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
DeFranco's 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 (1941-1942) and
Charlie Barnet (1943-1944), he was with
TD on and off during 1944-1948.
DeFranco, other than spending part of 1950 with
Count Basie's 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 '50s (among his sidemen were
Art Blakey,
Kenny Drew, and
Sonny Clark) and participated in some of
Norman Granz's Verve jam session. During 1960-1963
DeFranco led a quartet that also featured the accordion of Tommy Gumina and he recorded an album with
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers on which he played bass clarinet. Work, however, was difficult to find in the '60s, leading
DeFranco to accept the assignment of leading the
Glenn Miller ghost band (1966-1974). He has found more artistic success co-leading a quintet with
Terry Gibbs off and on since the early '80s and has recorded throughout the decades for many labels. ~ Scott Yanow