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Renown Clarinetist Harry Skoler
On The Move

A handful of notable accolades and endorsements have been added to the ever lengthy and impressive resume of Jazz Clarinetist Harry Skoler. Genre aficionados already know Skoler, an Assistant Professor of Woodwinds at Berklee College of Music in Boston, from his numerous acclaimed recordings, including Conversations in the Language of Jazz and Reflections on the Art of Swing: A Tribute to Benny Goodman.

Now, Applied Microphone Technology has added Skoler to their list of artist endorsers. Skoler uses the AMT WS Double Clarinet Microphone System in performance, a high-end system that has enhanced Skoler's sweet sound on stage.

"I have searched for thirty years to find a microphone that communicates the exact nuances I hear in my mind," says Skoler. "AMT's system is the only one that has made this happen! I was honored they contacted me to endorse their product, and I was thrilled beyond description when the sound was exactly what I have been searching for. I think that this marriage was something that was simply meant to be."

In addition, Skoler received an honor in the literary field. Not that he served as a book author. Skoler's artistry will be included in an anticipated ten-volume method book on the art of the clarinet. The series, a collaboration between respected Italian music professor Gianluca Campagnolo and Rose Sperrazza of the International Clarinet Association, will feature chapters on great clarinetists past as well as sections written by today's best players. An article Skoler penned will be featured in Volume 10, which presents the artistry and methods of today's most significant players.

The musician was enthusiastic when contacted by Campagnolo. "To have someone half a world away write me to ask to be included in his book was both an honor and a challenge," he says. "The composing of the article I sent, about the pursuit of artistry, seemed to unfold effortlessly. I remember the books I studied when I was a kid, and the positive influence they had on me. To be included in a book at this point in my life is a responsibility and an honor, and I am very thankful for it."

Icing on the cake came in the form of a review of Skoler's latest disc, A Work of Heart (Brownstone Recordings). Jazz critic Luigi Sidero calls Skoler's work "magnificently clothed," one "not residing in the house of exploration and technology, but rather in a residence of attractive simplicity."

We couldn't have said it better ourselves.

The following article was written by Harry for Downbeat Magazine:

PRO SESSION -- ADVENTURES WITH JAZZ

FROM DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE

by Harry Skoler
When you share the jazz language with young people, the rewards are always the same: to see in the eyes of students the spark of creativity that comes with the improvisational experience.
The educational program ADVENTURES WITH JAZZ, which travels to schools across New England, has made a jazz missionary out of me. I stumbled into this mission 16 years ago after I volunteered to teach music to a third grade classroom. After a few weeks of volunteering, I came home with an arm full of handmade cards and a feeling that something important had been shared.
After a number of years experimenting with various methods of bringing music to young people, I was convinced that to really do this well, I needed more preparation and attention to detail. I was fortunate enough to find three musicians that shared the same commitment and were willing to do the amount of work needed to make the experience memorable and rewarding. With Roger Kimball on bass, Mark Rerallack on keyboards and drummer Tim Gilmore, the group Adventures With Jazz was born. It took about two years of rehearsals, brainstorming and stamp licking before we felt ready to step into our first kid packed gymnasium. Still, we learned a lot of our presentation as we went. For those musicians and educators who feel they have a calling similar to ours, the following suggestions might be helpful.
In addition to all the preparations needed to perform in the schools (brochures, promotional packages, phone calls, PTO meetings, getting sponsored by state organizations' touring rosters), each bandmember must learn to present his or her material creatively and interact with the rest of the group. The group as a whole must be inspired and feel as though they're on an adventure themselves if they're going to reach anybody in the audience. Indeed, all of the musicianship in the world is useless if an immediate connection is not made with the audience.
Once actually in front of the audience, the message must be made clear that this is a shared adventure. When we play our first piece, as the students come in, I establish eye contact and use expressions (sometimes walking right up to different children while playing) to make my soloing more conversational. This helps break down a sometimes too-formal barrier and allows us to start out with a feeling of spontaneity and fun.
Playing tunes that the audience can relate to (like "Meet The Flintstones") helps the students meet us halfway and allows some give-and-take that fosters the spirit of sharing and invention. Dead space is the kiss of death: there is a balance between preparation and spontaneity that must be mastered. And every song we play must tell a story.
We teach a little history and give examples of improvisational conversations. Each instrumentalist illustrates his role in the ensemble and helps define the elements of melody, harmony and rhythm. We engage the students by getting them to ask questions, sing along and play their instruments with us. By keeping everything simple, we eventually get them to improvise, most of them for the very first time.

In an improvisational clinic, it's important to establish a safe environment for children to take their first steps. Students may feel intimidated and assume that they must be anointed by the great god Jazz to be able to improvise. Others will be shy about playing in front of their peers. Talking about these issues for a few minutes will help allay fears and build confidence.
Above all, the following messages need to be communicated to your students-they can make or break the clinic.
-- Improvisation can be experienced by everyone and is a vehicle to express your story.
-- Mistakes are the natural (and expected) course of events in the process for learning; they're also the path to fresh ideas and creativity in improvisation.
-- All students need to be supportive of each and every person who has the initiative to try his or her hand at improvisation. Encourage, encourage, encourage, and self esteem has no place to go but up.
As for the rewards in all this, I think of the anxious student violinist in an Adventures With Jazz clinic who proclaimed it was impossible for him to play music without the printed notes in front of him. By the end of the clinic, he was Stephane Grapelli-ing his way through a second chorus of the blues with an inspired smile on his face-like the one I imagine was on my face 25 years ago when I heard my clarinet teacher, Douglas Soyard, wail through Benny Goodman's "Grand Slam".
Before that, I was a frustrated clarinetist who hated jazz. But that music was singed into my very being, and that evening I told my family I aspired to be a musician. Let's hope that Adventures With Jazz and similar programs inspire at least one youngster today to do the same.

An Interview with Harry:

HARRY SKOLER DISCUSSES THE JAZZ CLARINETIST and "A WORK OF HEART"

Interview by Paula Edelstein (from JAZZREVIEW.COM)

One of the great strengths of jazz music in the past years or so has been the wealth of improvised music produced away from the big concert halls and clubs and unrecorded by the major labels. Some has surfaced and made it "bigtime," but most has remained of minor interest, despite the musicianship of those involved. But no one has remained more astute in his art than clarinetist Harry Skoler. His latest release on the independent Brownstone Recording label, A WORK OF HEART, is a fitting portrait of his talent and is rapidly gaining the attention of many jazz lovers around the world having reached #25 on the Gavin Jazz Chart. As many of you know, the clarinet was the favored reed instrument of early New Orleans bands as well as for players such as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Woody Herman, who were all clarinet-playing, big band leaders in the 1930s. Few musicians have used it as a leading instrument since, but along with Eddie Daniels, Ken Peplowski and Gary Foster, Harry Skoler has helped to rekindle interest in the jazz clarinet as a uniquely expressive contemporary voice.

Harry Skoler obtained his Master's degree in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory of Music. He also plays saxophone, flute and piano but has made his major impact as a clarinetist on his two releases for Brownstone Records entitled CONVERSATIONS IN THE LANGUAGE OF JAZZ and REFLECTIONS ON THE ART OF SWING: A TRIBUTE TO BENNY GOODMAN. He currently teaches at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Harry is joined by fellow musicians Donn Trenner on piano, Garrison Fewell on guitar, Joe Lano on guitar, Rich Margolis on vibraphone, Roger Kimball and Brace Philips on bass and Tim Gilmore and John Abraham on drums. In an interview for The Jazz Review.com, we talked about his latest CD, A WORK OF HEART, and the jazz clarinetist.

JAZZREVIEW.COM: Hello Harry, thank you so much for the interview. We appreciate it tremendously.

HARRY SKOLER: Thank you for the opportunity and support. I cannot tell you how appreciative I am!

JAZZREVIEW.COM: A WORK OF HEART is a splendid collection of different musical tributes and genres that display your versatility as a composer and jazz clarinetist. Why did you approach the project from this standpoint as opposed to selecting songs that may have been associated with other jazz clarinetists?

HARRY SKOLER: Each artist has their "own story" to tell. The reason I recorded a tribute to Benny Goodman was because of the artist behind the clarinet, more so than the fact that Goodman played the clarinet. An instrument is not alive, but as an extension of the person, the instrumental "voice" can express a heart otherwise veiled. I have been influenced by many artists, playing many different instruments. At all times, I try to tell my own story. A WORK OF HEART was a "calling". I HAD to express certain feelings at the time of this recording, and the compositions chosen were ones that were the vehicles best allowing me to do so. It was the right thing at the right time. Indeed, it was an artistic "marriage" between the multi-talented Donn Trenner (pianist, producer, arranger) and myself that allowed A WORK OF HEART to beat. I am interested in first and foremost, expressing a message that comes from within. Second, if there is a tribute to an artist (such as 'Goodbye Mr. Evans' for the legendary pianist Bill Evans), the artist behind the instrument is primary, not whether they are a clarinetist or not. Also, the pieces selected, aside from the originals, were ones that I fell in love with over a long period of time, and were intimately woven with my life experiences. To be able to record them in a different way allowed me to come "full circle" in my "relationship" with the compositions and the performers that recorded them. These pieces gave so much to me during the many hours of listening to them, to be able to record them on this project was an experience that was beautiful.

JAZZREVIEW.COM: It has been duly noted that the legendary Benny Goodman and Buddy DeFranco really impacted your decision to play clarinet as your main instrument. Were they actually the deciding influences in choosing to play jazz clarinet instead of the saxophone or the flute?

HARRY SKOLER: Actually, the clarinet was an instrument that was chosen for me as a child. Although I remember as a kid watching someone playing it on television (maybe around 1962 or so) and thinking "That looks easy.. I could do that," I really had no love for the instrument until I heard Goodman's sound and expressive playing. I was later taken by Buddy DeFranco's playing during my years at Berklee studying under Joe Viola, the legendary teacher. I do play saxophone, flute, and piano, and I do consider them different "voices" I express different parts of myself with. But, the reason the clarinet is the closest to me? I don't know that I'll ever really know. In some way, I have an overwhelming feeling it was just meant to be. I did put it on the "back burner" at different times, but it always found its way home. After 30 years, I just accept it as "ME".

JAZZREVIEW.COM: "Coisa Feita" the Joao Bosco piece and "Don't Ever Go Away" by Antonio Carlos Jobim shows your love of Brazilian standards, both with great arrangements by Donn Trenner. You mentioned that a lot of the pieces helped get you through the years. Is this CD emotionally fulfilling in that sense?

HARRY SKOLER: Very much so. I already felt connected with the pieces long before the recording on this project. When I was involved in the writing/recording of A WORK OF HEART, it was difficult at times to gain perspective. But, after living with it for a while now, I'm able to enjoy it as a "listener," and I am happy with what was captured. If I didn't feel that way, it never would have been released. The fact that it reached #25 on Gavin's Jazz Chart (for national radio airplay...top 50) really was wonderfully satisfying, because it meant that it was reaching others. Being on a smaller label, I am proud of that, and my wish to do something positive for others is being realized. Having worked towards that goal for decades, I am genuinely thrilled to know it is finding its way to so many hearts.

JAZZREVIEW.COM: It's an excellent CD, Harry. Your original "Portrait of Daniel," brings to life the imagery of your son in a very lilting, light way. I imagined the song as a very, bright light in your heart and the creative process. Also "Estate" is sentimental and softly woven through the brushwork of Tim Gilmore and Rich Margolis' vibes. They are so beautifully played...both truly A WORK OF HEART. Please tell your readers the inspiration for these two songs.

HARRY SKOLER: My son Daniel, now ten, fills me with joy, pride, and amazement, not to mention more love that I can imagine. The tune was originally composed when he was an infant, from a photograph of him. Of course the "portrait" refers to his "being," not his image. I included a drawing in the booklet that he did when he was seven. He raised some butterflies from caterpillars. When he let them go, it was very difficult for him. He was very upset to "lose" his "friends" as they flew away. A few months later, I discovered a story he had written in school and illustrated. The picture of the butterflies flying away with the caption "I had to let them go because they wanted to be free" moved me. As for "Estate," Jon Hendricks' recorded version floored me...the lyrics are the most poetic I've ever heard, and his interpretation affected me immediately, and every listening since. The combination of "Estate's" seductive melody and Hendricks' interpretation inspired me to "sing" the lyrics while playing the melody. If I feel that the clarinet is a "singing" voice, then I seem to be able to connect emotionally, and play with more nuance and intimacy.

JAZZREVIEW.COM: That is a moving experience and your son, Daniel obviously realized the old adage "if you love something, set it free." Harry, as a musician that plays a reed instrument, what would you say are the most amenable aspects of playing jazz clarinet as opposed to another woodwind instrument?

HARRY SKOLER: Although I frequently joke that the clarinet isn't "user friendly," once the technical barriers are overcome, the instrument has different personalities that are so completely distinctive from each other in the three registers. It can sound very "vocal", and the contrast is huge...from shouting joy that is overpowering to subtleties that are poignant and haunting. I have heard equally moving expression from all woodwind instruments, although for some reason, I seem to be able to find my "way" through the voice of the clarinet the most.

JAZZREVIEW.COM: There are so many up-tempo, full throttle arrangements of Swing tunes that come to mind when you think of jazz clarinetists. Songs like Jelly Roll Morton's "King Porter Stomp," and others that feature the King of Swing. Why do you feel the jazz clarinetist "lingered" in the wings after Goodman?

HARRY SKOLER: The artists in the years after the Big Band Era seemed to primarily express themselves through saxophone. I think the artists were interwoven with the times...perhaps the clarinet's sound just didn't seem to express what most people were "hearing" at the time. I'm not sure. There were some players that were on the scene of course (Tony Scott, Buddy DeFranco, and others). Perhaps the fact that in the Big Bands the clarinet was a solo voice, and less a sectional instrument, which meant there were less players focusing on the instrument on the scene...there was more work for saxophone. Also, the music of the times after the Big Bands were influenced by artists that had such a dominant influence, and their instrument happened to be saxophone. Other problems inherent in playing the clarinet in small groups are that the group has to be very sensitive dynamically, otherwise the clarinet can be drowned out in the lower register. In the Big Bands, the arrangement allowed the clarinet to be heard more completely. Without these arrangements, the lower register could be "lost" and being part of the clarinetist's "palette" of "colors," the musician could feel limited in the ability to have enough contrast in their playing. Jimmy Giuffre, (whom I studied with at the New England Conservatory of Music) was a groundbreaking player in his use of the lower register, and the interplay in his small groups that allowed all the nuances of the clarinet to be heard.

JAZZREVIEW.COM: I understand. Harry, as a jazz clarinetist, are you enjoying the resurgence of the Swing Era?

HARRY SKOLER: I would have to say I've always loved the music of the Swing Era, along with what was before and after. So, with or without the clarinet, I'm happy to see people embrace the timeless and intensely "alive" feeling of the Swing Era. In the concerts where I have performed tributes to Benny Goodman, the audiences have been full, so of course that makes me happy when I do a tribute concert. But, the most important reason I'm enjoying it is because the music continues to be played with new artists on the scene, telling their "own story," as well as keeping the appreciation alive for the great contributions of the artists that paved the way.

JAZZREVIEW.COM: Your brilliant tributes to Bill Evans, "Your Story," and "Goodbye Mr. Evans," are sophisticated, elegant and classically styled. How did playing with a full orchestra differ from playing with the spontaneity of a small big band format on other selections?

HARRY SKOLER: It was an incredible experience. I'll never forget the albums I listened to with Wes Montgomery with strings. I've always been enamored with string albums by jazz artists. When I heard the vocalist/pianist Paul Broadnax's recording "Here's to Joe" (on Brownstone), I fell in love with it. Donn Trenner was the pianist and arranger on that timeless masterpiece, and after hearing the "live" performance and the CD, Donn was the only one that I hoped with all my heart would join me on this project. I am immensely happy that he did, and am grateful for his artistry, caring, producing, arranging, and friendship. He is a consummate artist in every respect. As for the actual playing, some tracks were orchestrated after the spontaneity of the small group happened first. Much of the orchestration came directly from what Donn played spontaneously on piano. Other tunes were arranged first. Each one had its own unique experience, challenges and surprises to it. It was both enlightening and interesting to have let each work evolve, and then to have the recording as a whole work as a "story". Donn and I will be working on another project this year!

JAZZREVIEW.COM: This question has become a major request from readers that read our Jazzviews and it is about gear for musicians. Which clarinet, reed and mouthpiece do you use and why?

HARRY SKOLER: I play and endorse Buffet Clarinets (I play the R-13 Model), Vandoren V-12 Reeds, and Claude Lakey Mouthpieces. The combination of all three allows my "voice" to "be". Everybody needs to find what will allow them to intimately connect so they can express themselves freely... these allow me to embrace my sound.

JAZZREVIEW.COM: Our publisher will be opening a music store after this one!! (smile) Any concerts in the year 2000?

HARRY SKOLER: There will be concerts (in different cities nationally) celebrating the release of A WORK OF HEART. These are in the planning stage and will be announced on my web site at http://www.changingtones.com/skoler.html. I also reach thousands of young people each year performing throughout New England with the quartet "Adventures With Jazz" (with Roger Kimball on Bass, Tim Gilmore on Drums, and Mark Retallack on Keyboards).

JAZZREVIEW.COM: That's great and we'll keep listening and checking the site. Thank you so much for this interview and an extra special congratulations on A WORK OF HEART.