There is a saying that those who can, do; those who cannot, teach -or in this case, research. This study, beginning with the history of the clarinet, discusses the outstanding personalities of the genre and the instrumental characteristics of their stylistic directions.

Hungarian jazz clarinet performance represents such a complex and deeply valuable field that any chapter of this study could easily constitute an independent line of research. Some of these topics I would like to explore further in the future, should the opportunity arise, so that both Hungarian jazz research and the library of clarinet literature may be enriched with additional material.

In my study I also make occasional references to musical developments in the wider world, in order to provide a clearer context for the Hungarian aspects discussed.

Jazz is a multifaceted and versatile genre whose identity lies precisely in its diversity and individuality. This can manifest itself in a touch, a rhythm, or even merely a tone color. In the case of the clarinet, many such characteristic elements can only be fully understood through a deeper knowledge of the instrument itself. For this reason I begin with the history of the clarinet, and later devote separate sections to the differences between the German and French clarinet systems, as well as to the instruments, mouthpieces, and reeds used by musicians.

Due to the large number of performers involved, a certain degree of selection was necessary. This work focuses exclusively on clarinetists. Doublers -those who stand at the borderline between saxophonists and clarinetists- or versatile woodwind players are only briefly mentioned. Their activity could likewise serve as the subject of a separate study in the future.

In many cases the available data could not be precisely documented, since I occasionally had to rely on the notes – or even the memories – of early record collectors.

Before we plunge into Hungarian jazz and clarinet history, however, let us first consider the question: what exactly is the clarinet?

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HISTORY OF THE CLARINET

Where does the history of the clarinet actually begin? This is a difficult yet fascinating question. It is not as though the origins of other woodwind instruments are known with perfect precision either. In the case of the bassoon, for example, we know only that it appeared sometime in the first half of the sixteenth century, while the origins of the flute and oboe disappear into the prehistoric era of instrument history.

Nevertheless, we do know something about the predecessors of these instruments. We know that early forms of the flute and oboe were already widely heard during the Middle Ages, and that the medieval loud conical double-reed instruments were gradually “tamed” into the dulcian and eventually into the bassoon.

In the case of the clarinet, it is well known that Christoph Denner perfected the French folk instrument known as the chalumeau around the turn of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This improvement involved the addition of two upper keys and a more precise craftsmanship corresponding to the artistic standards of the time.

The instrument retained the name chalumeau, referring to the Latin word calamus, meaning reed. In appearance it resembled the recorders of the period, but with a simple beating-reed mouthpiece attached at the upper end. This similarity was not accidental, since Denner himself primarily built recorders.

Although recorders of the Baroque period already had a narrowing conical bore, Denner constructed his new instrument with a cylindrical bore. This cylindrical bore was somewhat narrower than that of modern clarinets. For example, the tenor chalumeau – despite its fundamental pitch in C, which lies even lower than that of the A clarinet – had an internal diameter of approximately 14 mm, making it slimmer than the modern B-flat clarinet.

As a result, and due to the absence of a flared bell, the chalumeau did not possess the carrying power of the modern clarinet tone. Overblowing was also unknown on the chalumeau. The limited compass of its fundamental register did not reach the lowest note of the overblown register, meaning that an entire pitch would have been missing if overblowing had been attempted.

Another difficulty arose from the position of the upper keys. When these were half-opened, overblown notes did appear, but with very poor intonation.

Perhaps for this reason, shortly after the creation of the chalumeau, the first clarinet was developed in the workshop of Christoph Denner and his son Jacob Denner. This new instrument already possessed the characteristic flared bell, the ability to overblow, and a range larger than that of any other woodwind instrument.

The exact date of its invention is not known. Even the appearance of the name clarinetto in musical parts cannot be considered reliable evidence, since it was sometimes intentionally or accidentally confused with clarino, the high register of the trumpet.

Interestingly, the chalumeau remained in use for several decades even after the clarinet had appeared. Thus, regardless of the notations found in surviving parts or the actual spread of the instruments, we can only state with certainty that by the beginning of the eighteenth century the possibility of what we now understand as the clarinet sound had come into existence.

The nearly three hundred years of clarinet history that have followed are relatively well documented. This is partly due to the fact that the new instrument quickly became popular among both professional musicians and amateurs. Being a clarinetist – or simply playing the clarinet – was regarded as a joyful and heart-warming activity, and contemporary descriptions of the instrument abound in enthusiastic praise.

If we attempt to look further back in time, however, the situation becomes far more complicated. Before doing so, we must first decide what we actually consider to be a clarinet.

From an acoustical point of view, the clarinet can be characterized as follows:

• a moderately wide cylindrical bore

• sound production by means of a beating single reed, damped to such a degree that the pitch of the sounding tone is determined by the length of the air column (that is, by the fingering)

• the player maintains a complex relationship with the vibrating reed, allowing for an exceptionally rich expressive palette

• a flared bell at the end of the instrument, which among other advantages positively influences both tone color and sound projection

The sound of the clarinet is determined by the combined presence of these characteristics. If any one of these conditions is absent, we can no longer speak of a clarinet.

Looking far back in time, we find that single-reed cylindrical instruments were already known in ancient cultures. Although no original specimens have survived, visual representations provide certain clues. However, it is often difficult to determine from these images whether the sound was produced by a double reed or a single reed, since the reed was frequently placed inside the mouth cavity, which effectively functioned as a wind chamber.

Ancient double-reed instruments required considerable physical effort to play, and performers often used a kind of strap around the mouth in order to support the muscles of the lips and conceal the distortion of the embouchure. Such devices can be observed in contemporary depictions. In other cases, however, the instruments were played without this strap, which may indicate the use of a single reed, since this requires less physical exertion.

Certain bagpipe pipes can also be considered cylindrical single-reed instruments. Although bagpipes were already known in ancient cultures, they reached their golden age in the art music of the Middle Ages. Because cylindrical single-reed instruments existed continuously from antiquity through the bagpipes to Denner’s chalumeau, the history of the clarinet is often presented as a single evolutionary line.

From an acoustical and tonal perspective, however, such a connection must be treated with caution. Among the clarinet characteristics listed earlier, two crucial elements are missing in these early instruments: the wide bore and the direct method of sound production.

The bores of ancient instruments appear to have been extremely narrow, and bagpipe pipes also tend to be slender. Such bores produce a sharp, overtone-rich tone, regardless of whether the sound is generated by a single or double reed. Without the damping influence of the lips – when the reed vibrates freely in the mouth cavity or wind chamber – the overtone content becomes even more pronounced.

The result is a sound in which the perception of pitch is relatively weak: the instrument tends more to buzz than to sing. For this reason, such instruments cannot be regarded as direct predecessors of the clarinet.

Another clarinet characteristic is also missing in many early instruments: the bell. Although ancient cultures were familiar with flared resonators, they seem to have appeared on woodwinds primarily during the Middle Ages.

The musical practice of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance did not include instruments of the clarinet type. Several important instrument encyclopedias from this period survive, among them the most significant: Michael Praetorius’s Syntagma Musicum (1619). This work depicts and describes every instrument known at the time with remarkable scientific accuracy.

Since many of the instruments illustrated by Praetorius have survived in museum collections, we can state with certainty that none of them were clarinet-type instruments. It seems that the single reed was used only in bagpipes, while most other instruments employed double reeds.

Thus, despite the fact that Renaissance instrument makers possessed all the necessary technical knowledge- including cylindrical bores comparable to those of modern clarinets – the clarinet itself did not yet exist. What was missing was precisely a figure such as Christoph Denner.

The name chalumeau, however, already existed, particularly in France. As early as the thirteenth century the organ contained a reed stop bearing the same name. Confusion often arose with the similarly named schalmei, which was actually an oboe-type instrument with a conical bore and double reed. Even modern scholarship occasionally confuses the two.

At this point we may ask whether the musical character later associated with the clarinet was already present in earlier centuries, even if the instrument itself did not yet exist. Indeed, such a character was provided by another instrument: the cornett (zink).

From the Middle Ages through the Baroque period the cornett was extremely popular. Its tone – soft yet powerful, flexible yet distinct – resembles that of the clarinet in many respects. In 1636 the theorist Marin Mersenne described its sound as “like a ray of sunlight in darkness.” Few descriptions could apply more beautifully to the clarinet as well.

In this broader perspective, the clarinet did not so much replace the trumpet as it replaced the cornett, continuing and developing the same musical function.

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The Clarinet in Hungary

How did the clarinet arrive in Hungary? The answer is relatively simple. During the period of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, composers were already making extensive use of the clarinet. In Hungary, however, the development of the instrument was slowed by the presence of a traditional folk instrument: the tárogató.

During the Hungarian War of Independence (1848–1849), the tárogató was used to recruit soldiers and inspire them with its powerful sound. After the defeat of the revolution, Austrian authorities ordered the systematic confiscation and destruction of these instruments. For this reason, tárogatós older than 150 years are extremely rare today.

At that time dance music was largely synonymous with Gypsy music. Within this musical environment the clarinet soon found its place, gradually replacing earlier instruments such as the Turkish pipe (töröksíp), which could not meet the technical demands required for performing works such as those by Liszt.

It should also be noted that the clarinet possesses the widest range among the woodwind instruments – almost four octaves – compared with instruments such as the saxophone or flute, which typically cover about three.

By the turn of the twentieth century the clarinet had thus assumed an important role. It is likely that ragtime and cakewalk arrangements for wind instruments were already circulating informally, and the orchestras of the Hungarian entertainment industry began to emerge.

We must also mention the musical training of performers at the beginning of the century. At that time it was considered the minimum requirement that a musician had completed conservatory studies, while the most accomplished performers graduated from the academy. Illiteracy in musical notation and purely autodidactic learning were not typical.

These entertainment orchestras were composed of highly trained musicians who had grown up within the traditions of classical music. In these ensembles we do not yet speak simply of clarinetists but rather of doublers – musicians who played several instruments.

This situation was largely due to the clarinet itself. Among the woodwinds it is unique in that it overblows at the twelfth rather than the octave. As a result, virtuosic passages are technically more difficult to execute on the clarinet than on instruments such as the saxophone. (Personally, after four years of studying the clarinet I learned the flute in three months and the saxophone in one.)

With these basic considerations in mind, let us begin our journey through the history of Hungarian jazz recordings, highlighting the individual clarinet personalities who shaped them.

The 1920s and 1930s

On the recordings made during these years we can hear such doubling instrumentalists as Filu, György Víg, József Darvas, Ede Buttola, and István Csepek. These artists belonged to the star musicians of their era, since they were all excellent performers. Even so, the first truly noteworthy clarinet solo can be heard from an unknown performer on the 1932 recording of Yo-Yo by the vocal duo Mocsányi–Lakos. This brief solo faithfully reflects the spirit of the age in its simplicity and balance.

The professionalism of Ede Buttola can be admired on the recordings of the Radiola Dance Orchestra, for example in Tűztánc, which he opens with beautifully crafted trills.

It is important to mention that in America, figures such as Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw were already active at this time, then still as members of Red Nichols’ Five Pennies, yet somehow these influences can only be felt faintly in Hungarian recordings – though there are exceptions, such as István Szegedi’s Solitude. Let us compare, for example, the Hungarian recording of Alexander’s Ragtime Band made by Len Hughes with practically any Benny Goodman recording from the same period. In the Hungarian version, apart from the violin solo, nothing particularly significant happens throughout the performance, whereas the Goodman recording overflows with what we call “swing.”

In practical terms, we may say that compared with the rest of the world, the Hungarian music industry suffered from a conspicuous lag in musical phrasing. What was needed was someone who could point toward a new direction, bring heart with him, and lift Hungarian musicians out of the stagnant waters of Hungarian jazz culture. That person was none other than Pál Herrer, who had gone to France as an engineer and returned as a musician.

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PÁL HERRER

Pál Herrer, who came from a Spanish family of painters, was born in 1906 and left the country in the 1920s as someone far removed from music. In France and in the United States he learned to play the accordion, clarinet, saxophone, and piano. He performed with such musicians as Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, as well as Coleman Hawkins; he also played in Eddie South’s orchestra, and he was the only Hungarian musician who could also play the true accordion, the bandoneon.

He was friends with the renowned composer Milhaud – according to his own account, they met on a ship, where Herrer was performing with his ensemble, during a table-tennis game. His openness – he even entered the Tour de France bicycle race twice – and his intelligence made it possible for him and his ensemble to take part in events such as the wedding of the Shah of Persia.

The recordings he made in 1942–43 with the Radics ensemble and with his own swing quintet represented a huge step forward in the development of Hungarian jazz. These recordings evoke the atmosphere of Western jazz with their much more “American” harmonization and phrasing. Although Herrer plays only accordion on these sides, we should not forget that the reeds of the accordion come closest in character to the clarinet, and this was later exploited by others as well, for example by the Buddy DeFranco–Tommy Gumina duo; Benny Goodman, too, made recordings with accordionists.

Only two recordings have survived on which Pál Herrer actually plays the clarinet, both with the excellent Iván Zágon’s ensemble. These performances strongly reflect the experience and musical influences of a man who had been to America. His playing is virtuosic; he uses the clarinet’s low register in a balanced way, avoids kitsch, and his phrasing already shows traces of the early Tony Scott period (1946). At that time in Hungary there was still no sign of the American clarinetist who was already accompanying Billie Holiday. (When I studied with Pál Herrer, he taught from Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Tony Scott, and Woody Herman sheet music published between 1940 and 1945.)

Hungary’s only truly usable saxophone method book is also associated with his name. Although he had originally been commissioned to write two volumes of one hundred pages each, in the end the textbook – starting from the very basics – had to be reduced to a single volume of sixty pages. Many people believe that this method is not suitable for very young music-school students, but we should bear in mind that ever since the world began, saxophone studies have usually started after preliminary clarinet training.

The book contains a separate chapter devoted to jazz under the title “style exercises.” There, without titles – since English titles were forbidden – one finds such excellent pieces as Alexander’s Ragtime Band, Flamingo, and My Blue Heaven.

But what was the reason that Pál Herrer was the one who brought us the taste and style of Goodman and his circle? The answer is actually very simple: he was the first to play on a Boehm-system clarinet.

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THE GERMAN-SYSTEM AND THE FRENCH-SYSTEM CLARINET

The difference between the two instruments is in practice small, yet great. To the untrained ear there is no difference, and visually there is little distinction as well. Both are pitched in B-flat (or A), both have a range of three and a bit octaves, and both overblow at the twelfth. Yet on the German-system clarinet every chromatic note requires an auxiliary fingering, whereas on the French instrument each has its own separate key.

This is precisely the kind of difference that makes relearning extremely difficult. It is as if we were to switch the black and white keys on the piano. It remains the same instrument, and yet becomes completely different. (Edmond Hall also experimented with switching to the French system, but after nearly fifteen years of trying, he gave it up.)

The two systems also differ in their bore. The German clarinet has a somewhat narrower internal diameter and a different internal design, and the placement of the tone holes and pads also differs, which results in a softer sound. Some even claim that the wood of the German-system clarinet contains less metal fitting, and that this also contributes to the effect. This is why we hear the works of Mozart, Brahms, and Weber as softer in tone: in their time only the German-system clarinet existed.

Later, when the French instrument industry also developed, the French compositional repertoire came to follow the rougher, broader French tone. It is therefore understandable that during the Anglo-French conflicts the French-system clarinet reached America, and thus Goodman and his contemporaries played on it from the outset.

In New Orleans and its surroundings the German-system clarinet was widespread – since outdated systems could be passed down to slaves – but the instrument shops of the larger cities were soon filled with French and later American instrument families as well (Selmer, Buffet, Conn, King, etc.).

The two systems are also known by other names: the French system is called the Boehm system, while the German is often referred to as the Albert system. This latter name is interesting for us, since it originated around New Orleans, and no person named Albert played any role in the development of the German clarinet system after the time of Denner. There was, however, an instrument manufacturer in the decades before the turn of the century called Albert Musik Fabrik. I have seen such an instrument, and although its basic construction is German-system, it also includes many innovations, especially in the keywork, and its bore does not correspond to the classical German bore either.

It is therefore conceivable that someone once owned an Albert clarinet, which stood closer to the German model, and that this is how the term Albert System became attached to the Deutsche System in the United States.

How did the French system, which had become widespread in America, nevertheless arrive in the center of the Eastern Bloc, in Hungary? It is a story almost out of a fairy tale. The reason was that the family of the clarinet artist and teacher György Balassa fell into German captivity during the Second World War, and when Balassa returned to Hungary he became the national inspector of woodwind education. His antipathy toward Germany had not diminished, and using political means, while breaking with German traditions, he made the use of the French-system clarinet officially mandatory in Hungary.

Thus, after 1945, a new space opened up for clarinet playing. This brought about the partial decline of classical clarinet tradition, while potentially giving a boost to jazz clarinet. Compared with our neighboring countries, this was a unique example, but it also meant that a Hungarian clarinetist could not take work in a German-speaking country unless he relearned the German-system clarinet. This remains a general problem to this day, even though many Hungarian players could take orchestral positions abroad, because Hungarian conservatories and academies train orchestral clarinetists of excellent quality. As things stand, however, the nearest employment opportunities lie in France.

Of course, at that time the country did not yet have such problems, since leaving the country was hardly “fashionable.”

Jazz clarinet itself also split in two directions. Great American solos could now return freely and stylistically faithfully in Hungarian interpretation. At the same time, however, the style could not develop, because jazz was banned. Herrer, too, slowed down; during this period only one or two jazz solos by the excellent Rudolf Wirth appeared in the orchestra of Tabányi.

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THE “TABÁNYI ERA” – RUDOLF WIRTH

Rudolf Wirth created a school in an era in which one had to play music that was both officially permitted and had an audience. The great number of recordings issued under the name “Mihály Tabányi and His Soloists” demonstrates Wirth’s versatility, whether one hears him in a tango or in a foxtrot.

His greatness is reflected in the fact that within the category of dance music he played jazz that was not really jazz, but fed from it, or at least bore stylistic traits pointing toward it. For us, however, the most relevant starting points are those recordings that are more properly instrumental dance songs – in other words, the Hungarian jazz of that time. Among them we find such titles as the Tabányi signature tune (After You’ve Gone), La Cumparsita, and many blues-based pieces to which primitive thematic sections were added, such as Ritka melódia.

Wirth Rudolf’s style was made recognizable by his use of the low register. Johnny Dodds had popularized this earlier. La Cumparsita is an excellent example of it. His technique was unique, yet he never abused it; at the same time his virtuosity holds its own even beside Tabányi’s lightning-fast fingers.

Rudolf Wirth was therefore just as much a school-creating figure within his own professional field as Edmond Hall was within his, for Hall created that particular style of Dixieland clarinet playing whose influence is still reflected by clarinetists of the style today. Wirth created “jazzy dance-music clarinet playing,” from which many musicians still make a living today in restaurants or at weddings.

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THE DIXIELAND EXPLOSION OF THE 1960s

For Hungarian jazz clarinet, the 1960s were nothing less than Canaan. The radio regularly broadcast recordings such as Artie Shaw’s Concerto for Clarinet by Gordon Lewin and the Melachrino Orchestra, and according to some accounts by Tony Scott and his ensemble as well. (To this day I have found no evidence that Scott actually recorded the work; it is possible that the radio simply introduced it under his name because of his fame.) Benny Goodman’s recordings, too – the work of the “King of Swing” – were often heard.

Then the English appeared, and they were immensely important for us. Radio and record stores overflowed with recordings by Chris Barber, Acker Bilk, and Kenny Ball. Immediately everyone began imitating these groups. By this time many people had grown tired of salon-orchestra-type ensembles, such as Holéczy’s group and later the Dance Orchestra of Hungarian Radio.

Then Benkó’s group and Molnár’s group appeared on the scene with their own distinct style, which in many cases was pure imitation – indeed, imitation of an imitation.

The first real English Dixieland recordings were made for Philips in 1954 (they became available again around 1988–1992): Terry Lightfoot, Ken Colyer, Chris Barber. Among these, the first favorites were above all Ian Wheeler and Monty Sunshine of Chris Barber’s band, later John Crocker, Acker Bilk’s Paramount Dixieland Band, and the Dutch Swing College Band led by Peter Schilperoort.

What is particularly interesting is that Hungarian clarinetists first began imitating these musicians, and only afterward looked and listened to where the style itself had originally come from. For example, among Acker Bilk’s many models, he takes Sidney Bechet’s Creole Jazz as a basis (a piece actually written by the French colleague Claude Luter), yet Gyula Molnár still plays the Bilk version to this day.

Thus the Dixieland of the 1920s and 1930s was revived in 1950s England, transformed there, and then enjoyed a third golden age in Hungary during the 1960s and 1970s. Meanwhile, however, in the world of dance music pieces such as Desafinado and others also appeared, so American jazz was resurfacing too, even if we did not say so explicitly.

The stylistic lines now began to diverge. There was the Dixieland of Benkó’s group, which often acquired a popular flavor, and that of Molnár’s group, which was somewhat more modern, since the influence of Tony Scott was also present. The Coltrane tradition also appeared – these motifs can be found in the clarinet style of Lajos Dudás – while in a smaller circle one also encountered mainstream or bebop. Around 1970 István Győri appeared with Buddy DeFranco pieces, such as Jákó Jazz.

The jazz life of the surrounding countries also held a fantastic fascination: the Leningrad Dixieland and the Traditional Jazz Studio, for example. Foreign jazzmen appeared at the jazz events of the Comecon countries, including Albert Nicholas, Joe Venuti, Tony Scott, and others. One could buy enormous quantities of records from the Polish Jazz series.

The many influences that suddenly reached musicians and fans naturally led to a fragmentation of genres.

In Gábor Koltay’s book on the Benkó Dixieland Band one finds popularity lists (see below), and later also in Géza Gábor Simon’s milestone book The Book of Hungarian Jazz. It is interesting to observe that among the names listed there are some that my own generation has never even heard of.

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YOUTH JAZZ CLUB BULLETIN, 1963

Popularity List

PIANO

1. Kornél Kertész

2. György Szabados

3. Jenő Balogh

4. János Fogarassy

5. György Vukán

6. Norbert Latzin

7. Gusztáv Csiky

8. Béla Lakatos

9. János Gonda

DOUBLE BASS

1. Aladár Pege

2. Balázs Berkes

3. Péter Scholtz

4. Endre Publik

5. Béla Szilárdi

DRUMS

1. Gyula Kovács

2. János Szudi

3. Sándor Mészáros

4. Miklós Kajlinger

5. Tibor Várnai

TRUMPET

1. Gábor Tánczos

2. Rudolf Tomsits

3. Róbert Somlyai

4. Béla Weissbach

5. Tibor Stark

TROMBONE

1. András Tarcsay

2. Péter Kovács

3. Róbert Somlyai

4. Emil Mosonyi

5. Balázs Joó

ALTO SAXOPHONE

1. Attila Sasvári

2. István Bergendy

3. István Ungár

4. Géza Söptei

TENOR SAXOPHONE

1. Imre Kulcsár

2. Lajos Dudás

3. Balázs Wulmann

4. Péter Bergendy

5. Attila Mittai

BARITONE SAXOPHONE

1. Lajos Dudás

2. István Ungár

3. István Bergendy

4. Géza Söptei

5. Tamás Mátrai

VIBRAPHONE

1. Péter Káldor

2. Gábor Radics

3. Károly Beimel

CLARINET

1. Attila Sasvári

2. Lajos Dudás

3. István Bergendy

4. János Novák and Sándor Benkó

FLUTE

1. Tamás Mátrai

2. Tamás Csíkvári

VIOLA

Dezső Csaba

OBOE

Péter Jagasich

MELODICA

Tibor Szele

FEMALE VOCALIST

1. Mária Szirmai

2. Mária Toldi

SMALL ENSEMBLE

1. Kornél Kertész Quartet

2. Balogh–Pege–Kovács Trio

3. Qualiton Ensemble

4. Nebuló Ensemble

5. Szabados Trio

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BENKÓ DIXIELAND BAND

The first ensemble that could truly be called Dixieland bore the name of Sándor Benkó. I once saw this band in an old television recording, and honestly speaking, it resembled an understaffed wind band more than a refined Dixieland group. Yet even so it was a curiosity in its time, and therefore it made an enormous impact.

They made their first recordings in 1967, and with that their triumphal march began – a march that continues to this day. Through them the Hungarian public came to know such names as Sandy Brown, Fatty George, Albert Nicholas (clarinetists), George Probert, Buddy Tate (saxophonists), Joe Newman (trumpet), and Al Grey (trombone).

For jazz clarinet, Sándor Benkó is an exceptional case, because neither technically nor musically does he truly command his instrument. His German-system clarinet also plays no small part in this. In principle it would suit the style better than the French system, but unfortunately, because of his stylistically inadequate handling of it, even this turns into a disadvantage.

The Benkó Dixieland Band is of interest to us because of its recordings. For example, on the recording made at the 1972 Alba Regia Jazz Festival, C-Jam Blues contains an interesting solo by Albert Nicholas, accompanied by the excellent pianist Béla Bagyari. In Nicholas’s style one often hears the use of the side-trill keys, which Benkó also adopted.

The finest recording is Sweet Georgia Brown made with Fatty George. On no other Hungarian recording, unfortunately, can one hear such a “duel” between clarinetists. In addition, George beautifully colors the singing of Iván Nagy in I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.

The most significant clarinetist in Hungary, however, is Gyula Molnár, leader of the Molnár Dixieland Band of Szeged.

GYULA MOLNÁR AND THE MOLNÁR DIXIELAND BAND

Gyula Molnár, born in Szeged in 1944, is perhaps the only internationally recognized Hungarian jazz clarinetist. He first encountered the clarinet at the age of nine and fell in love with it at first sight. His close family members played music for their own enjoyment, so he grew up surrounded by a genuine love of music.

His first instrument, a German-system clarinet, was bought for him by his father in Budapest for 1,100 forints, which at the time amounted to roughly one to one and a half months’ salary. The young boy was deeply influenced by the recordings of Louis Prima and Louis Armstrong.

Already during his primary-school years, Gyula Molnár led a small band that played dance music at school club afternoons. Among the mostly fashionable pieces of the day, older Dixieland numbers such as When the Saints Go Marching In were especially successful. For a short time he played in trios and quartets, but his heart was already drawn toward Dixieland. By the end of primary school he was also playing tenor saxophone.

For about five years he substituted in a Dixieland-style ensemble that may be regarded as the ancestor of the Molnár Dixieland Band. The first article about his band appeared in 1964, and already praised trombonist Árpád Mucsi, who remains a member of the ensemble to this day.

After many changes of personnel, the band eventually reached its definitive form and, contrary to all assumptions, developed into the best Hungarian Dixieland band. One of its outstanding players is the pianist and singer Márta Garay. Over the years major stars appeared with the ensemble, such as John Mortimer (trombone and slide trumpet) and the already mentioned Tony Scott.

On one occasion they played together with Tony Scott, and the Hungarian clarinetist learned something from the elderly master that may also be of interest to Hungarian clarinetists:

“I was talking with Tony Scott during a rehearsal at the Radio. I was looking at his instrument, because an enormous sound came out of his clarinet. It turned out that he swam for two hours every day. Suddenly he took my instrument out of my hands and played it. It was obvious that there was almost no difference between the sound of his own instrument and mine. It was a matter of blowing technique – that I noticed immediately.

I asked him how he did it. He said that he played with a relaxed embouchure, while I played the way they taught us at school, with the lower lip stretched against the lower teeth, the so-called pressure embouchure. He said that my way of blowing was not good for jazz, because it was impossible to achieve a beautiful sound that way. Just think, he said, I was squeezing the reed, and so not enough air could pass through it. The color of the sound changes as well.

I did not fully understand this from the explanation alone. Tony Scott saw that I was looking at him in confusion. He took the index finger of my right hand and simply put it into his own mouth, to show me how relaxed his lower lip was. With this brilliant gesture I understood at once how one should hold the clarinet, how relaxed the mouth should be. He demonstrated it by moving my finger in and out of his mouth. Just then the members of the band came out of the dressing room. They stared at the scene in astonishment and then burst into laughter.”

When I recently asked him in a telephone conversation what instrument he played, he answered laughing that one could write an entire article about his clarinet alone. He used his first instrument – the one already mentioned – in such a condition that the thumb rest had been replaced by a nail. He no longer remembers the brand.

Later, in Norway, he bought himself a Selmer clarinet, which, together with its Pomarico mouthpiece, was stolen after one of his club performances in Budapest. At that point Imre Kiss, a radio editor, contacted him and told him that Tony Scott had bought himself a new instrument in Hungary and, fearing difficulties with exporting it, had left his old one behind. This is how Gyula Molnár came into possession of a Selmer Series 9 clarinet from around 1950, a “hundred-leg” model, whose symbolic value is almost beyond estimation.

The restoration of this instrument took several years, since the gold plating on the keys had worn off, the brand name had been scraped away, and even parts of the wood had to be replaced. Of his many mouthpieces, he currently plays on an Otto Link mouthpiece given to him by Acker Bilk, with Vandoren 2½ reeds.

Throughout his entire life Gyula Molnár has remained true to himself: he has played heartfelt Dixieland on the clarinet. His models have included Edmond Hall, Ian Wheeler, Barney Bigard, Acker Bilk, Benny Goodman, Johnny Dodds, Tony Scott, and Fatty George. I think this list alone shows how fully he understood, from the beginning, the functions of the clarinet in jazz.

The Molnár Dixieland Band began its career at a great disadvantage, since provincial bands not only had to contend with distance, but also had to build and cultivate a jazz-loving audience in their own hometown. Molnár Gyula’s clarinet playing had a strong influence on me as well, because his technique, openness, and love of the instrument shine through on all of his recordings.

One of Molnár’s outstanding recordings is Creole Jazz (1982), on which the influence of Acker Bilk can be heard, yet Molnár is still more fiery and more temperamental than Bilk. This becomes especially clear in his second solo, where after the brass section he begins with a fast D minor arpeggiated figure, repeating it over two measures while constantly alternating the upper fourth note between A, B, and C.

Also interesting is the smooth glissando that appears frequently during his solos. These were introduced into the consciousness of jazz clarinetists by Artie Shaw. It is curious that from Shaw’s clarinet playing Molnár Gyula adopted practically nothing else.

Also worthy of attention are Oslo Blues, as well as the Turkish March (W. A. Mozart) from the album Molnár Meets Mortimer, and It’s Wonderful from the album Molnár Dixieland Band 25. This last recording is already more swing than Dixieland. Like Johnny Dodds and Rudolf Wirth, he also makes full use of the clarinet’s low register. Through his recordings, Gyula Molnár has left behind a significant legacy for the next generation.

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THE YOUNG GENERATION OF DIXIELAND CLARINETISTS

TIBOR VARGA

In the 1980s the practice of Dixieland broadened, and young Dixieland bands and clarinetists appeared on the scene. The clarinetist of the Lucky Boys Dixieland Band, which came to prominence on the television talent competition Ki Mit Tud?, was Tibor Varga.

On their first album, Where Is The Tiger?, the influence of Sándor Benkó is strongly noticeable – for example in the trills, the unnecessary and less successful register changes and leaps, and so on. That album did not yet arouse my interest.

Later, however, when I had the chance to play with him in 1996 at the 424 Jazz Club, his noticeably refined and forceful playing conveyed entirely independent musical ideas. Technically he is excellent, although nowadays he more often plays saxophone for professional reasons. Even so, Tibor Varga is one of the best Dixieland clarinetists in Hungary.

ZOLTÁN FINOK

Zoltán Finok became known through the Stúdium Dixieland Band, later worked abroad, and recently returned as a member of the Hot Jazz Band. Although he has since left that group as well, Finok remains one of the finest clarinetists in Hungary.

He has already moved beyond Dixieland and works strongly under the influence of Benny Goodman. Like Goodman, he uses a Selmer clarinet, and as a student of József Papp it is impossible that he could have escaped the strong influence of Charlie Parker.

I also had the opportunity to play with him, and I can state that he knows the foundations of jazz excellently. I base this conclusion, among other things, on the fact that over the first section of a tune built on the I Got Rhythm changes, he applied the theme of Apple Honey in an almost riff-like manner – and not every second Hungarian musician would think of such a solution.

His technique is superbly built, and his tone and sound would satisfy even the most discerning jazz expert, because they are warm and contain something of everyone from Benny Goodman to Eddie Daniels. When I asked him who his model was, he named Benny Goodman and Eddie Daniels, but added that he had many favorites.

His teachers were József Balogh and József Papp, and he studied from the usual Kröpsch–Jeanjean method. He also enjoys playing classical music; for example, he was a member for one year of the Budapest Symphonic Band, the best classical wind ensemble in Hungary.

LÁSZLÓ MARSALL

The young talent László Marsall took Finok’s place. He is more a saxophonist than a clarinetist, but he is still noteworthy on the clarinet. He often uses bebop turns of phrase, yet in his phrasing one still finds a Dixieland or swing atmosphere. He is the only one who completed college-level studies.

Not much can yet be written about him, because not enough recordings have been released so far for us to define either his development or his stylistic direction with certainty.

PÉTER SZŐKE

He has already retired, but Péter Szőke left behind many fine memories and recordings. After the Oldsmobile Dixieland he became a member of the Hot Jazz Band. At that time everyone said that he was one of the most talented clarinetists, the second Gyula Molnár.

There is something bad in every good thing, says the proverb, because Szőke fell so strongly under the influence of Coleman Hawkins that he almost completely put the clarinet aside. This is unfortunate, but at least the country can claim an excellent and stylish saxophonist as its own.

GÉZA KORB

Working alongside Szőke, and likewise under the influence of Coleman Hawkins, was Géza Korb, a member of the Bohém Ragtime Jazz Band from Kecskemét. Although he only rarely found himself in a clarinet role, whenever he came close to soloing he interpreted the great New Orleans style brilliantly.

Without knowing it, he also brought with him a fragment of the Ellington Orchestra, because his Leblanc clarinet evokes the sound of Jimmy Hamilton. This is noticeable even on ragtime recordings, for example in Hungarian Rag.

LÁSZLÓ FODOR

The true clarinetist of the Bohém Ragtime Jazz Band is László Fodor, certainly one of the most significant Hungarian Dixieland clarinetists. He is a conservatory-trained clarinet artist whose teachers were József Balogh and Béla Kovács. From the very beginning he has been one of Bohém’s strongest assets.

In his style the influence of Joe Murányi and Edmond Hall is mixed together. Excellent examples of this can be found in Royal Garden Blues and I Can’t Give You on the album Bohém Ragtime Jazz Band with Zeke Zarchy. In the former recording we hear back Edmond Hall’s throat tone, while in I Can’t Give You we may welcome the patterns of Joe Murányi.

Let us hope that he will gradually leave behind these “let’s sound like him because he is good” principles, because there is much more individuality in Fodor than to waste his talent on imitation and, in places, on writing out and replaying complete solos.

GÁBOR FARKAS

Alongside Géza Korb, the other ragtime-oriented musician is Gábor Farkas from the Budapest Ragtime Band. He also studied with József Papp. Although the Budapest Ragtime Band plays more written-out entertainment jazz, and therefore opportunities for clarinet solos arise only rarely, Farkas is a defining figure in Hungarian ragtime and Dixieland life. He uses an entirely classical-style ligature.

ISTVÁN ALMÁSI

István Almási is my personal favorite. On his Selmer clarinet, just like Zoltán Finok, he revives the Benny Goodman tradition. After leaving the Molnár Dixieland Band, he founded the Promenade Dixieland Band with his students of the time. By now they have developed into a fully mature ensemble, in which, alongside Almási, his son Attila Almási, a trombonist-saxophonist, plays a leading role. We were able to admire this at the Third Tata Jazz Research Camp in 1995.

Although Almási has greater respect for his own band, his more significant recordings were nevertheless made within the ranks of the Molnár Dixieland Band. Although very few of his clarinet recordings have survived so far, his orchestral work remains exemplary.

ZSOLT RÓZNER

Zsolt Rózner has also passed through many bands. At present he is the leader of the Budapest Dixieland Band, after returning to jazz life following a long break of four years.

His playing can really be analyzed from the album Wang Wang Blues by the Orient Dixieland Jazz Band. In the excellent program arranged by Attila Csányi, his playing in ensemble passages is firm and fits well with the dry atmosphere created by the brass section of two trumpets and one trombone. In his solos, strong mood elements generally dominate.

He studied privately with Bálint Szabó, a teacher at the Weiner Leó Secondary School of Music. His models are Joe Murányi, Edmond Hall, and Barney Bigard.

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THE DECLINE OF THE CLARINET – THE JAZZ DEPARTMENT

In 1965 János Gonda was entrusted with the organization and leadership of the Jazz Department at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. In practical terms, this department has continued to produce the best and most central figures of modern Hungarian jazz up to the present day.

Such excellent teachers have taught there as Balázs Berkes, Attila Garay, and earlier György Vukán, and among its graduates are musicians such as Ferenc Muck, Béla Szalóky, Kálmán Oláh, János Egri, and Elemér Balázs.

The one flaw of the jazz department is that it places the clarinet under the saxophone as a secondary instrument. Thus the clarinet is grouped, alongside the flute, as a compulsory optional instrument that must be studied for half a year.

In the past, and even today, this means that if a clarinetist wants to apply to the jazz department, he can do so only on the saxophone. One may say that he should complete the course and then later return to the clarinet, but this changes the instrument hold and embouchure so much – making them looser – that one may have to struggle for years afterward to recover a beautiful clarinet tone.

It is a great pity that the development of an instrument with such a rich past as the clarinet – an instrument that could claim names like Herrer, Wirth, and Holéczy as its own – could be cut off so drastically from further growth. True, the clarinet continued to live on in Dixieland and in dance songs, but the possibility evaporated that the instrument might produce such great figures as Tony Scott, Jimmy Giuffre, or Buddy DeFranco.

It is mistaken to accept as a “fact” that the clarinet experienced its golden age only during the swing era. Of course, more people listened to Benny Goodman than to Tony Scott, but that is due not to the clarinet itself but to the era. More people also listened to Jimmy Dorsey than to the historically decisive Charlie Parker, although both were alto saxophonists.

Thus the development of the clarinet continued in the wider world as well – see Eddie Daniels, Theo Jörgensmann, or Rolf Kühn – but in Hungary it was suppressed, and only a tiny group of enthusiastic amateurs kept it alive within the framework of Dixieland, unlike abroad.

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JAZZ CLARINETISTS LIVING ABROAD

The history of jazz abroad, right up to the present, has included numerous Hungarian or Hungarian-born figures. The vibraphonist Tommy Vig (Tamás Vig), for example, has been an outstanding figure in the American big-band scene since the 1970s. A number of Hungarian songs have also continued to enjoy international success, such as Autumn Leaves (Hulló levelek) and Gloomy Sunday (Szomorú vasárnap).

Clarinetists also owe much to those artists who left Hungary, for they transmit Hungarian musical heritage at a Western level. The most outstanding among them is Lajos Dudás.

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LAJOS DUDÁS

He was born in Budapest on February 12, 1941. He too learned the foundations of more modern music from Pál Herrer. (When I attended a masterclass with Dudás, he still remembered the house number of the Herrer family after forty years.) As a student at the Béla Bartók Secondary School of Music, he studied with Károly Váczi, whose name is associated with some of the most technically demanding clarinet methods. He later completed the teacher-training program of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.

He made his first recordings with Mihály Tabányi and His Soloists on alto and tenor saxophone, where his partners were István Bergendy and the already mentioned Rudolf Wirth. Later, combining his experiences in the Nebuló Orchestra with his classical studies, he made his first album, Reflection of Bach.

One might say that this was an approach similar to that of the pianist Eugen Cicero, but with clarinet and jazz trio, although it does not quite reach the depth of the equally pianistic Jacques Loussier. This album is analyzable less in purely musical terms than in terms of clarinet technique. Bach’s music demands absolute technical preparedness and, in addition to its own monotony, a superb musical sensitivity beyond mere dynamic control.

On this record Dudás excellently eliminates the differences between the clarinet’s registers. What we hear is not simply clarinet playing, but clarinet-centered chamber music. Some passages explicitly recall Bob Wilber’s first album with strings, New Clarinet In Town (1961).

A major step forward for Lajos Dudás was the grand prize awarded for Urban Blues, the opening track of the album Monte Carlo. In the field of modern jazz, chamber-like and clarinet-centered compositions are rare enough; a piece of this kind being recognized by an international jury is rarer still.

The work is built on the basic twelve-bar blues form, and already here we find those figures that he later used in his classical compositions: for example, large intervallic leaps from A to G and then on to G-flat, or rhythmically displaced sustained tones often preceded by a triplet.

A particular interest of the record is the participation of Attila Zoller, who, although he achieved much greater international fame, is in many places overshadowed by Dudás’s technically and musically structured manner of performance.

Within the framework of this essay it is not possible to analyze the musical content of every Dudás album, only the most outstanding clarinet-centered ones. One could hardly find anything more clarinet-oriented than CL-4, since on it four or five clarinetists play together. Musically, one might say that this is twentieth-century modern contemporary music transplanted into jazz by means of a clarinet ensemble. Theo Jörgensmann and Lajos Dudás are the two principal figures in the group, and both have remained much discussed ever since.

Released on the Pannon Jazz label, Maydance reveals a more refined, more jazz-rock-oriented side of Dudás. Alongside well-known jazz standards such as In Walked Bud and Solar, one also finds more rock-influenced pieces such as Ille Pille and At Carmelo’s, which boldly employ 9th, 11th, and 13th chords.

Dudás’s clarinet tone is at its most beautiful on this album. Characteristic of his style is the large number of melodies approached from a technical angle, along with their rhythmic placement. An example is Recital for solo clarinet, whose fourth movement features something like a bass line alternating between C-sharp and D, then suddenly shifting through a run to C and D-flat.

These works—including Valse pour Clarinette – though contemporary chamber pieces, stand very close to jazz. They may be heard on Dudás’s retrospective album Pannon Classic: Music for Clarinet, one of the finest releases of the label. In addition to three such solo pieces, the album also includes two tracks from CL-4, two others from Mistral, recorded with Tommy Vig, and a large-scale orchestral work entitled Hommage for Artie Shaw. Like many others, Lajos Dudás names Artie Shaw as one of his role models. In addition, he admires Benny Goodman, Buddy DeFranco, Eddie Daniels, and his colleague Theo Jörgensmann. His clarinet method resembles Pál Herrer’s saxophone school.

It presents the clarinet as a versatile instrument. Thus it contains not only Hungarian folk songs (as in the Balassa–Berkes method), and not only contemporary studies (as in Béla Kovács’s school), but also such evergreen pieces as The Carnival of Venice and Summertime. Of all Dudás’s albums, Change of Time is the most varied, containing everything from jazz to folk-inspired themes. Márta Szirmay sings on the recording.

Lajos Dudás lives in Neuss, Germany, where he teaches clarinet. He plays a Selmer clarinet, usually the newest model, since he is one of Selmer’s leading European representatives.

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YOCHK’O SEFFER

He was born in Miskolc in 1939 as József Seffer. He emigrated to France in 1956, by his own account simply out of a spirit of adventure and without his parents’ knowledge. In the end he established himself in the homeland of instrument making, and today he is one of the most highly regarded woodwind players. He is a representative of the Selmer company. He has recorded on soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass saxophone, bass clarinet, piano, and almost every other modern jazz instrument.

Although he did not make any major recordings on the clarinet itself, only on bass clarinet, he nevertheless had an outstanding influence on his fellow musicians. France is the Mecca of large-scale woodwind instrument manufacturing, where performance pieces and method books were written for the instruments designed and produced by the factories. I myself have also been to Paris, where the factories follow one another one after the other – Selmer, Leblanc, Buffet – as do the publishers, such as Alphonse Leduc, and so on. Seffer entered precisely such a milieu, and for that reason his knowledge rests on excellent foundations. His technique may be admired on almost all of his recordings; every run fits into the music and the character of the instrument with metronomic precision. In his music, at one moment rock-inflected elements appear, at another Hungarian turns of phrase, set into free jazz or even ethno-jazz.

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JOE MURÁNYI

Joe Murányi had the greatest influence on Hungarian jazz clarinet – and within that, on Dixieland clarinet in particular. Since he performed or recorded with virtually every Hungarian Dixieland band, his direct personal approach also made a strong impression on the clarinetists of these ensembles. He is regarded as one of the role models, though people tend to pay more attention to heart than to harmonic precision. Murányi truly learned the craft, and although Louis Armstrong’s name is mentioned everywhere in connection with him, I am convinced that he learned even more alongside Roy Eldridge and Ruby Braff.

He stepped into the place of such great names as Bob Wilber, Kenny Davern, and others. This does not mean that he was so outstanding within the American field itself, but rather that by the time he arrived, the clarinet could already claim such names as Jimmy Giuffre, Perry Robinson, and John Carter. By the time Joe Murányi began, his style was in practice already outdated. By his own admission, bebop was no longer even music – in his words, “chicken music.” Yet at the same time he likes Buddy DeFranco, who is an absolutely bebop clarinetist, and does not care for Pete Fountain, who is a true New Orleans-based Dixieland clarinetist devoted to the roots.

The young Joe grew up during the swing era, so it is no wonder that alongside Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Woody Herman he soon fell under the spell of the clarinet. Characteristic features of his playing are his strong swing feel and his use of the instrument’s upper register. (When we played together once at the Oslo Jazz Festival in 1997, we traded fours for two choruses using only the upper octave.) He uses a Buffet clarinet and a Vandoren mouthpiece, together with Rico Royal reeds. He bought his instrument in the largest music shop in New York in the early 1960s, and according to his own account he chose it from among 650 clarinets. His mouthpiece was adjusted to his embouchure by a colleague.

The secret of his huge sound, however, lies in the barrel, which is a special AccuBore barrel. It is a metal barrel resembling a radiator grille, identical in size and internal bore to the original wooden one, but with an exterior turned into ten to fifteen ribbed sections. In this way the solid body becomes thinner; the sound does not have to vibrate through such a large mass, and can therefore pass more forcefully into the rest of the instrument. If we look through the ribs, we can see that the inside of the barrel is shaped like an hourglass. Today plastic versions are also made in which the ribs are absent and only this hourglass form remains. In America, besides Murányi, Buddy DeFranco also uses one and has even given demonstrations about it.

Alongside Bobby Hackett, Ruby Braff was one of the great exponents of swing trumpet playing. His ability to remain in the foreground was made possible not only by his excellent expressive powers and finely crafted trumpet playing, but also by his musical partners. Representatives of the younger generation were always present in his groups within the refined swing idiom. In the 1950s and 1960s his bands included Dave McKenna and George Wein on piano, Zoot Sims on tenor saxophone, and Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar. Later he made duo albums and also appeared regularly in Benny Goodman’s Basin Street group, often in place of Charlie Shavers. In recent decades he has been one of the major veterans of the Concord label, with whom he has been under contract for some twenty years, recording with such talents as Scott Hamilton, Phil Flanigan, Michael Moore, Ken Peplowski, and Roger Kellaway.

Joe Murányi thus found himself in an orchestra in which the style he loved was cultivated at the highest level, and this momentum carried him forward as well. He once told me that with Braff it could happen that in the third bar of his solo he would point at the next player who was supposed to take over, and if that person could not instantly pick up the thread, he would be in trouble after the concert. Naturally, one also had to stay alert alongside Louis Armstrong, since Murányi took over the role of such greats as Edmond Hall, Barney Bigard, Buster Bailey, and Joe Darensbourg. But with Armstrong one had to play not only jazz, but also the great tried-and-true popular songs, in which the clarinet has a written accompaniment, often consisting of sustained notes—for example in Hello Dolly or C’est Si Bon.

His most important recording is undoubtedly the joint album with Herb Hall. Edmond Hall’s brother plays genuine, unadulterated New Orleans traditional Dixieland clarinet. In keeping with the style, he uses a German-system clarinet. On the Fat Cat Records release, Joe Murányi is heard at his absolute best, proving an excellent partner to the “master.” His playing is eloquent, carefully shaped, and truly clarinetistic. He handles the instrument well both in relation to the style and to the instrument itself. He is in harmony with himself, with Herb Hall, and equally with the rhythm section. It is a pity that he plays the last two tracks on soprano saxophone, so the album does not remain at the same level throughout. The two clarinetists function as real partners for one another – just as on Benkó’s recording with Fatty George – listening and responding to each other’s ideas and musical statements.

Joe Murányi’s own ensemble is the Classic Jazz Quartet, active for decades. This is a tradition-preserving group in which the excellent guitarist Marty Grosz also plays. On these recordings Joe is the absolute soloist, playing almost every theme himself, yet the music still remains chamber-like in character.

From a Hungarian perspective, Joe Murányi made so many recordings that it is almost impossible to avoid his name and music among domestic releases. He worked with the Benkó Dixieland Band, the Bohém Ragtime Jazz Band, the Orient Dixieland Jazz Band, the Hot Jazz Band, the Molnár Dixieland Band, the Storyville Dixieland Band, and who knows with how many other musicians in informal sessions at Hungarian festivals.

His playing is distinctive and unique. He regards the old great New Orleans clarinetists – such as Omer Simeon, Irving Fazola, and Leon Rappolo – as his models. He belongs to that small group of musicians who, in addition to performing, also research the legends of earlier times. Murányi’s gramophone and record collection is enormous, and beyond that he also collects old instruments.

Here is an excerpt from our information bulletin on the 1994 Tata Jazz Research Camp, which in the end was omitted from the first issue of the professional journal Jazzklarinétos:

“After the introduction by Géza Gábor Simon, chairman of the board of the Hungarian Jazz Research Society, Tamás Ittzés presented and compared Scott Joplin’s American rags with the recently discovered Hungarian ragtimes and cakewalks. He then demonstrated their orchestrations with the participation of the Bohém Ragtime Band (which, according to his own confession, ‘can best be arranged in peace on an English toilet’).

Before dinner Joe Murányi also joined the band, though he was reluctant to take out his Buffet instrument. During the concert Joe busied himself with spontaneously translating the song lyrics into Hungarian. After the interesting concert we had fish for dinner, which in a curious way really did taste like fish. Then we listened to concerts until one in the morning. Since Nigerian athletes were also staying on the camp grounds (which cannot happen this year), they too listened to the music with us, to the great sorrow and outrage of the Hungarian coaches. During the concerts, because of the beer bottles and the not-yet-installed air conditioning, the musicians surely lost a few kilos.”

The next day Uncle Joe gave a presentation entitled The Clarinet and I, in which he described his first encounter with the instrument:

“…and then along came Woody Herman, of German descent, and rose up out of the ground. His purple clarinet glowed in the dark, and he was playing the song Blue Flame. I liked that tune very, very much.”

He also demonstrated and compared the German and French clarinet systems (Albert system and Boehm system):

“…I have three Buffets at home, a house, money in the bank, this and that, so I live well, and now I’m beginning to collect Albert-system clarinets. I’d like to learn to play on one so that it sounds like Omer Simeon, because there is less metal in the Albert system, and because of that it has a fuller tone.”

VIKTOR BURGHARDT

Viktor Burghardt, who lives in Zurich, Switzerland, is the saxophonist of a local big band. His clarinet playing can be found mainly on radio recordings. Unfortunately I was unable to obtain any of these, and according to available discographies no commercial clarinet release by him seems to exist. What I did learn about him is that, in keeping with German-speaking traditions, he too uses a German-system clarinet.

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JAZZ IN CLASSICAL CLARINET PLAYING – CLASSICAL CLARINETISTS IN JAZZ

The blending of jazz into classical music has in fact been present from the very beginnings of the genre’s history. Already in the early period one can find Joplin ragtimes composed or arranged for clarinet ensembles – typically for two or three B-flat clarinets and one bass clarinet. We should not forget that before the double bass, the tuba and the bass saxophone fulfilled the bass function, and in the clarinet ensemble it is the bass clarinet that takes over this role.

Later this tendency kept growing, until George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue established the clarinet firmly in the public consciousness. It may not be too bold to suggest that from that point onward jazz-influenced works became a regular part of classical clarinet concerts. In the 1930s the American entertainment industry began publishing solo transcriptions and methods connected with Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, Artie Shaw, and Jimmy Dorsey, thereby offering the possibility of serious preparation even to those who were not in direct contact with jazz.

Among these materials, Templeton’s Bach Goes to Town and Artie Shaw’s Concerto for Clarinet are especially important. In Hungary this latter work became known through radio broadcasts in the 1960s and 1970s and has frequently surfaced around the conservatory and academy ever since. Most recently József Balogh recorded it with the Zsolnay Nostalgia Big Band.

Among such pieces, Joplin’s The Entertainer is especially popular, as is Morro’s Sonatina, a work built on a 6/8 blues structure. Naturally, such performances often remain far removed from jazz proper. Lajos Dudás also wrote similar pieces, though these stand on the border between modern jazz and twentieth-century contemporary music.

Among Hungarian clarinetists, two figures in particular have made recordings that may be regarded as jazz in a genuine sense: Béla Kovács and József Balogh.

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BÉLA KOVÁCS

Béla Kovács was born in 1937. He completed his studies at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music. From 1956 onward he served as principal clarinetist of the Hungarian State Opera and the Budapest Philharmonic Society Orchestra. In 1962 he became one of the founders of the Hungarian Wind Quintet. He is one of Hungary’s finest instrumental artists, and with his concerts and recordings he has achieved unqualified success with both audiences and critics at home and abroad.

The simplest and best description of Béla Kovács is: simple, yet great. Ninety-nine percent of Hungarian clarinetists begin to prepare seriously for the profession under his influence. His tone is soft and dark, yet powerful. Those who know him delight in his extraordinary talent, because he can produce practically any piece at concert level without rehearsal or practice.

His recording with the Swing und Musical Orchester Graz dates from 1990. On this recording we hear two great evergreen swing pieces: Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller and Begin the Beguine, a signature success of Artie Shaw’s orchestra.

The recording that best fits our subject is Kovács Clarinet Quintet – Classical Evergreen. On it we find Scott Joplin’s Easy Winners, performed by the five clarinetists in complete unity. Here we hear an outstanding example of the kind of jazz transcription discussed above.

Béla Kovács’s most recent jazz recording was made as soloist with the Zsolnay Nostalgia Big Band. What he plays is a true swing standard, Tenderly, which in this case he also arranged himself. The clarinet that emerges above the big band recalls Benny Goodman. Although the tone here is much rounder, it still projects beautifully from the brass-and-woodwind background. Kovács also improvises here, and in this regard rises far above the other classical clarinetists who play jazz-related material.

He plays a Buffet clarinet with Vandoren mouthpieces and reeds, and also serves as a representative for these companies. He is a professor in the Academy division of the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music.

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JÓZSEF BALOGH

He was born in 1956. He is a clarinetist, teacher, arranger, and the founder and leader of several musical ensembles, including ClarSix, the Budapest Concert Winds, and the Ózon Wind Quintet. He began his musical studies at the age of nine. In 1979 he received his diploma from the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music as a student of Béla Kovács, and from 1988 to 1992 he himself taught at the Academy. From 1976 onward he was a clarinetist of the Hungarian State Opera, and from 1985 until 1997 principal clarinetist of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

His repertoire extends from the Baroque to contemporary styles. He is an excellent connoisseur of every style and period, and besides the clarinet he also plays saxophone and tárogató.

Alongside classical music, he is also an outstanding performer in other genres, including jazz, folk music, and klezmer. He performs regularly at festivals in Hungary and abroad. Of particular importance in his biography is the fact that he played together with Eddie Daniels and also enjoyed a personal friendship with Buddy DeFranco. He encountered jazz already in childhood, as both his father and grandfather were entertainment musicians. Later he became a member of jazz ensembles such as the Szekszárd Big Band and Mihály Tabányi and His Soloists.

József Balogh was born in Pécs, and both his grandfather and father were musicians in one of the area’s entertainment bands. His grandfather played alto saxophone, while his father played clarinet and tenor saxophone. Later, as a student in Budapest, he had the opportunity to buy many of the jazz records available at the time, such as the Leningrad Dixieland Band, Chris Barber, and other clarinet-centered jazz recordings.

Not long afterward, as a member of the Szekszárd Big Band, he often drew on the legacy of these records when, in order to add variety to the big-band program, they played Dixieland with a smaller ensemble consisting of trumpet, trombone, clarinet, and rhythm section.

In the early 1990s he also became one of Mihály Tabányi’s soloists, although only amateur recordings were made from that period. Nowadays he travels frequently to the United States, and in his opinion the separation between classical and jazz education in Hungary constitutes an irreparable disadvantage when compared with standards overseas.

At present he works with the Zsolnay Nostalgia Big Band, where he is the solo clarinetist, and he has recorded Artie Shaw’s Concerto for Clarinet with them.

Even from this brief overview we can see how strongly the history of the instrument’s development in lighter genres could affect a single person, often without his realizing it, from Tabányi all the way to Dudás. Through the life path of József Balogh we can observe the meeting points of wedding dance music, dance songs, and modern jazz.

At present the practice of modern jazz clarinet has still not truly gained momentum, although among younger musicians many show an affinity for it. I hope that this study may soon be expanded with representatives of a new generation, and that the very concept of Hungarian jazz clarinet may continue to grow, attracting interest from the West as well.

I trust that with this study I have been able, in some small way, to contribute to Hungarian jazz research. If I have omitted anyone who feels he should have been included, or if I have offended anyone with strong critical remarks, I ask their pardon herewith. In my work I was guided by professional conscientiousness and by respect for the genre and for my instrument.

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INSTRUMENT GUIDE

Pál Herrer – Selmer, later Leblanc clarinet

Sándor Benkó – Arthur Uebel clarinet

Gyula Molnár – Selmer clarinet; Otto Link II mouthpiece; Vandoren 2½ reeds

Tibor Varga – Buffet clarinet; Selmer mouthpiece; Vandoren 3 reeds

Zoltán Finok – Selmer clarinet; Vandoren reeds

László Marsall – Marigaux clarinet; Vandoren mouthpiece and reeds

Géza Korb – Leblanc clarinet; Vandoren mouthpiece and reeds

László Fodor – Buffet clarinet; Vandoren mouthpiece and reeds

Gábor Farkas – Buffet clarinet; Vandoren mouthpiece and reeds

István Almási – Selmer clarinet

Zsolt Rózner – Buffet clarinet; Vandoren B40 mouthpiece; Vandoren Black Master 2½ reeds

Lajos Dudás – Selmer clarinet; Vandoren B40 or Pomarico 0 glass mouthpiece; Vandoren reeds

Yochk’o Seffer – Selmer instruments; Vandoren reeds

Joe Murányi – Buffet clarinet; Vandoren mouthpiece; Rico Royal reeds

Béla Kovács – Buffet clarinet; Vandoren mouthpiece and reeds

József Balogh – Frank Hammerschmidt clarinets; Charles Bay mouthpiece; Rico Grand Concert Thick Blank reeds

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DISCOGRAPHY

Benkó Dixieland Band — Fatty George–Albert Nicholas — Hungaroton SLPX 17479

Benkó Dixieland Band — Bank of Benkó — Glória-Videoton GV 0002

Benkó Dixieland Band — Christmas Mass — Hungaroton HCD 37524

Bohém Ragtime Jazz Band — With Zeke Zarchy — Pannon Jazz PJ 1020

Bohém Ragtime Jazz Band — Hungarian Rag — Tandem Ferdinandus TR-HSJR 2004

Budapest Ragtime Band — Elite Syncopations — Pan 122

CL 4 — Alte und Neue Wege — Konnex ST 5007

ClarSix — MKSZ 1.

Daniels, Eddie — The Five Seasons — Shanachie/Cachet 5017

DeFranco, Buddy — Presenting — Mercury SR 6685

Dudás Lajos — Change of Time — Rayna CD 1007

Dudás Lajos — Maydance — Pannon Jazz 1003

Dudás Lajos — Music for Clarinet — Pannon Classic PCL 8007

Dudás Lajos — The Akadimpex Concerts — Pannon Jazz PJ 1015

Dudás Lajos — Reflection of Bach — Metram 02216

Dudás Lajos — Monte Carlo — Rayna 1005

Dudás Lajos — Sunshine State — Konnex ST 5004

Goodman, Benny – Shaw, Artie — Kings of Clarinet — Hallmark 300122

Herman, Woody — The Entertainers

Holéczy Ensemble — Mesterhang — Super M 714C8

Hungarian Swing — Pannon Jazz PJ 1013

Kovács Béla — Klasszikus Örökzöldek — Pesti Est

Lucky Boys Dixieland Band — Where Is The Tiger? — Hungaroton SLPX 37232

Molnár Dixieland Band — 25 — Radioton SLPX 37343

Molnár Dixieland Band — Szeged Oldtimers — Beerendonk 99913

Molnár Dixieland Band — Molnár Meets Mortimer — Krém SLPX 17967

Oldsmobile Dixieland Jazz Band — Dixieland Jazz — Aurophon 31613

Orient Dixieland Jazz Band — Wang-Wang Blues — SPT 0110

Orient Dixieland Jazz Band with Joe Murányi — South — ODJB BK 1103

Promenade Dixieland Band — At The Jazz Band Ball — Promenade MC

Scott, Tony – Evans, Bill — Date of New York — Jazz Door 1236/37

Stúdium Dixieland — Exactly Like You — Szinapidis BP 296

Swing und Musical Orchester Graz — Swing Time Superhits — ATP CD 52

Tabányi Mihály és Szólistái — Pinocchio Zenekar — Odeon MF 104

Zsolnay, Vilmos Nosztalgia Big Band — VZS 003

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Klarinétos Magazin, No. 1

Klarinétos Magazin, No. 8

Bielefelder Jazz Katalog 1979

Buddy DeFranco — Hand in Hand with Hanon

Lajos Dudás — Valse pour Clarinette

Lajos Dudás — Recital

Lajos Dudás — Hommage to Artie Shaw

Lajos Dudás — Klarinétiskola

Duke Ellington — Mindenem a muzsika

József Fritz — Jazzklarinétos, No. 3

József Fritz — Jazzklarinétos, unpublished

János Gonda — Mi a jazz?

Guinness Jazz Zenészek Lexikona

Pál Herrer — Szaxofoniskola

Gábor Koltay — Benkó Dixieland Band Story

András Pernye — A jazz

Artie Shaw — Clarinet Method

Géza Gábor Simon — Magyar Jazzdiszkográfia 1905–1994

Géza Gábor Simon — A klarinét dimenziói

Géza Gábor Simon — The Book of Hungarian Jazz

Géza Gábor Simon — A Szegedi Molnár Dixieland története

Géza Gábor Simon — Magyar Jazzlemezek 1912–1984

Bill Smith — Jazz Clarinet

László Újházy — Fejezetek a klarinét történetéből

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my thanks to the following:

Tamás Pornói, József Balogh, Lajos Dudás, István Varga, Tibor Varga, István Vajda, László Újházy, Tamás Ittzés, Joe Murányi, János Mazura, Géza Gábor Simon,

as well as

Péter Nagy and his unique Tabányi collection,

the members of the Fritz Jazz Timers: Miklós Bürger, Károly Szőke, Orsolya Nagy, László Töttös, Zsolt Lőrinczy,

and also

my teachers, and everyone who has supported my work so far.

Special thanks are due to Ida Fritz for her conscientious work and enthusiastic support.

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CURRICULUM VITAE

Name: József Róbert Fritz

Place and date of birth: Budapest, January 22, 1978

Address: Dunakeszi, 2120 Pavilon u. 7.

Musical Education

1985–1989: Violin studies at the 3rd District Music School, Budapest

1989–1995: Clarinet studies at the Gyula Erkel Music School, Budapest — under the influence of Benny Goodman

1995–1998: Clarinet studies at the Postás Cultural Center — teacher: József Papp

1995–1998: Classical clarinet studies privately — teacher: József Balogh

Ensembles

1995–1999: Leader of the Pannon Jazz Group

January 1997 – April 1998: Clarinetist and tenor saxophonist of the Bohém Ragtime Jazz Band

From November 1997: Guest musician of the blues band Dr. Valter & The Lawbreakers

From 1999: Leader of the Fritz Jazz Timers

Masterclasses

April 1996: Yochk’o Seffer (France)

June 1996: Lajos Dudás (Germany)

August 1996: Marcus Eley (USA)

August 1996: Robert Riseling (Canada)

August 1998: Charles Bay (USA)

Events and Festivals

June 1997: Guest at the Paris International Clarinet Festival; personal meetings with Buddy DeFranco, Bill Smith, Paquito D’Rivera, and Eiji Kitamura

July 1997: Participant at the Oslo Jazz Festival as a member of the Bohém Ragtime Jazz Band, performing together with Roger Kellaway and Joe Murányi

Source: https://www.jazznoise.hu/hangszerek/1369-a-magyar-jazzklarinetozas-toertenete