Word: clarinets
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...Portraits in Blue, Roberts gives Gershwin's material the full post-Armstrong treatment; simply put, he makes it swing. Even the famous opening--the skyward clarinet glissando--is given a new twist. Roberts instead starts the piece with what he calls "a series of improvised statements," the first being the forlorn sound of a single banjo. Gershwin's 1920s piano rolls have set a high standard for pianists to follow, but Roberts' performance on this CD adds some graceful verve. His fleet-fingered improvisations--constant, probing, thoughtful--provide color to an already multihued work without seeming merely ornamental. After hearing...
WOODY ALLEN WALKS offstage with a bemused look on his face. In one hand, he holds a clarinet; in the other, a bizarre, cube-shaped plastic sculpture that some fan placed at his feet in lieu of flowers. "That audience was amazing," he says. "They were so sweet. They were bathing us in affection." To prove the feeling is mutual, he heads back out into the spotlight. Some 2,000 Parisians are on their feet, clapping, screaming, chanting, "Wooo-DEE! Wooo-DEE!" Incredible as it seems, Allen--who treats New York City audiences like wallpaper at his weekly...
...marginally less painful than winning an Oscar. But in the concert setting, he seems to enjoy it, peppering his comments with jokes and repartee. In Paris, much to the delight of the locals, he does all this in passable French. Midway through the show, he announces a series of clarinet-banjo duets. "The others have to rest their lips," he explains. "But not me. I'm very strong, because I live right. I eat well and sleep well." The audience howls with laughter...
...music, what Allen lacks in in clarinet technique he makes up in sheer energy and passion. He goes for what he calls a "crude" sound, based on the styles of New Orleans legends like George Lewis, Albert Burbank and Sidney Bechet. Give him an A for authenticity. Few players today can boast such a powerful tone. That's due partly to his use of an extremely hard reed (Rico No. 5, about one step down from a roof shingle) and partly to his penchant for the now obsolete Albert system of keys and fingerings, favored by all the old-timers...
Allen has been smart enough to surround himself with experienced professionals--Davis, cornetist Simon Wettenhall, trombonist Dan Barrett, bassist Greg Cohen, drummer John Gill and pianist Cynthia Sayer--who provide strong, sensitive backing to his clarinet leads. For more than two hours the band runs through an eclectic repertoire ranging from Dixieland standards and blues to pop and gospel numbers. There are few concessions to showmanship: Allen keeps his eyes closed and legs crossed most of the time, and his stage costume consists of the usual baggy green corduroys, plaid shirt, gray cardigan and the trademark black-rimmed glasses. Which...