Well, let me tell ya, I heard some folks talkin’ ’bout them greatest clarinet players the other day. Reminded me of the time my cousin Earl tried to learn that thing. Lord, the noise he made! But these fellas, they’re somethin’ else. Real good, I hear.
First one they was talkin’ ’bout, Benny Goodman. Now that’s a name I heard before, even back in my day. They say he was the best, number one, top dog. Guess he could really make that clarinet sing. They called him the “King of Swing,” imagine that! Musta been somethin’ to see him play, back in the day. Probably had all them young folks jumpin’ and jivin’.
Then there’s this other fella, what’s his name now… Richard Stoltzman. They say he’s the most popular one these days, playin’ with all them fancy orchestras. Heard he even made some of them CD things. Must be makin’ a pretty penny, playin’ that clarinet all over the place. Good for him, I reckon. Not everyone can make a livin’ blowin’ into a stick, you know?
These clarinet players, they travel the whole world, playin’ for all sorts of people. Imagine that! Goin’ all over, seein’ places I only ever dreamed of. And all they gotta do is play that little clarinet. Life sure is somethin’, ain’t it?
- Benny Goodman, the King of Swing, they called him.
- Richard Stoltzman, playin’ with them big orchestras.
- They all share their music with folks everywhere.
You know, it takes a lot of puff to play one of them things. My Earl, bless his heart, he tried, but he just couldn’t get the hang of it. Used to turn red as a beet tryin’ to get a sound out. These famous fellas, though, they make it look easy. Guess that’s why they’re famous and we ain’t, huh?
They say the clarinet is a hard instrument to play. Gotta have the right kind of lips and everything. And you gotta learn how to breathe just right, or you’ll run outta air before you finish a song. Sounds like a lot of work to me, but I guess it’s worth it if you can make music like these greatest clarinet players do.
That Benny Goodman, he was somethin’ else. They say he could play so fast, it’d make your head spin. And he played all kinds of music, not just that classical stuff. He played that jazz music, the kind that makes you wanna get up and dance. Even an old woman like me can appreciate that, you know.
And this Richard Stoltzman, he’s keepin’ the clarinet alive, they say. Playin’ for new generations of folks, so they don’t forget about this wonderful instrument. That’s important, I reckon. Gotta keep the music goin’, you know? Pass it down to the young’uns, so they can enjoy it too.
It’s amazing what folks can do when they put their mind to it. Take these clarinet players, for example. They practiced and practiced, and now they’re the best in the world. Just goes to show you, hard work pays off. Even if it’s just blowin’ into a clarinet.
- Hard work makes you good at playin’ the clarinet.
- Benny Goodman played real fast, and played jazz music.
- Richard Stoltzman is keepin’ the music alive for young folks.
I remember back when I was a girl, we didn’t have much, but we always had music. Someone was always playin’ somethin’, whether it was a fiddle, a banjo, or even just a harmonica. Music makes life better, I always say. And these greatest clarinet players, they’re makin’ a lot of lives better with their music.
So, next time you hear someone playin’ the clarinet, you think about these fellas. Think about Benny Goodman and Richard Stoltzman, and all the other great clarinet players out there. They’re keepin’ a tradition alive, and they’re bringin’ joy to people all over the world. And that’s somethin’ special, ain’t it?
These clarinet players, they got a gift, that’s for sure. A gift for makin’ music that touches your soul. And that’s somethin’ you can’t learn from no book. You either got it or you don’t. And these fellas, they got it. They got it good.
Well, I reckon I’ve talked your ear off enough about these greatest clarinet players. Just remember what I said. Music is important. And these fellas, they’re makin’ some of the best music around. So give ’em a listen sometime. You might just like what you hear. It’s a whole lot better than when Earl tried to play, I can tell you that much!
