[BrianMitchellBrody]

A set by Tuba Skinny with good sound. Go to 14:00 to hear Craig Flory clarinet on "Jazz Battle" and Shaye Cohn's cornet. Then continue at 17:30 to hear Erika Lewis sing "Blue" and hear Craig's and Shaye's beautiful solos on that tune. Or watch the whole set.

I sold the clarinetist a bunch of ligatures once on eBay. He turned me on to his band Tuba Skinny been a fan ever since.

 

[lostcircuits]

After watching a bunch of videos of him playing, his style grew on me. He doesn’t appear to need sheet music and has internalized all the melodies. I think in the context of the music he is playing, his clarinet adds something.

Who needs sheet music if you have ears? These are straightforward tunes that anyone with just a little bit of feeling can whistle along to. And probably better than Woody Allen on clarinet.
And yes, the clarinet adds something but (I leave it at that .. )

 

[Brenton]

That's the second shot you have taken at his playing. I give the man credit for posting his playing for all to hear. 99% of us amatuers here don't post because we're afraid someone will hit us with some harshness. Like my mom used to say, "If you don't have anything good to say don't say anything." There's no good to come from criticizing Olds publicly. Send him a PM if you must.

I've actually had more than two shots at his playing (and mostly/every time, he gives me a 'like' because he (says he) wants comments - critical or otherwise, to be there for all to see. Also, he usually sets the tone for such comments by criticizing his own playing/setup first. Please note though, I never comment about his recordings on the YouTube site ie. Olds treats this SOTW Forum as his PM service (rather than YouTube).
But please be fair - this time I was only having a dig at his taste in music - not his playing.
Olds wants to improve, to the extent that he indicated on a recent thread who he was going to start lessons with. On another thread Olds admitted liking trad, so I just want to make sure that he has a well rounded view of what I mean by trad. [See also his later thread: 'Careless love', which I believe should be played in the trad tradition - or at least, the person recording it should have a good grasp of the trad idiom. Anyone agreeing with me, but not saying so to Olds, will not be doing him any favors. Conversely, disagreeing with me, but not telling me, will not be doing me any favors]. Cheers...

 

[AddictedToSax]

I've actually had more than two shots at his playing (and mostly/every time, he gives me a 'like' because he (says he) wants comments - critical or otherwise, to be there for all to see. Also, he usually sets the tone for such comments by criticizing his own playing/setup first. Please note though, I never comment about his recordings on the YouTube site ie. Olds treats this SOTW Forum as his PM service (rather than YouTube).
But please be fair - this time I was only having a dig at his taste in music - not his playing.
Olds wants to improve, to the extent that he indicated on a recent thread who he was going to start lessons with. On another thread Olds admitted liking trad, so I just want to make sure that he has a well rounded view of what I mean by trad. [See also his later thread: 'Careless love', which I believe should be played in the trad tradition - or at least, the person recording it should have a good grasp of the trad idiom. Anyone agreeing with me, but not saying so to Olds, will not be doing him any favors. Conversely, disagreeing with me, but not telling me, will not be doing me any favors]. Cheers...

Okay if he’s alright with it. I thought it sounded pretty harsh had he not asked for comment.

 

[skeller047]

Sometime around 1980, I did a show gig with Hal Linden. He did some acting / reading, and also played a set on clarinet. I was impressed. I’m not sure what the occasion was, some corporate thing probably, or maybe some anniversary/celebration for a foundation or something. I did a lot of those gigs back then… I believe it was at the yacht club in SF.

Anyway, Hal Linden could play. I remember Woody Allen being just OK, and I did not get a good feeling from his playing. Good director, OK actor in his self-effacing style, hilarious writer, meh clarinetist. Not a bad resume really…

 

[giuseppe]

I am not really interested in discussing Woody Allen‘s clarinet playing, who is a hobbyist who happens to be famous through something different.
But I do think that old big bore Albert clarinets sound quite different than modern Boehm clarinets (having both). Comparable to a Conn vs. Yanagisawa difference or even more. If that is a lot (compared to differences caused by mouthpieces and reeds) is another question. Yet, they are different. Hard to explain, maybe Alberts having a strong core and lacking a certain „sweetness“ most Boehms have.

 

[LiAm84]

I've become quite a fan of the traditional 'trad' jazz recently. Two of my favourite modern day clarinetists in that style (both coincidentally from the UK) are Ewan Bleach and Adrian Cox:

 

[Grumps]

Maybe Woody needs his mouthpiece refaced...

 

[MartinMusicMan]

or a mass screw

 

[lostcircuits]

or a mass screw

The omission of the "heavy" makes this a very ambivalent statement

 

[Sacks Of Phones]

The omission of the "heavy" makes this a very ambivalent statement

You take a mass screw to church on Sundays....

 

[lydian]

I am not really interested in discussing Woody Allen‘s clarinet playing, who is a hobbyist who happens to be famous through something different.

Understood. Nobody expects a hobbyist like him to be stellar. The only reason for our judgement is to refute the OPs claim. Nothing against Woody who is doing his best and has a sincere appreciation of the music.

 

[giuseppe]

Understood. Nobody expects a hobbyist like him to be stellar. The only reason for our judgement is to refute the OPs claim. Nothing against Woody who is doing his best and has a sincere appreciation of the music.

Totally agree, in both points.
I just jumped on the off topic about the Alberts, hoping for a fruitful discussion. But this has probably been discussed elsewhere over and over…