Buddy DeFranco

On this edition of Billy Taylor's Jazz At The Kennedy Center, our host introduces his guest as having followed in the giant footsteps of Charlie Parker, "he was the first to take the clarinet into the realm of bebop." Dr. Taylor not only welcomes a master of the clarinet, but an old friend and compatriot as well. The two contemporaries joyously recall the bebop era of the 1940s and 50s, sharing the gift of spontaneous performance on stage, while reflecting on coming up through the jazz ranks.

The clarinet was one of the original jazz band instruments. In traditional New Orleans jazz, it held a prominent place in what were usually three horn front lines, right alongside the trumpet or cornet and the trombone. When big bands became prominent in the 1930s, the clarinet continued to hold its own as an instrument of solo expression in jazz, with such beacons as Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw leading the way. In the 1940s, the bebop era ushered in several important changes in the make-up of modern jazz bands. Smaller ensembles become more common, and the saxophone became the dominant solo instrument. Consequently, the clarinet temporarily fell from favor with early bebop ensembles.

Despite these challenges, DeFranco successfully made the transition from swing to become a pioneer of the bebop style on clarinet. At one point, Billy and Buddy discuss the inherent technical difficulties of playing the clarinet, comparing it with the saxophone. As DeFranco explains: "You got six open holes with the clarinet. You've got to cover those with your fingers, and just a fraction of an inch off, it'll squeak, or do something wrong. Plus the fact that the clarinet is three, actually four, separate registers."

A native of Camden, NJ, Buddy recalls his formative years for Dr. Taylor and the audience, beginning with his work with a classical instructor. While learning the clarinet as a teenager, he heard Johnny Mintz, whose sound convinced him that he really wanted to play jazz clarinet. It was after Mintz that Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw became greater influences on his playing style. Billy and Buddy discuss Shaw's classic way of playing the standard tune "Stardust." DeFranco explains that he takes a more bebop approach to the song than Shaw, while still striving to be true to the original melody. Dr. Taylor and DeFranco then take their own beautiful turn with "Stardust".

With the advent of bebop came the mesmerizing influence of alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, one of the founding fathers of this revolutionary style. DeFranco recounts several occasions when he performed with Parker in nightclubs and with all-star bands. He admits to having been intimidated by the sheer virtuosity of Parker and pianist Art Tatum.

Prior to his foray into bebop, DeFranco ascended through the ranks of the 1930s and 40s big bands of Gene Krupa and Charlie Barnet. He began to make his mark when he joined the orchestra of Tommy Dorsey, from 1944-48. DeFranco came to Dorsey's attention when he won an amateur clarinet competition, a story recounted in response to an audience member's question. But given his tendencies towards improvisation, DeFranco says he chafed under Dorsey's insistence on solos being played note for note every performance, exactly as they had been played on his hit records.

After working with a short-lived Count Basie Octet, DeFranco performed with such modernists as drummer Art Blakey and pianist Kenny Drew, and toured Europe with Billie Holiday in early 1954. Later DeFranco led his own quartet, led the Glen Miller Orchestra after the leader's death, taught music, and led the life of the freelance jazz musician par excellence. He also joined forces with vibraphonist Terry Gibbs to form a successful quintet, with which he still performs on occasion.

DeFranco and Taylor beautifully illustrate their bebop pedigree with a brisk rendition of Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce." The Kennedy Center audience is also treated to a lovely rendition of Tadd Dameron's ballad "If You Could See Me Now," and they close with an up tempo "Seven Come Eleven," a piece they originally collaborated on at a tribute to Lionel Hampton.