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Syzygy
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Joined: December 16 2004
Location: United Kingdom
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Points: 7003
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Topic: Bass Clarinetists Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:31 |
Bass clarinet is a highly under valued instrument - let's hear it for a true prog instrument and the unsung heroes who coax such magical sounds from it.
Dirk Descheemaeker gets my vote.
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'Like so many of you
I've got my doubts about how much to contribute
to the already rich among us...'
Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom
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Metropolis
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Joined: December 20 2004
Location: Scotland
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Points: 760
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:34 |
The guy playing with the mars volta when i saw them the other week
(can't remember his name offhand) played a mean bass clarinet.
And saxophone. And flute. And an enormous selection of
latin persussion instruments
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We Lost the Skyline............
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BebieM
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Joined: November 01 2004
Location: Germany
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Points: 854
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:34 |
I've never heard any of these people play.
But i really like the bass clarinet 
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Syzygy
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Joined: December 16 2004
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Points: 7003
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:36 |
Metropolis wrote:
The guy playing with the mars volta when i saw them the other week (can't remember his name offhand) played a mean bass clarinet. And saxophone. And flute. And an enormous selection of latin persussion instruments |
If you can find his name I'll add him to the poll.
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'Like so many of you
I've got my doubts about how much to contribute
to the already rich among us...'
Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom
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Reed Lover
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Location: Sao Tome and Pr
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Points: 5187
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:37 |
What about Korky Reissmuller of Mocken ?

He plays Bass Clarinet and Ukelele on Meerschaum's "Funky Franck" Album.
Edited by Reed Lover
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The Hemulen
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Joined: July 31 2004
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Points: 5964
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:38 |
None! Rodney Slater of the Bonzo Dog Band!
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Seriously though, despite being a Magma fan the sound just merges for
me and feels too orchestral for me to pick out indivdual performers,
and I'm not familar enough with Univers Zero (yet) to vote for their
clarinetist so for now.. I'm abstaining.
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Syzygy
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Joined: December 16 2004
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 7003
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:44 |
Reed Lover wrote:
What about Korky Reissmuller of Mocken ?
He plays Bass Clarinet and Ukelele on Meerschaum's "Funky Franck" Album.
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Dammit, how could I forget one of the most crucial bass clarinet/ukulele players in the whole of Dortmund - well, West Dortmund at any rate, certainly the best player of both instruments in Wilhelmstrasse - except for his brother Pauki - so the best bass clarinet/ukele player at No. 43 Wilhelmstrasse, Dortmund (when his older brother's not there).
And let's not forget Jean-Pierre Bidet.
Edited by Syzygy
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'Like so many of you
I've got my doubts about how much to contribute
to the already rich among us...'
Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom
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Metropolis
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Joined: December 20 2004
Location: Scotland
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Points: 760
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:46 |
Hmm, can't find it, i think its Adrian Terrazas, but he might just have been a guest on the album, meh, doesnt matter i suppose
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We Lost the Skyline............
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Reed Lover
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Joined: July 16 2004
Location: Sao Tome and Pr
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Points: 5187
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:48 |
Syzygy wrote:
Reed Lover wrote:
What about Korky Reissmuller of Mocken ?
He plays Bass Clarinet and Ukelele on Meerschaum's "Funky Franck" Album.
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Dammit, how could I forget one of the most crucial bass clarinet/ukulele players in the whole of Dortmund - well, West Dortmund at any rate, certainly the best player of both instruments in Wilhelmstrasse - except for his brother Pauki - so the best bass clarinet/ukelel player at No. 43 Wilhelmstrasse, Dortmund (when his older brother's not there).
And let's not forget Jean-Pierre Bidet.
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Gosh how could I?
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Here he is during the sessions for "Laver Bon Les Muffes" by the Tuppeny Widdlers.
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Dick Heath
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Joined: April 19 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 12818
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:49 |
Check out Surman's Road To St Ives, and some blurring of genres occurred.
You've left out master funk bass guitarist/bass clarinetist Marcus Miller: Miles Davis's TuTu alerted us to Miller's multi-instrumental talents - more BC on his latest album Silver Rain, out this month.
Did Rodney Slater played the bass clarinet? I remember he
was one of the few British bass saxophonists (somebody made a
documentary for BBC 2 almost 20 years ago following the progress of
getting as many of the bass saxophonists of the UK together for a
blow) - following in the steps of the great/legendary Adrian Rollini of
Bix Beiderbeck Wolferines in the 20's, and then his own
successful leadership of small jazz bands in the 30's.
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Reed Lover
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Joined: July 16 2004
Location: Sao Tome and Pr
Status: Offline
Points: 5187
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:50 |

Sorry,Dick
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Syzygy
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 17:59 |
Thank you for returning the thread to something approaching sanity - I'd forgotten about Marcus Miller, but I've always felt that TuTu was a pretty substandard Miles album and it's a long time since I owned a copy.
I love Road To St Ives, glad to know I'm not the only one.
I think you're right about Rodney Slater - his bass sax solos were something of a feature, as on 'My Pink Half Of The Drainpipe' (and the closing monologue is my favourite Viv Stanshall moment) but I don't recall any reference to him playing bass clarinet anywhere. On the other hand, The Bonzos experimented with all sorts of instruments in the studio, so who knows...
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'Like so many of you
I've got my doubts about how much to contribute
to the already rich among us...'
Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom
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Reed Lover
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Joined: July 16 2004
Location: Sao Tome and Pr
Status: Offline
Points: 5187
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 18:03 |
You couldnt make it up.........
"My Pink Half Of The Drainpipe"!
NICE.....
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Dick Heath
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Jazz-Rock Specialist
Joined: April 19 2004
Location: England
Status: Offline
Points: 12818
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Posted: March 23 2005 at 18:18 |
Syzygy wrote:
Thank you for returning the thread to something
approaching sanity - I'd forgotten about Marcus Miller, but I've always
felt that TuTu was a pretty substandard Miles album and it's a
long time since I owned a copy.
Coincidently, my Jazzwise
magazine for April arrived today with a 6 page spread on the last years
of Miles Davis (post Columbia and post-Teo Maceo as producer) -
parallel the publishing of Last Miles
a biography of Davis in those years, and an exhibition of Miles' art in
a London gallery early this summer. Apparently when Miles signed to
Warners, he recorded a number of tunes, which were intended for
a full yer face hip hop and rap album Rubberband
- and the language was at least at the level of that found in his
autobiography - Warners were greatly shocked and so TuTu was the stop
gap with Miller as prodcuer and co-writer of some of those tunes. When
Prince found Miles was on the same label as himself, he wanted to
record with Davis, the tune I Want Play With U resulted.
I love Road To St Ives, glad to know I'm not the only one.
Private City
too but to a lesser extent. (And to be controversal. I've long felt
Surman's synth with sequencer backing to bass clarinet or
sop sax, showed Geddy Lee a thing or two!!)
I think you're right about Rodney Slater - his bass sax solos were
something of a feature, as on 'My Pink Half Of The Drainpipe' (and the
closing monologue is my favourite Viv Stanshall moment) but I don't
recall any reference to him playing bass clarinet anywhere. On the
other hand, The Bonzos experimented with all sorts of instruments in
the studio, so who knows...
Vivian Stanstall's biog Ginger Geezer suggested the Bonzo's regularly raided secondhand and antique shops for obscure sheet music ([The Stork Has Brought] A Son & Daughter For Mr & Mrs Mickey Mouse,
came from that), 78's and unusual instruments - so I'll back down
from rejecting the bass clarinet out of hand - but bass sax for sure
(the band liked the farting sound)
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The Hemulen
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Joined: July 31 2004
Location: UK
Status: Offline
Points: 5964
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Posted: March 24 2005 at 12:31 |
Syzygy wrote:
I think you're right about Rodney Slater - his bass
sax solos were something of a feature, as on 'My Pink Half Of The
Drainpipe' (and the closing monologue is my favourite Viv Stanshall
moment) but I don't recall any reference to him playing bass clarinet
anywhere. On the other hand, The Bonzos experimented with all sorts of
instruments in the studio, so who knows... |
T'is quite possible I'm getting confused then, (despite being an
obsessive Bonzo fan, I don't have the benefit of having been there at
the time, as with a lot of my favourite groups... *sighs*). Though it's
true the Bonzos experimented with instruments all the time - did you
know that for "Jazz, Delicious Hot Disgusting Cold" they all swapped
instruments? No wonder it sounds so masterfully appalling! As for "My
Pink Half of the Drainpipe" - surely one of the greatest songs of all
time? Viv Stanshall was a bloody genius, I tell ye!
By the way, if there are any Viv fans reading this who want to get
their mits on some of the harder to get material (Rawlinson End R1
Sessions, Men Opening Umbrellas Ahead, the Rawlinson End Film -
produced by the ill-fated Charisma Films, Charisma label fans take note
- then do let me know in a PM and I'll see what I can do for you  ).
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greenback
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Location: Canada
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Points: 3300
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Posted: March 24 2005 at 13:15 |
univers zero!
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[HEADPINS - LINE OF FIRE: THE RECORD HAVING THE MOST POWERFUL GUITAR SOUND IN THE WHOLE HISTORY OF MUSIC!>
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Captain Squib
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Joined: June 17 2005
Location: United Kingdom
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Points: 36
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Posted: June 26 2005 at 13:37 |
I've never heard Univers Zero's music. What exactly is it like? And is the bass clarinet a regular instrument they use?
First time I heard a bass clarinet in Prog-rock was on the album Red Queen to Gryphon 3, by Gryphon. First time I heard it at all was in The Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy from Tchkovsky's Nutcracker Suite.
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He who stands on toilet must be high on pot!
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Sean Trane
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Prog Folk
Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 20412
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Posted: June 27 2005 at 09:58 |
Captain Squib wrote:
I've never heard Univers Zero's music. What exactly is it like? And is the bass clarinet a regular instrument they use? First time I heard a bass clarinet in Prog-rock was on the album Red Queen to Gryphon 3, by Gryphon. First time I heard it at all was in The Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy from Tchkovsky's Nutcracker Suite. |
Chris , What dưa expect outodisone?
Univers Zero is one of the originators of RIO among with Samla Manna mamma , Henry Cow , Area , Art Zoyd and one more I forget now. They are also the head of the Belgian Chamber Prog scene (not an official current or subgenre , I reckon) and they use extensively classic instrument as well as classical music for main influences. Stockhausen , Bela Bartok and Charles Ives are obvious names that come to mind when one listens to their albums. The actual line-up as Daniel Denis (definitely one of the best drummer alive), an electric bassist , a kbdist, a violinst , a clarinettist (De schemaeker whom I voted for ) and Michel Berckmans a bassoonist (played also in Von Zamla). both of those last two play loads of wind instruments including a melodica.
We are borderline rock with them as they would be better suited with Fusion or experimental. An offshoot from them are called Present.
I tried to start a thread regarding this movement of music in the prog polls section last month.
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let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword
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