Kenny Davern
Encyclopedia
Kenny Davern born John Kenneth Davern, was one of the premier jazz
clarinet
ists of his generation.
, Long Island
to a family of mixed Jewish and Irish-Catholic ancestry. His mother’s family originally came from Vienna
, Austria
, where his great-grandfather Alfred Roth had been a colonel
in the Austro-Hungarian cavalry
, the highest rank accessible to a Jew in the Habsburg
Imperial army.
After hearing Pee Wee Russell
the first time, he was convinced that he wanted to be a jazz musician, too; and at the age of 16 he joined the musician's union, first as a baritone saxophone
player. In 1954 he joined Jack Teagarden
's Band, and after only a few days with the band he made his first jazz recordings. Later on, he worked with bands led by Phil Napoleon
and Pee Wee Erwin
before joining the Dukes of Dixieland
in 1962. The late 1960s found him free-lancing with, among others, Red Allen
, Ralph Sutton
, Yank Lawson
and his life-long friend Dick Wellstood
.
At this time, he had also taken up the soprano saxophone
, and when a spontaneous coupling with fellow reedman Bob Wilber
at Dick Gibson's Colorado Jazz Party turned out be a huge success, one of the most important jazz groups of the 1970s, Soprano Summit, was born. Co-led by Wilber and Davern, both switching between the clarinet
and various saxophone
s, during the next five years Soprano Summit enjoyed a very successful string of record dates and concerts. When the group disbanded in 1979, Davern devoted himself to solely playing clarinet
, preferring trio formats with piano
and drums
. His collaboration with Bob Wilber was revived in 1991, the new group being called Summit Reunion. Leading his own quartets since the 1990s, Davern has preferred the guitar
to the piano
in his rhythm section
, employing guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli
, Howard Alden
and James Chirillo
.
In 1997, he was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame
at Rutgers University
, and in 2001 he received an honorary doctorate of music at Hamilton College, Clinton, New York
. In addition to the jazz greats that inspired him, Kenny Davern indicates classical clarinetist David Weber, principal solo clarinetist with the New York City Ballet
Orchestra, as his most important teacher.
Although playing mainly in traditional jazz and swing
settings, his musical interests encompass a much broader range of styles. In 1978 he collaborated with avantgarde players Steve Lacy
, Steve Swallow
and Paul Motian
on a free jazz
-inspired album appropriately entitled Unexpected. In addition to his accomplishments in jazz, his ardour and knowledge of classical music is encyclopaedic, particularly of the work of conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler
.
Especially since he has been concentrating on exclusively playing the clarinet
, Kenny Davern has been calling his own an unmatched mastery of the instrument. A full, rounded tone, especially "woody" in the lower chalumeau
register, combined with highly personal tone inflections and the ability to hit notes far above the conventional range of the clarinet
, have made his sound immediately recognizable. In the late 1980s, the New York Times hailed him as "the finest jazz clarinetist playing today". Kenny died of a heart attack
at his Sandia Park, New Mexico home.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
ists of his generation.
Biography
He was born in HuntingtonHuntington, New York
The Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
to a family of mixed Jewish and Irish-Catholic ancestry. His mother’s family originally came from Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, where his great-grandfather Alfred Roth had been a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in the Austro-Hungarian cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
, the highest rank accessible to a Jew in the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...
Imperial army.
After hearing Pee Wee Russell
Pee Wee Russell
Charles Ellsworth Russell, much better known by his nickname Pee Wee Russell, was a jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but eventually focused solely on clarinet....
the first time, he was convinced that he wanted to be a jazz musician, too; and at the age of 16 he joined the musician's union, first as a baritone saxophone
Baritone saxophone
The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
player. In 1954 he joined Jack Teagarden
Jack Teagarden
Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden , known as "Big T" and "The Swingin' Gate", was an influential jazz trombonist, bandleader, composer, and vocalist, regarded as the "Father of Jazz Trombone".-Early life:...
's Band, and after only a few days with the band he made his first jazz recordings. Later on, he worked with bands led by Phil Napoleon
Phil Napoleon
Phil Napoleon , born Filippo Napoli, was an early jazz trumpeter and bandleader born in Boston, Massachusetts...
and Pee Wee Erwin
Pee Wee Erwin
Pee Wee Erwin was an American jazz trumpeter.-Biography:Erwin started on trumpet at age four. He played in several territory bands before joining the groups of Joe Haymes and Isham Jones...
before joining the Dukes of Dixieland
Dukes of Dixieland
Dukes of Dixieland was a New Orleans dixieland revival band formed in 1948 by brothers Frank Assunto, trumpet; Fred Assunto, trombone; and their father Papa Jac Assunto, trombone and banjo. Their first records featured Jack Maheu, clarinet; Stanley Mendelsohn, piano; Tommy Rundell, drums; and...
in 1962. The late 1960s found him free-lancing with, among others, Red Allen
Red Allen
Henry James "Red" Allen was a jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose style has been claimed to be the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstrong.-Life and career:...
, Ralph Sutton
Ralph Sutton
Ralph Earl Sutton was an American jazz pianist born in Hamburg, Missouri. He was a stride pianist in the tradition of James P. Johnson and Fats Waller....
, Yank Lawson
Yank Lawson
John Rhea "Yank" Lawson was a jazz trumpeter known for Dixieland and swing music....
and his life-long friend Dick Wellstood
Dick Wellstood
Richard MacQueen "Dick" Wellstood was an American jazz pianist...
.
At this time, he had also taken up the soprano saxophone
Soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
, and when a spontaneous coupling with fellow reedman Bob Wilber
Bob Wilber
Bob Wilber is an internationally recognized American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist and band leader living in Chipping Campden, England. Although his scope covers a wide range of jazz, Wilber has been a dedicated advocate of classic styles, working throughout his career to present traditional jazz...
at Dick Gibson's Colorado Jazz Party turned out be a huge success, one of the most important jazz groups of the 1970s, Soprano Summit, was born. Co-led by Wilber and Davern, both switching between the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and various saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
s, during the next five years Soprano Summit enjoyed a very successful string of record dates and concerts. When the group disbanded in 1979, Davern devoted himself to solely playing clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, preferring trio formats with piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. His collaboration with Bob Wilber was revived in 1991, the new group being called Summit Reunion. Leading his own quartets since the 1990s, Davern has preferred the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
to the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
in his rhythm section
Rhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
, employing guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli
Bucky Pizzarelli
John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli is an American Jazz guitarist and banjoist, and the father of jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and upright bassist Martin Pizzarelli. Pizzarelli has also worked for NBC as a staffman for Dick Cavett and also ABC with Bobby Rosengarden in...
, Howard Alden
Howard Alden
Howard Alden is an American jazz guitarist born in Newport Beach, California. He has recorded a long series of albums for Concord Records. His performances were dubbed over Sean Penn as 'Emmet Ray' in the 1999 Woody Allen film Sweet and Lowdown...
and James Chirillo
James Chirillo
James Louis Chirillo is an American jazz guitarist, jazz banjoist, composer, arranger, and band leader...
.
In 1997, he was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, and in 2001 he received an honorary doctorate of music at Hamilton College, Clinton, New York
Clinton, Oneida County, New York
Clinton is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,952 at the 2000 census. It was named for George Clinton, a royal governor of the colony of New York....
. In addition to the jazz greats that inspired him, Kenny Davern indicates classical clarinetist David Weber, principal solo clarinetist with the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
Orchestra, as his most important teacher.
Although playing mainly in traditional jazz and swing
Swing (genre)
Swing music, also known as swing jazz or simply swing, is a form of jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and became a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States...
settings, his musical interests encompass a much broader range of styles. In 1978 he collaborated with avantgarde players Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy , born Steven Norman Lackritz in New York City, was a jazz saxophonist and composer recognized as one of the important players of soprano saxophone....
, Steve Swallow
Steve Swallow
Steve Swallow is a jazz double bass and bass guitarist and composer born in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.One of the leading bassists in jazz, Swallow is noted for collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton and Carla Bley...
and Paul Motian
Paul Motian
Stephen Paul Motian was an American jazz drummer, percussionist and composer of Armenian extraction.He first came to prominence in the late 1950s in the piano trio of Bill Evans, and later led several groups...
on a free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
-inspired album appropriately entitled Unexpected. In addition to his accomplishments in jazz, his ardour and knowledge of classical music is encyclopaedic, particularly of the work of conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler
Wilhelm Furtwängler was a German conductor and composer. He is widely considered to have been one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. By the 1930s he had built a reputation as one of the leading conductors in Europe, and he was the leading conductor who remained...
.
Especially since he has been concentrating on exclusively playing the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, Kenny Davern has been calling his own an unmatched mastery of the instrument. A full, rounded tone, especially "woody" in the lower chalumeau
Chalumeau
This article is about the historical musical instrument. For the register on the clarinet that is named for this instrument, see Clarinet#Range....
register, combined with highly personal tone inflections and the ability to hit notes far above the conventional range of the clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, have made his sound immediately recognizable. In the late 1980s, the New York Times hailed him as "the finest jazz clarinetist playing today". Kenny died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at his Sandia Park, New Mexico home.
Discography
| Title | Released | Note | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dialogues Dialogues (Kenny Davern album) Dialogues is a studio recording from June 2005 by the late clarinetist Kenny Davern and tenor saxophonist/clarinetist Ken Peplowski, released by the Arbors Records label... |
2006-05-08 | w/ Ken Peplowski Ken Peplowski Ken Peplowski is a jazz clarinetist born in Cleveland, Ohio, known primarily for playing in the swing music idiom. He is sometimes compared to Benny Goodman in terms of tone and virtuosity... |
Arbors Records Arbors Records Arbors Records is an independent American jazz record label based in Clearwater, Florida. It was founded by the family team of Mat and Rachel Domber in 1989, initially devoted to the recordings of their friend Rick Fay.-History:... |
| No One Else But Kenny No One Else But Kenny No One Else But Kenny is a studio album by the late clarinetist Kenny Davern recorded shortly before his death. It showcases Kenny with his trio, taking a break from his normal routine of dixieland style playing in favor of a more swinging project.... |
2006-11-21 | Kenny Davern Trio | Sackville Records |
| In Concert at the Outpost Performance Space, Albuquerque 2004 In Concert at the Outpost Performance Space, Albuquerque 2004 In Concert at the Outpost Performance Space, Albuquerque 2004 is a live recording of the late clarinetist Kenny Davern and his quartet, a recording of swinging dixieland music.- Track listing :#Ole Miss #Careless Love... |
2005-09-13 | Kenny Davern Quartet | Arbors Records |
| At the Mill Hill Playhouse At the Mill Hill Playhouse At the Mill Hill Playhouse is a dixieland revival jazz recording by the late clarinetist Kenny Davern and his quartet, certain to please fans.- Track listing :#"I Want to Be Happy" #"Someday Sweetheart" #"It's Tight Like That"... |
2003-11-04 | Kenny Davern Quartet | Arbors Records |
| The Kings of Jazz The Kings of Jazz featuring Kenny Davern Live in Concert 1974 The Kings of Jazz featuring Kenny Davern Live in Concert 1974 is technically a Kenny Davern album, though the ensemble of musicians accompanying him on this recording add just as much as he to the overall output; Davern was not leader here. Included on the recording are artists like Dick Hyman and... |
2003-08-05 | - | Arbors Records |
| Live at the Floating Jazz Festival Live at the Floating Jazz Festival (Kenny Davern album) Live at the Floating Jazz Festival is a live recording by clarinetist Kenny Davern and clarinetist and saxophonist Joe Temperley, accompanied by John Bunch among others... |
2002-01-22 | w/ Joe Temperley Joe Temperley Joe Temperley is a Scottish saxophonist. He has performed on various instruments but is most associated with the baritone saxophone and bass clarinet.... |
Chiaroscuro Records |
| The Jazz KENnection The Jazz KENnection The Jazz KENnection is a 2001 release of the late clarinetist Kenny Davern and clarinetist and saxophonist Ken Peplowski from Arbors Records... |
2001-10-30 | w/ Ken Peplowski | Arbors Records |
| A Night With Eddie Condon A Night with Eddie Condon A Night with Eddie Condon is a 2001 album by clarinetist Kenny Davern originally recorded live in 1971, joined of course by guitarist Eddie Condon... |
2001-05-01 | w/ Eddie Condon Eddie Condon Albert Edwin Condon , better known as Eddie Condon, was a jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. A leading figure in the so-called "Chicago school" of early Dixieland, he also played piano and sang on occasion.... |
Arbors Records |
| You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet | 2001-01-01 | - | Jazzology |
| Smiles | 1998-01-01 | Arbors Records Arbors Records Arbors Records is an independent American jazz record label based in Clearwater, Florida. It was founded by the family team of Mat and Rachel Domber in 1989, initially devoted to the recordings of their friend Rick Fay.-History:... |
|
| Breezin' Along Breezin' Along Breezin' Along was an LP album by The Four Lads released by Columbia Records as catalog number CL 1223 and CS 8035 in 1958, containing mostly popular standard songs... |
1996-06-13 | - | Arbors Records |
| Spanish Eyes | 1995-11-05 | Chiaroscuro Records | |
| Never in a Million Years | 1995-10-01 | - | Challenge Records Challenge Records Challenge Records has been the name of at least three different record labels in the 20th century:* Challenge Records - a US based company* Challenge Records - a US based company* Challenge Records - a Netherlands based company... |
| Kenny Davern and the Rhythm Men | 1995-06-15 | Arbors Records | |
| East Side, West Side | 1994-06-24 | - | Arbors Records |
| My Inspiration My Inspiration My Inspiration is the second Philippine-released album and first full-length album by Filipina singer Charice Pempengco, released on May 1, 2009... |
1991-09-11 | Music Masters Records | |
| The Last Reunion | 1998-05-14 | - | Upbeat Records |
| I'll See You in My Dreams | 1988-01-01 | Music Masters Records | |
| This Old Gang of Ours | 1985-12-10 | - | Upbeat Records |
| Kenny Davern Big Three | 1985-11-25 | Jazzology | |
| Kenny Davern and Dick Wellstood | 1984-01-15 | w/ Dick Wellstood Dick Wellstood Richard MacQueen "Dick" Wellstood was an American jazz pianist... |
Challenge Records Challenge Records Challenge Records has been the name of at least three different record labels in the 20th century:* Challenge Records - a US based company* Challenge Records - a US based company* Challenge Records - a Netherlands based company... |
| Live Hot Jazz | 1983-12-18 | - | Statiras Records |
| Stretchin' Out Stretchin' Out Stretchin' Out is a 1983 studio album by a trio led by the late clarinetist Kenny Davern, along with Chuck Riggs and Dick Wellstood. The album cover pictured to the right is from the reissue of the original album, released in 1994 by Jazzology records.... |
1983-12-01 | - | Jazzology |
| The Very Thought of You | 1983-01-01 | - | Milton Keynes Music |
| El Rado Schuffle | 1980-06-07 | - | Kenneth Records |
| The Free-Swinging Trio in the Jazz Tradition | 1979-12-02 | - | Fat Cat Jazz |
| The Hot Three | 1979-07-01 | - | Monmouth Records |
| Unexpected | 1978-05-30 | -w/ Steve Lacy;Steve Swallow and Paul Motion; | Kharma Records |
| John and Joe | 1977-10-23 | w/ Flip Phillips Flip Phillips Flip Phillips was an American jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player. He is best remembered for his work with Jazz at the Philharmonic from 1946 to 1957.-Biography:... |
Chiaroscuro Records |
External links
- [ Allmusic biography]