Sidney Bechet by Cabu

An anthology 1923/1950

Blackstick : black stick, if we rely on the literal translation from English; in the language of jazz musicians this word actually designates the clarinet, whose black ebony wood which constitutes it naturally inspired this metaphor. And we often forget that Bechet, whose memory in our collective memory is indissolubly linked to the triumphant accents of his soprano saxophone, practiced the black stick for a long time, and with such mastery. By turns flamboyant, particularly on the fast tempo pieces, or deeply moving, particularly in the numerous blues which dot this selection, Bechet never ceases to seduce us on this instrument from which he draws a woody sound unique in history jazz .

The icing on the cake: the protagonists of the clarinetist are not simple stooges, they are Rex Stewart , Sidney DeParis , Charlie Shavers , Muggsy Spanier , Red Allen or even Louis Armstrong on the trumpets, Sandy Williams , Vic Dickenson or JC Higginbotham on trombones, Earl Hines or Willie "The Lion" Smith on keyboards, Sidney Catlett , Zutty Singleton , Baby Dodds or even Kenny Clarke as drummers, without forgetting our excellent Claude Luter (who has, unfortunately, just left us), list non-limiting: in short, more than two hours of auditory jubilation!