New Orleans was the cradle of jazz, the place where this art form came into its own in the early 20th century. A clarinettist deeply rooted in the early days of jazz, Dennis Lichtman immerses us in this era, evoking its legends and their instruments...
Selmers clarinets in early New Orleans Jazz
This article was written by Dennis Lichtman
The cradle of jazz
New Orleans was the cradle of jazz, the place where this incredible art form came into its own in the early 20th century. Chicago’s Benny Goodman – the most famous SELMER jazz clarinetist – was hugely influenced by his clarinet predecessors from New Orleans. Those are my favorite players as well, and I’m influenced more directly by them than by Goodman himself.
I greatly admire how Goodman chose a path of “inspiration” rather than “imitation” in developing his own sound and style — more on that later. This path led both of us (ninety years apart) to SELMER Boehm system clarinets.
But what horns were our New Orleans heroes playing back in the day?
Benny Goodman plays Sing Sing Sing in 1937 with his SELMER K series Boehm clarinet.
THE ALBERT SYSTEM SOUND OF NEW ORLEANS
See this great article on the history and evolution of clarinets for more info on Boehm vs. Albert systems.
In New Orleans during the glorious early years of jazz, most clarinetists favored Albert (also known as “simple”) fingering system clarinets over Boehm system. Many of these players would have begun studying clarinet in the very early 1900s, when Albert system was the new hot thing, a slight upgrade to the Müller clarinet.
Compared to Boehm, players found the Albert instruments to have a more open, louder, “fatter” sound that could match the brass instruments they played alongside. Albert system instruments were likely more widely available in New Orleans at the time as well.
George Lewis said “When I started in New Orleans, all clarinetists played Albert systems. All of them. I never saw a Boehm… I play an Albert system clarinet, a French SELMER… If you listen to the radio and you hear a clarinet you can tell it’s a Boehm system because the tone is so light, you know… It’s not as deep as the Albert, but the Boehm system is faster.”
Henri SELMER Paris was known for its high-quality clarinets in both Albert and Boehm systems, and in time became a very popular brand among the top New Orleans players.
This SELMER ad from 1932 shows Boehm and Albert system clarinets in various key configurations, though both systems were widely available for many decades before that. Photo courtesy of the Vintage Clarinet Doctor.
QUELQUES CLARINETTISTES DE LÉGENDE QUI ONT JOUÉ SELMER
Some of the earliest and most iconic jazz clarinet recordings known to be on a SELMER are those of Johnny Dodds with King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band (1923) and Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven (1925-1927).
Dodds favored an “Improved” SELMER Albert clarinet (similar to the 15-story-tall clarinet mural on the side of the Holiday Inn in New Orleans).
While his style may not seem highly refined or technical to a modern listener, his innovations and influence can’t be overstated. His strong, cutting sound, blues-drenched phrasing, deep sense of rhythmic propulsion, and masterful collective improvisation have been admired and imitated by many, including Goodman.
Dodds put his huge low register and blues chops to good use on this recording of Melancholy, recorded in 1927 with Louis Armstrong on trumpet.
Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five with Dodds on clarinet. Courtesy of the Louis Armstrong House Museum.
Two other early New Orleans players who were SELMER Improved Albert devotees were Jimmie Noone and Barney Bigard. Noone, who left New Orleans for Chicago as a young man and made his mark there, was famous for his incredible technique and warm sound, and was among Goodman’s major influences. His blistering solos on I Know That You Know inspired countless hours with the metronome in my practice studio — and I’m not the only one!
Jimmie Noone with his SELMER Albert system clarinet. Photo: Hogan Jazz Archive, Tulane University.
Barney Bigard is best known for his tenure in Duke Ellington’s band (1927-1942) and is instantly recognizable for his lyricism and unpredictable, virtuosic, flowing runs. Earlier photos of Bigard show him with other brands of clarinet, but he switched to a SELMER around 1940 and played one with Louis Armstrong’s All-Stars after leaving Ellington’s band - on full display in the following video.
Bigard plays a SELMER “full” Albert system (6 rings, articulated G# key, and 3 vents in a row on the lower joint) with Louis Armstrong in the 1951 MGM film 'The Strip'.
Omer Simeon was a key member of Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers, whose 1926-1927 recordings are among the most important and influential jazz sides of all time. Simeon was a staunch SELMER player at least from the 1930s on, and possibly earlier.
Incidentally, a few years ago I was performing the music of Jelly Roll Morton at Lincoln Center and the current owner of Simeon’s SELMER Albert system clarinet came to soundcheck to let me play it. Despite missing several pads and keys, the few notes that worked sounded hauntingly similar to the legendary tone I knew from Simeon’s recordings – I got goosebumps from the very first note I played! Here is a video of that whole affair, and also make sure to listen to Simeon’s blazing contribution to the 1926 Red Hot Peppers classic Big Bottom Stomp — emulating his clarinet solo was my favorite part of the Lincoln Center performance.
Omer Simeon, clearly showing the wrap-around register key which was common on Albert system clarinets. Photo: New Orleans Jazz Museum.
Numerous other early New Orleans clarinetists are known to have played SELMER. Many switched to SELMER later in their careers, and a few used them for a while and then switched to other brands (their loss!).
George Lewis, the icon of the “traditional jazz revival” in the 1940s, didn’t play a SELMER clarinet until his last decade — the one he played was a gift from Jimmie Noone. Lewis, late in his career, plays a 4-ring SELMER Albert clarinet on his beloved composition, Burgundy Street Blues.
Sidney Bechet played a SELMER clarinet for a while, although most photos show him with other brands (often with a SELMER mouthpiece and ligature).
Other SELMER players from New Orleans include Irving Fazola, Albert Nicholas (who switched from Albert system to Boehm when his Albert horn broke while on tour in Egypt and he couldn’t get it repaired), Willie Humphrey, Louis Cottrell Jr., and Raymond Burke. These may not be household names to those who are less nerdy about traditional jazz than I, but all are worth checking out. And for the sake of brevity, I’ve omitted many more — and we haven’t even left New Orleans!
VINTAGE VS. NEW CLARINETS TODAY
It’s clear that in the early years of jazz, when clarinet was an integral element of any band worth its salt, the SELMER name was everywhere. While clarinets usually deteriorate and depreciate unlike violins, an original SELMER “Improved” Albert horn can fetch a couple of thousand dollars and some traditionalists believe it’s impossible to achieve that classic New Orleans sound with anything but a wonky vintage instrument. I certainly don’t subscribe to that theory — I feel that each player subconsciously makes any instrument sound the way they want it to, so you need to find an instrument and setup that allow your desired sound to happen easily, rather than to resist it.
For me, the advantages of a dependable modern instrument far outweigh the “vibe” of an old horn with warped wood and loose keys. Despite my deep love of the Albert system sound on my favorite New Orleans jazz recordings, I play Boehm system (Henri SELMER Paris Signature).
I’ve chosen to be inspired by my clarinet heroes rather than attempt to imitate them. Over the past twenty or so years, I’ve enjoyed the process of evolving my setup, embouchure, and technique to capture some of my favorite elements of the Albert sound, without sacrificing the precise and familiar keywork of my SELMER Boehm.
I play a very open-faced mouthpiece with softer reeds, and I Iove using half-holes, alternate fingerings, portamento, and other subtle techniques to develop my own style, influenced largely by my New Orleans Albert system heroes.
For many of the New Orleans greats, SELMER Albert system clarinets enabled the sound they coveted. And today, as many other jazz players (Mike McGinnis, Oran Etkin, Giacomo Smith...), I find that SELMER clarinets (new and vintage, Boehm and Albert) enable us to play our best for all the same reasons our heroes did, a century ago.
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