Buddy Defranco

小

爵士單簧管之父巴迪·德弗蘭寇Buddy DeFranco原名Boniface Ferdinand Leonrd DeFranco，出生于紐澤西州Camden，后舉家遷居費城。他的父親是鋼琴調(diào)音師，多少影響了Buddy DeFranco的音樂喜好。十二歲時，Buddy DeFranco開始學(xué)單簧管，就讀於費城培育音樂人才的Mastbaum中學(xué)。原來立志成為古典樂手的他，由于聽到了Benny Goodman的精彩演奏，人生轉(zhuǎn)了一個彎，從此 以演奏爵士樂為職志。Buddy DeFranco早年參與過Gene Krupa、Charlie Barnet、Tommy Dorsey等大樂團，當(dāng)時他就已經(jīng)是樂團中的明星級好手，負責(zé)單簧管獨奏。然而，也就在此時，咆勃樂正悄悄的帶來另一波音樂概念的革新，即使是演奏跳舞音樂的大樂團，也有不少年輕的爵士樂手對咆勃樂躍躍欲試。

Buddy DeFranco is one of the great clarinetists of all time and, until the rise of Eddie Daniels, he was indisputably the top clarinetist to emerge since 1940. It was DeFrancos misfortune to be the best on an instrument that after the swing era dropped drastically in popularity and, unlike Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw, he has never been a household name for the general public.

When he was 14 DeFranco won an amateur swing contest sponsored by Tommy Dorsey. After working with the big bands of Gene Krupa (1941-42) and Charlie Barnet (1943-44), he was with TD on and off during 1944-48. DeFranco, other than spending part of 1950 with Count Basies septet, was mostly a bandleader from then on. Among the few clarinetists to transfer the language of Charlie Parker onto his instrument, DeFranco has won a countless number of polls and appeared with the Metronome All-Stars in the late 40s. He recorded frequently in the 1950s (among his sidmeen were Art Blakey, Kenny Drew and Sonny Clark) and participated in some of Norman Granzs Verve jam session. During 1960-63 DeFranco led a quartet that also featured the accordion of Tommy Gumina and he recorded an album with Art Blakeys Jazz Messengers on which he played bass clarinet. However work was difficult to find in the 1960s, leading DeFranco to accept the assignment of leading the Glenn Miller ghost band (1966-74). He has found more artistic success co-leading a quintet with Terry Gibbs off and on since the early 80s and has recorded through the decades for many labels.