Gypsy Jazz / Swing books for Clarinet

AndyW

ok here's a few links to some printed material i use or might recommend for those studying GJ & early swing clarinet. I'll probably start another topic for saxophone, and try & keep this one for the ebony stick blowers amongst us...

first up is this book:
"jazz clarinet 2" by John Robert Brown . pub. IMP ISBN 0 86359 301 1



contents are

'S wonderful
12th street rag
April in Paris
But not for me
Come rain or come shine
Crazy rhythm
Down by the riverside
Les oignons (the onions)
Lord let me in the lifeboat
Mexican hat dance
Morning thunder
My heart stood still
Oh! lady be good
Oh! lady be good
Papa skag stomp
Sing you sinners
Swing low sweet chariot
Tea for two
The man I love
The world is waiting for the sunrise

transcribed from solos by: Bechet, Nicholas, Lewis, Dodds, Simeon, Bigard, Hall, Fountain, Herman, Shaw, Mince, Guifre, Most, Goodman, Defranco, Daniels.

This might be the first book i'd say to look out for, if you are a competent reader, the transcriptions are very accurate, and give a good overview of a lot of the styles of many famous new-orleans / swing / bebop clarinettists
As usual, there's not a lot in the same keys as the standard GJ keys, but it's good to practise transposing anyway
-A-

AndyW

"Jazz clarinet" by John Robert Brown . pub. IMP ISBN 0 86359 220 1

this earlier book is now out of print, the solos are "in the swing style" , but not actual transcriptions of famous recordings. I'd say they are a little easier than book 2, above. A good place to start if you can read to a fair level. the songs are in all the wrong keys for GJ, of course, but do work with some of the play-along Aebersold series. , and there are concert-key chords for your guitarist friends.

Begin The Beguine
Body And Soul
Dancing In The Dark
Hello Dolly
I Got Rhythm
I Want To Be Happy
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
Is It True What They Say About Dixie?
Limehouse Blues
Liza
Love Is Just Around The Corner
My Heart stood still
Nobody knows the trouble i've seen
Panama
Swing low sweet chariot
A Taste of honey
Won't you come home Bill Bailey
The world is waiting for the sunrise
Yesterdays
You took advantage of me

AndyW

ok next up is an example of the kinda thing that was available in the 1950s & 60's, transcribed Benny Goodman solos with piano accompaniment.



Great if you want to play along with BG recordings, but i've found little of value that translates straight across to a GJ setting :-/

you can find these on eBay , etc, now and again., there's a whole series of them.

-A- more soon

AndyW

-more on this book soon-