Eddie Daniels

by Scott Yanow
One of the truly great jazz clarinetists (ranking at the top with Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Buddy DeFranco), Eddie Daniels makes the impossible look effortless. On his first GRP release, Breakthrough, in 1984, Daniels switched back and forth on a seconds notice between jazz and classical and he has since explored Charlie Parker, Roger Kellaway tunes, crossover, and even swing with consistent brilliance. He is also a dazzling (if underrated) tenor player. Daniels appeared at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival in Marshall Browns Youth Band (playing alto) and after graduating from Juilliard in 1966, he played tenor with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra for six years. Daniels recorded First Prize as a leader (1966) and made albums with Freddie Hubbard (1969), Richard Davis, Don Patterson, and duets with Bucky Pizzarelli (1973). Although he recorded as a leader for Muse and Columbia during 1977-1978, Eddie Daniels did not make it big until he started specializing on clarinet and recording regularly for GRP in 1984. In 1992, he started doubling on tenor again when his reputation on clarinet was secure.