Edmond Hall (May 15, 1901 – February 11, 1967) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader, but for us he is particularly noteworthy because of his exceptional clarinet playing. Throughout his career, Hall worked with numerous great musicians, both as a bandleader and as a sideman.

Hall and his eight (!) siblings were born into a musical family in Reserve, Louisiana, about 40 miles from New Orleans. His father, Edward, played clarinet in the Onward Brass Band, and the Hall children -Robert, Edmond, and Herbert- all became clarinetists as well, although young Edmond initially played guitar.

When Hall first picked up the clarinet, he was already able to play within a week. “He started on Monday and was playing by Saturday,” his brother Herb later recalled in an interview.

Hall worked as a farm laborer, but by 1919 he had grown tired of the hard work and, despite his parents’ concerns, left for New Orleans.

The first band he played with there was led by Bud Russell.

Two years later, he moved to Pensacola, Florida, where he joined Lee Collins’ band, followed by Mack Thomas and the Pensacola Jazzers. There he met trumpeter Cootie Williams, and together they joined the Alonzo Ross DeLuxe Syncopators.

In 1928, he moved to New York, where he became a member of Claude Hopkins’ orchestra until 1935. During this period, he also played alto and baritone saxophone.

On June 15, 1937, he recorded alongside Billie Holiday and Lester Young.

In 1940, when Henry “Red” Allen arrived at Café Society, Hall became the band’s clarinetist. He spent nine years there, during which time he performed and recorded with many of his contemporaries, including

Sid Catlett, Charlie Christian, Ida Cox, Wild Bill Davison, Sidney De Paris, Vic Dickenson, Roy Eldridge, Bud Freeman, Coleman Hawkins, Eddie Heywood, J. C. Higginbotham, Meade Lux Lewis, Lucky Millinder, Hot Lips Page, Zutty Singleton, Joe Sullivan, Art Tatum, Jack Teagarden, Big Joe Turner, Helen Ward, and Josh White.

In February 1941, he made his first recordings as a bandleader.

Later that year, Hall left Allen to join Teddy Wilson, who was also performing at Café Society.

Around this time, Hall’s style began to change. Influenced by his admiration for Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, he worked extensively on his technique. He experimented with the Böhm-system clarinet, but this proved short-lived, and he soon returned to his beloved Albert-system clarinet, which he played until his death.

In 1944, he was voted the second-best clarinetist in the Esquire magazine poll, just behind the clarinetist he admired most, Benny Goodman.

From the 1950s onward, he became one of the most sought-after dixieland and swing clarinetists. He performed with Louis Armstrong and Eddie Condon, led his own bands, and even appeared in films.

During an African tour, the influence of Ghana, where he performed for 21,000 people, inspired him to establish a music school, but the venture soon failed.

By 1966, he was reportedly close to starvation, when he was invited on a European tour. Unfortunately, this opportunity did not lead to further engagements.

Edmond Hall passed away on February 12, 1967, at the age of 65.

Among jazz clarinetists, Edmond Hall belongs to the select few who consistently maintained a high level of quality. There is no recording of his where one cannot admire his mastery and vibrant swing feel.

Source: https://www.jazzma.hu/hirek/2024/01/01/a-jazztortenet-kiemelkedo-klarinetosai-12-resz-edmond-hall-joe-fritz-sorozata/