society library, now housed atStapleford Granary. James will also direct amasterclass and demonstration concert andthere will be an opportunity to visit theCambridge Woodwind Makers workshop.all players of grade five and above arewelcome. numbers are strictly limited so bookearly to avoid disappointment. there will be anend of course recital at 5.30pm.fees: £35 tel: 01223 849004

www.staplefordgranary.org.uk

19 Kingshott School, Hitchin, Herts, SG4 7JX,10am – 5pmPlayday with the British ClarinetEnsembleDirected by Charles Hine. Come and explore the best of the clarinet choirrepertoire alongside members of this leadingnational ensemble; grade six or equivalentrequired. £30/£10 (CaSS members £25)application form online. Download and returnto: John MacKenzie - BCe Playday, 1 Brookdene,ashwell, oakham, rutland, Le15 7LQ tel: 01572756128 www.britishclarinetensemble.co.uk

MAY 2

3 School of Music, Cardiff University, Corbettroad, Cardiff, Cf10 3eB, 9am – 7pmClarinet Convention 2015Led by Leslie Craven and Peter fieldingGuest artist: James Mainwaring (clarinet saxand flute – plus Klezmer)an exhilarating, stimulating and educationalday for clarinettists of grade three standard andabove, including clarinet choirs, concerts,(including performances by attendees andtutors), masterclasses, seminars for teachersand clarinet clinics, with a special guestappearance from James Mainwaring who willgive classes and performances in doublingand klezmer. Sax players doubling clarinet andflute welcome. trade stands and goody bags

with free reeds and CD etc, and prizes forvarious categories of class.Sponsors and trade stands to include :Wonderful Winds, Silverstein Works, JohnPacker, Vandoren/Barnes & Mullins, Woodwind& Co, D’addario/rico, GonZaLeZ reeds (tbc),MarCa, forton Music and reynard Music.fees: adults: £37, children under 18yrs: £32Cardiff University students and observers free.(observers and university students mustregister an application for security reasons).Students from royal Welsh College of Musicand Drama and those in full time musicaleducation at universities or conservatoiresplaying on course (not school) £15. Clarinetchoir members attending with choir £28.application forms from ww.lesliecraven.co.uk(convention page) for more details contact:[email protected] or by post: the secretary,the Clarinet Convention, 4 St thomas rd,Monmouth, nP25 5Sa

31 Hurworth Grange Community Centre DL22Bn, 10am – 5pmClarinet and Saxophone PlayDay andConcerta day of ensemble playing with the DarlingtonClarinet ensemble and guests Paolo de Gaspari(bass clarinet) and the northern Sax Quartet. Concert by the Guests 7pm£20 (£15 for CaSS members), £5 students.Concert only - £8 Contact: [email protected] or tel:01325 350415 �

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING


Company limited by Guarantee No. 3010228The Companies Act 2006

Annual General MeetingNotice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Clarinet andSaxophone Society of Great Britain will be held at the Holiday Inn Hotel, CoramStreet, Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 1HT on Sunday 11th January 2015 at 1.30pm

The relevant papers for the meeting can be found in the members’ section of theSociety’s website, www.cassgb.org.John A MacKenzie, Company Secretary

SoCiety of Great Britain

alfred Music 21a.V-reeds Gbr 21Bärenreiter 26Barnes & Mullins – Juno 5Barnes & Mullins – yanagisawa outside back coverClarinet & Saxophone Society 27, 30County instruments 39D’addario 1Harrogate Summer Course 49Howarth of London inside front coverJohn Packer 39Jonathan Myall 26Peter eaton 40

reeds Direct 40rJ Music Group 12Sax.co.uk 38Selmer Paris inside back coverSteve Crow 43Uebel 35Vandoren 15Windband 39Wood, Wind & reed 51Woodwind Café - Windstruments 46Woodwind & Co. 25, 43, 53

for CLarinet

Superpads

Only from www.woodwindco.com [email protected]

Index of Advertisers

LETTERS


CLASSIFIED ADS AND NEW MEMBERS

WHERE CAN I PLAY?


NEW MEMBERS We offer awarm welcome to thefollowing members who havejoined the Society since thelast issue of Clarinet &Saxophone.

BADGER, Mr George4602 fairway Drive, Soquel,California, 95073-3022, [email protected]

BOOTH, Mrs Jane38 alric avenue, new Malden,Surrey, Kt3 [email protected] P

BURCH, Mr Nigel29a northampton Square,London, eC1V 0eS020 7253 [email protected]

CLISH, Ms Moira10 Milton avenue, eaton ford, St.neots, Cambridgeshire, Pe197Le01480 [email protected]

COMAN, Mr Gerald50 alma Street, Cradley,Halesowen, West Midlands, [email protected] S

EVANS, Mr Simeon3 Garner Close, Bowdon,altrincham, Cheshire, Wa14 2JH0161 928 [email protected] S

FIELDHOUSE, Mr James5 royal terrace, Huddersfield,West yorkshire, HD3 [email protected] S P

FROHLICH, Ms ElissaHammetts Park farm, eastDown, Barnstaple, Devon, eX314nX01271 [email protected]

GREENWOOD, Mr Gavin71 Palace Gardens, BuckhurstHill, essex, iG9 5PQ020 8279 [email protected] CM oM

HEYWORTH, Mr James40 the Courtyard, Bostock Hall,Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 9Jn01606 [email protected] S

JEVON, Miss Jessica52 toyne Street, Sheffield, Southyorkshire, S10 [email protected] S

KEMPSTER, Ms Sarah10 Castle oval, Kendal, Cumbria,La9 7BD01539 [email protected]

KILSBY, Miss Marylin107 Clarendon rise, Lewisham,London, Se13 5eX020 8318 [email protected]

KIRBY, Miss Tierney9 Cortworth road, Sheffield,South yorkshire, S11 [email protected] S

McCAFFREY, Mr Benedict30 Godiva road, Leominster,Herefordshire, Hr6 8UQ01568 [email protected]

MEEGAN, Mr MartinBirdhill, Drumconrath, navan,County Meath, rePUBLiC ofireLanD0035 [email protected]

PAGE, Mr Oliverthe Barn, elmfield farm,Weston, Honiton, Devon, eX143Pf01404 [email protected] S

PARKER, Ms Vanessa6 Potters field, St albans,Hertfordshire, aL3 6LJ01727 [email protected] C

PURDUE, Mr Michael11 Willow Way, Sherfield onLoddon, Hook, Hampshire, rG270DU01256 [email protected]

PURSAILL, Mr John7 Howard Close, Leek,Staffordshire, St13 8JW01538 [email protected]

SCALES, Miss Eleanorthe old Well House, ChurchStreet, Prees, Shropshire, Sy132DQ01948 [email protected] S

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

COLLETT, Mrs Pam20 Hanham road, Corfe Mullen,Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 [email protected]

EVANS, Miss Eleri Annoosterscheldestraat 96,Berkel en rodenrijs, ZuidHolland, 2652JG, [email protected]

GREENAWAY, Miss Bethan71 Sherwood avenue, abingdon,oxfordshire, oX14 [email protected]

HEARD, Miss Sarah7 Culvery Gardens, West end,Southampton, Hampshire, [email protected]

LIVSEY Miss Elizabeth Summer18 Dolhelyg, Penrhyncoch,aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Sy233GZ, [email protected]

MACKENZIE, Mr Johnthe Cumbrae, 1 Brookdene,ashwell, oakham, rutland, [email protected]

MARKHAM, Ms Sarah29 Hastings road, Sheffield,South yorkshire, S7 [email protected]

PURDIE, Dr Anne VWalcot, tillis View, Staunton,Coleford, Gloucestershire, [email protected]

SUTCLIFFE, Mrs Caryl12 Scholars Gate, abbey Parkavenue, St andrews, fife, Ky169Jy

WATSON, Miss Jenniferflat 504, California Building,Deals Gateway, London, [email protected]

ABBREVIATIONS

AC alto clarinetAS alto saxophoneBC bass clarinetBH basset horn

BS baritone saxophoneC clarinetClM classical musicCM chamber musicEM early musicF flute

J jazzOM orchestral musicP pianoS saxophoneSS soprano saxophoneTS tenor saxophone

CLASSIFIED ADS THIS IS A FREE SERVICETO MEMBERS

Please send all classified advertisementsto: Advertising, Clarinet & Saxophone,Fron, Llansadwrn, LL59 5SL by magazinecopy date. for trade or non-members,only prepaid classifieds can be accepted.Cheques should be made payable to CaSSGB. rate: 75p per word, minimum charge£10.

Buffet bass clarinet for sale. £1950 Buffetbass clarinet to e flat purchased in 2000from Howarths, London. extended to low Cby John Coppen about five years later. thiswas the cheapest bass in the Buffet rangeand cost about £2500 plus the cost of theextension, which was £900. i’ve had a lot offun out of this instrument and it has a goodsound, but have recently upgraded to aBuffet Prestige, and am looking for a buyerfor my old bass. Contact: nigel Burch 0207253 7798, [email protected]

A pair of Luis Rossi clarinets. these are theViennese bore (15.2mm) and made to orderby Luis in 2003. they have been played inorchestras since then with regular servicingand are in excellent condition. theseclarinets are made to an exceptional qualityin Chile from 14 year old seasoned africanBlackwood, with handmade key-work andthey were fine tuned by Luis himself. Luisperforms regularly on the Viennese modelwhich is renowned for its dark and creamysound.they come with a double and single caseplus four different sized barrels for tuningand two wide bore mouthpieces bored out byLuis. these are a Luis rossi mouthpiece anda Vandoren M30.B flat clarinet, £2450 (serial no. V555) andclarinet in a, £2550 (serial no. V382).Contact: Sheila Douglas 01509 212022

Bass clarinet soft backpack/gig bag, vgc.Photos available upon request. £100 ono. Contact: 07899795081,[email protected]

Buescher Aristocrat Series IV saxophonemade by Selmer. the crook and mounting ofthe guards suggests somewhere between1970/1975. Good playing condition. Picturesavailable on request. £450 ono. Contact:07880 795447

Pair of Selmer 10S Series II clarinets, mid-1980s, silver plated in beautiful condition.Professionally owned, regularly andrecently serviced in black carrying case.four barrels, plus Selmer C85 123mouthpiece included. rich, warm, resonantand responsive instruments. tel: 01749813863/07733 206406 [email protected]

Dear Richard,

Jazzno regular reader could be unaware of thetremendous long time dedication that youhave applied to the CaSS magazine. at theearliest gatherings of CaSS the moststriking feature was the happyintermingling of professional and amateur,seasoned and beginner. that the magazineskilfully reflects this thesis is entirelyappropriate, so we are most fortunate inhaving an editor and team who havedisplayed such energy. today they bask inthe latest freshness; tomorrow they carryon the search for even better.

it is perhaps apposite that concurrentwith the step forward this last issue carriesreviews of a similar move by two of theexamination boards. i was particularlydrawn to Stephanie reeve’s informativeguide as i have recently come across TheJazz Collection, arr. Bennett. there is aplethora of both pieces and books with jazzin the title, but this one deserves meritbecause it actually contains jazz!

Jazz is a ‘feel’ and would take severalpages to unravel its mysteries, especially ifwe include the later influences of rock androll, fusion and Brecker. an immediatehindrance to the understanding of theidiom is that, traditionally, articulationmarkings are rarely shown. Books byLennie niehaus are the notable exceptions,but even here the oft used quaver/quaver =a triplet is a common misconception and ismisleading. any attempt to evaluate this

simply does what it says on the tin andforms a 6/8 time Boys and Girls come Outto Play. My capitals are deliberate. Whereis the jazz?

the essential element is the offbeatarticulation, traditionally unmarked. Mostof those who try it quickly find themselvesback on the beat in less than a bar! this isnot surprising, since the key element which guides the novice musician is incounting the beats, in particular knowingwhere the first beat of every bar strikes. ifthat is difficult in itself it certainlyconfuses to be concurrently finding theoffbeat as well as, and not instead of thecount beat. it is easy enough to start a barof quaver rest/quaver etc. but less easy todeal with quaver/quaver etc. it has nothingto do with quaver spacing, as many think,otherwise we are back at Boys and Girls inno time at all! full and correct offbeatmarking is rarely present because itplasters the notation with confusion. it hasto be absorbed over a period so that theidiom becomes second nature.

But this is not a lesson on offbeattonguing – it is an explanation of what is sogood about The Jazz Collection, to whichStephanie could not add without spoilingher beautifully balanced review of the‘aBrSM Saxophone Grade 5’. But Not forMe is a really well-crafted arrangementwith its periods of relative rest and punchyenergy, and the markings encourage thiswithout dictating every tongue. in thisrespect it must help the saxophonist tohave a completely complementary rhythm

supplied in the piano accompaniment(almost like cheating!). Stephanie writes,‘Piano accompaniments are also quitechallenging’. Hmmm – nail on the head,and not the usual form of jazz support of asoloist, which would not serve theexamination half so well. all the pieces inthis book are delightful and jazz, unlikedozens of others with jazz in the title.now how did i arrive here? oh, yes. youappear to be pleased with your progress inmaking such a fine job of the CaSSmagazine, and rightly so. Both the layoutand content are superb. thank you.Sincerely,Don Ashton

Dear Richard,

How long is a piece of string?in John robert Brown’s article ‘a Questionof Bores’, the description of flattening highpitched clarinets with a piece of stringreminded me that, in even earlier bad olddays, some clarinettists carried with themwhat was known as an ‘a string’. this was acarefully selected length of cord withwhich they attempted to turn Bb clarinetsinto a clarinets. the results were notimpressive.

as to how it works, perhaps we shouldconsult a physicist – preferable one whospecialises in String theory!Adrian Greenham (physicist – retired) �

CHARNWOOD CONCERTBANDSLocation:Loughborough/Leicestershire/nottinghamshire Training Band Grade one to four orequivalent experience. Beginners adult oryounger.rehearses in a local school, Loughborough,tuesday evenings, 6 – 7.15pm. Concert Band Grade four to six or equivalentexperience. intermediate adult or younger rehearses in a local School, Loughborough,tuesday evenings 7.15 – 8.45pm. Charnwood Symphonic Wind Grade six andabove or equivalent experience. adult oryounger. rehearses in a local church hall,Loughborough, Sunday evenings, 6.30 -9pm. Contact: Judy 07749 685392 Style of music includes, filmscores/swing/classical/fun/marching. Very friendly, welcoming band. Come alongand re-invigorate your playing in a relaxed

atmosphere. We give concerts and go on afun tour abroad bi-annually and have anurgent need for saxophone and brassplayers. www.charnwoodconcertbands.co.uk

SOUTH ULSTERCOMMUNITY BANDLocation: Portadown integrated PrimarySchool, 1 Kernan road, Portadown, Countyarmagh, Bt63 5rrRehearse: thursday nights, 8 - 10pmContact: [email protected] band was originally formed in 1970 andprovides an outlet for musicians in northernireland of all ages and backgrounds, playingtogether at weekly rehearsals andperforming regular concerts. the SUCB has always recognised its role inassisting the local community by performingcharity concerts or at schools alongsideaspiring musicians, in churches or providingbackground music for public events.We currently have 40 members who enjoy

rehearsing a wide range of music that catersfor all tastes, and yet provides plenty ofmusical challenges for its members.although the band has a large membershipvacancies arise from time to time for brass,woodwind and percussion players. at themoment we have some vacancies forclarinettists and a baritone saxophone. anymusician who is interested in finding outmore about the band or joining the bandshould contact us. www.sucb.org

SINGLE REEDS WIND BANDLocation: Hanley Swan Village Hall, Wellandroad, Hanley Swan, Worcestershire, Wr8oDaRehearse: Sunday afternoons once every twoto three weeks, between 3 – 5pmContact: [email protected]: 01684 560061Standard: around grade sixMusical Director, Martyn Wilson, termlysubscription £10.

This series has been collated and a useful guide toWhere Can I Play? can be found on the Clarinet & SaxophoneSociety website, www.cassgb.org


On the knuckle of my right thumbthere’s a small lump. a corn,properly known as a heloma, it’s acallus of dead skin thatsometimes develops on toes orfingers. My heloma has beencaused by the hook that took theweight of the instrument when iplayed the saxophone or clarinet.though these days i can hardlybelieve it, once i was aprofessional saxophonist. i gaveup playing more than once. todayi don’t play at all. the heloma ismuch reduced from the size it wasin my saxophone years. even so,it’s a reminder of what i gave up,albeit a small one.

While Bill Haley and elvis Presley werepushing Cole Porter and Harold arlen out ofpopular music, i was practising hard andlistening to Benny Goodman and artie Shaw,who were superb, the best. at the start,hating my job as a draughtsman, and afterthousands of hours of solitary practice (notto mention several solicitors’ letters fromhard-pressed neighbours), i ignored alladvice and gave up working in a drawingoffice to earn a living by playing. i didn’trealise it, but i’d taken up giving up. Beforelong, that drawing office had gone bust(overdrawn?), so i got that much right. i didall sorts. i played broadcasts on radio andtelevision, in bands you might know of, suchas that of songwriter tony Hatch, ordrummer Joe Daniels, england’s answer to

Gene Krupa. i played behind Bud flanagan,adam faith and Matt Monro. i played onMusic While You Work. i played saxophonein the Top Ten club in Hamburg during 1964,a few months after the Beatles had workedthere. i played for dancers in the enormousHammersmith Palais in London. i can evenclaim to have read music at oxford, but onlywhile playing in a dance band at a factory inCowley! And i kept on practising; i nevermissed a day.

i did a stint in the orchestra of rMSCapetown Castle on the South africa run. Wecalled at St Helena and ascension island onthe way to Cape town. i saw flying fish andhammerhead sharks, while long-tailedfrigate birds drifted overhead. at ascensionwe weren’t allowed ashore; the island’samerican satellite tracking dishes were topsecret. these adventures came about bybeing in the right place at the right time. ofnecessity, i moved on, with muchsurrendering of the old for the new, muchstudying, and much more giving up. Buthowever interesting it was, why would ichoose a career playing my way back andforth across the atlantic? i gave up, again.By 1967, i was working six nights and threeafternoons at the Birmingham Locarnoballroom, as well as giving clarinet lessonsand working part-time as a music copyist.there’s another profession that hasdisappeared. Copyists prepare the individualplayers’ parts from the arranger’s full score.today, music-writing software does the jobin no time at all. Back in the fifties andsixties, copying (which some called ‘dryknackering’, a term which has gone thesame way as the practice itself), made anideal part-time sideline for a pro player,assuming that one turned in accurate andlegible work on time. i paid for my first newcar by copying band parts in my spare time.a VW Beetle in fontana grey (who thinks upsuch names?), it cost me £585, whichrepresented much careful, inky, labour.temporarily, the habit of giving up andmoving on was then broken, i’d decided togive up once more, in a big way, having hadenough of the vagaries of full-time playing. iwas going to train as a class teacher,specialising in music and maths. Most of mycoevals thought me a fool.

i’ve mentioned my admiration of the great

clarinettist artie Shaw, which was where igot the idea of quitting. Shaw, who had mademillions as a player, had stopped playing in1954 at the age of 43. i wasn’t out to copyShaw completely. He’d been married eighttimes, then bought a farm and quit. i wasenjoying my first marriage (still am), andhad no money for a farm. But about theprofessional music business Shaw madegood sense. i wasn’t about to do anythingsilly. i planned to use my skills to pay myway as a mature student. i drove my VW upto nottingham, played the last movement ofPoulenc ‘s Clarinet Sonata for my audition,and was into a four-year honours degreecourse (with a student grant), to train as aclass music teacher. Giving up playingwould have to come later.

i took time off occasionally for casual jobsin the Hallé orchestra, and on tV varietyprogrammes, and spent my summervacation in the stage band behind ‘Professor’Jimmy edwards at the Kings theatre,Southsea. a nice chap (but a terribletrombonist), edwards was no more aprofessor than i. But he wasn’t drawing thecrowds.

Soon he, too, would give up.after so much giving up, i became a

college lecturer, remaining so until pensionage. then, i gave up saxophone playingcompletely. Quitting always seems to puzzlepeople. i tell them about alan Greenspan,the federal reserve Chairman from 1987-2006, who attended the Juilliard School inManhattan, played saxophone with HenryJerome and his orchestra - then gave up. Hebegan his financial career by doing theband’s accounts. Similarly, LeonardGarment, a Wall Street litigator and topadviser to nixon during the Watergatescandal, was also a saxophonist who gaveup. He paid for part of his college educationby playing tenor saxophone and clarinet inWoody Herman’s band.

My friend Dick Hawdon, a trumpeter whoplayed with John Dankworth for years, andappeared in the States at the great newportJazz festival during the 1950s, also gave upearly. He once said: “What would i do? i don’twant to go to the pub and play with a localband.”

His was the perfect answer to those whowere puzzled. �

JOHN ROBERT BROWN

John Robert Brown

GIVING UPDry Knackering, a Heloma, the Saxophone and theChairman of the Federal Reserve

tribute to acker bilk...tribute to acker bilk 1929 - 2014 winter 2014 volume 39, no 4 saxophone...

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