Clarinet & Drumset
SKU: SU.21000213
For Clarinet &
Drumset. Composed by
Patrick Hardish.
Woodwinds, Clarinet,
Percussion, Percussion.
Accompanied by
percussion, Drum Set.
Performance Score.
Calabrese Brothers Music,
LLC #21000213. Published
by Calabrese Brothers
Music, LLC (SU.21000213).
UPC:
820821003284.
Jazz
Sonorities (2002) was
composed for Esther
Lamneck at her request
and premiered by her and
Barbara Allen on drums at
the Loewe Theater of New
York University on May
30, 2002. Ms. Lamneck
asked me to compose a
piece for either solo
clarinet or clarinet and
piano. I decided on the
former to continue my
Sonorities series of
works for solo
instruments which
eventually resulted in
Sonorities VII for solo
b-flat clarinet
(2003-04). However,
shortly after getting
started with my
Sonorities VII I kept
hearing the swinging
sounds of a jazz clarinet
backed up by a jazz drum
set. Part of the reason I
kept hearing these sounds
is that I grew up
listening to the big
swing bands of such
clarinet leaders as Benny
Goodman, Artie Shaw,
Woody Herman, and Jimmy
Dorsey. These musicians
were my first exposure to
the clarinet. So I
decided to first compose
a piece for clarinet with
a jazz quality and a
swinging partly ad lib
part for the drums and to
put my solo clarinet
piece for Esther on hold
for a year. There was
also a personal reason to
use the drums in the
piece. My first ambition
in music was to be a jazz
drummer and indeed I
studied drums with a jazz
drummer and played drums
professionally in dance
bands for several years.
Ms. Lamneck's part in
this piece is almost
entiirely written out
except for a few measures
of improvisation around
the middle of the piece.
The jazz quality of her
part comes mostly in the
prasing and using bluesy
like pitch bends, slides,
and microtones. The jazz
quality of the drum set
part is in the swinging
beat that is used
throughout most of the
piece. The influence of
the famous recording of
Sing Sing Sing, with a
swing by Benny Goodman &
his orchestra in 1937
featuring Gene Krupa on
drums is heard in the
middle section when the
drummer switches to a
beat on the floor tom and
high tom for several
measures. Also, the Afro
Cuban section toward the
end of the piece was
influenced by the many
recordings of Stan Kenton
& his orchestra
particularly the 1950
Pete Rugolo arrangement
of Cole Porter's Love for
Sale. In the drum solo of
the Afro Cuban section
which is near the end can
use optional claves
and/or maracas (1-2
additional players). At
the premiere the composer
joined in this section on
maracas. The drum set
calls for a bass drum,
floor tom, snare drum,
high tom, ride cymbal,
sizzle cymbal, and
hi-hat. --Patrick
Hardish.
Swing Brothers
