Eddie Daniels

On this edition of Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center, Dr. Taylor welcomes clarinetist and composer Eddie Daniels, one of a rare breed of musicians who excel in both jazz and European classical genres. Daniels joins Dr. Taylor's trio on the road at the Highland Theater in Albuquerque, NM, for some insightful conversation and elegant music.

After jump starting the evening with a spry rendition of "The Way You Look Tonight," Daniels reveals that his interest in music began when he first heard Frank Sinatra's records. But it wasn't the singer himself that piqued his curiosity, it was the great instrumental solos on those recordings that sold the young Daniels on jazz.

Talking about his early childhood, Daniels regales the audience with a humorous anecdote about his first instrument - his father's Horace-brand alto saxophone. The horn was silver-toned - hence the irony of the young man playing a "Horace silver saxophone." When the conversation moves toward the clarinet, Dr. Taylor asks Daniels how he avoids those annoying squeaks. He replies that preventing squeaks is not nearly as important as the overall process of making good music. Daniels also mentions that he must constantly repair his clarinet, mainly due to the difficulties of playing a reed instrument in New Mexico's dry climate.

Before performing Thad Jones' immortal classic "A Child Is Born," Daniels tells the audience how the composition became a personal theme for his son Joshua, who was born during the same week Jones introduced the song to the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band. The conversation continues with Daniels discussing how musicians develop their singular voices. In regards to Daniels' voice, his proficiency in several genres is what allows him to create his own unique sound. This synthesis is seen in his reading of the Dietz and Schwartz tune, "Alone Together," where he incorporates elements of "Sol Fegietto."

During the Q&A portion of the evening, one audience member queries Daniels about the art of soloing and how one judges his or her solo. Daniels says that musicians generally have a basic structural framework to craft a solo, and that it's unhealthy to worry too much about the quality of every solo. Shortly afterwards, Daniels joins Dr. Taylor's trio in a fine retooling of Miles Davis' "All Blues."

In addition to being an excellent musician, Daniels is also an educator. When Dr. Taylor asks Daniels to impart some wisdom for aspiring musicians, the clarinetist responds with some pointed advice: "Have fun." Dr. Taylor's trio immediately takes its cue from Daniels' sage words, concluding the evening with a joyous exploration of Arlen and Koehler's "Get Happy."