Author: Low_Reed
Date: 2005-05-29 02:17
Hi, Ken, Markael, et al. I too am a member of the mid-century club (just about to hit the double nickel), and would like to offer some thoughts on BC recordings, BC vs. sax, and Yamaha resonite horns:
I love Don Byron's bass clarinet work on Arias and Leider, especially his rendition of "Reach Out, I'll Be There"! BC crops up in a lot of places, if you're looking for it. On a recent, really cool Tom Waits album called "Blood Money" there is BC accompaniment on several of the cuts. David Murray, from the World Saxophone Quartet, plays some BC cuts with pianist Aki Takase on a CD entitled "Blue Monk".
Speaking of Thelonius Monk, a contributor to this board has put out a TERRIFIC all-Monk, all bass-and-contrabass clarinet album recently called "The Monk in All of Us". Ulrich (Uli) Drechsler is his name, and he's an outstanding jazz man on the BC!
I played bass clarinet in high school and college bands, then played nought but the stereo for the next 27 years. Then I picked up a tenor sax, and took on-again, off-again lessons and played in a community band for the next five years. I thought the tenor sax would be a great way for me to play the blues, rock, and jazz that I loved, and would be an easy transition from BC. (No sweat: The upper register is fingered the same, and the lower register is just an OCTAVE key away!)
Well, I actually had trouble in the bottom register, just like Markael mentioned. Even after almost three decades, I wanted to play the thing like a bass clarinet. And the embouchure was different, too. Anyhoo, after five on-and-off years, I decided to buy a bass clarinet. Did a lot of research, and settled on a Yamaha YCL221 resonite horn, which I bought from WWBW. Man, when I put that horn together and started to caress it, it was like a real homecoming for my fingers and my reptilian music brain! The fingerings felt right, the embouchure and mouthpiece felt right, and those dark, resonant low notes sent shivers along my spine!
That horn really has worked well for me over the last three years. It has great tone and good intonation (except for the long B, which I'm working on). It is well-made, with a sturdy, compact case that is easy to carry. And it is dimensionally stable in all weather conditions, with no need for bore oil!
IMHO, you can't go wrong with this particular model of BC. And I certainly believe that you can't go wrong with bass clarinet in general! I have recently bought a Klezmer clarinet duet book, which I'm going to play on BC. And I'm having a really good time exploring jazz, blues, ballads, and classic rock with the BC. I have had fun in school and community bands, but I'm having even more fun playing the genres of music that really turn my crank!
For more discussion of the YCL221, check out http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/bass-clarinet/message/10308, and follow the threads.
I'll BC-ing you!
Bruce
**Music is the river of the world!**
-- inspired by Tom Waits and a world full of music makers |
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