Jazz Stickests

So, where does the Bassoon fit into the world of jazz?

Yes, we do some jazz on both the Wanted and Captured CDs. Please check out our recordings. Brother Mark has played jazz in clubs here and was also doing rock bassoon. We do rock bassoon on our CDs too. The type of pickup I use can be purchased from Forrests Music. I use a wah-wah pedal (cry baby) and a Fender guitar amp. We do Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze on the Captured CD and wah-wah bassoon on the Escaped CD in Miserlou. Having a pickup and an amp give you a sense of power that you can't imagine until you've tried it.

Hells Angels

The Bassoon Brothers have also recorded Michael Daugherty’s Hells Angels for bassoon quartet and orchestra which has jazzy improvised sounding passages in it, but not improvised. This is on the Oregon Symphony’s American Contrast CD on the DELOS label.

Ray Pizzi

Ray Pizzi is the Godfather of jazz bassoon. The one who made a point of writing and performing on jazz bassoon on his recordings and frequently performs in the jazz style in movie scores. Ray is beyond funky. Check out his website. You can hear him in the first Star Wars movie playing in the Cantina band wailing away on some high jazz bassoon. He is also in the soundtrack for the movie Predator 2, but you’d never recognize it as a bassoon. He is on TV commercials and many soundtracks. He has several recordings, originally on LPs with some CDs now available on his website. Ray’s main instrument is tenor sax and he is truly amazing on that and flute as well. Henry Mancini wrote a concerto for Jazz Bassoon and Orchestra dedicated to Ray. To my knowledge there is no commercial recording of this work as yet.

Paul Hanson

The most prolific improviser on bassoon is Paul Hanson who has several current CDs and plays on many others including some rock bands and pop artists. Paul is truly amazing. I don’t know if Paul has a website or not, but can be reached through Forrests Music. They have a website. He has published a book for practicing jazz bassoon.

Michael Rabinowitz

Michael Rabinowitz is another fine jazz bassoonist with three CDs out living in New York and used to play bebop jazz bassoon on the streets for change. Website?

Janet Grice has two jazz CDs out.

I think there are some Europeans doing jazz but I’m not up on that.

Frank Tiberi is a jazz bassoonist who has recorded with Woody Herman band.

I think the jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman dabbled in jazz bassoon.

Possibly also Yusef Lateef.

Jazz saxer Illinois Jacquet has recorded an LP with a long Bassoonist Blues.

One very obscure jazzer is Dick Braun who played in the San Diego Symphony. CD called The Bassoon Bugs.

The oldest jazz bassoon recording that I have is Stuart McKay’s Reap the Wild Winds.

However, I believe this was preceded by bassoonery in the Australian Jazz Quartet? Here's some info:

Errol Buddle
Buddle's discography was closing in on 100 titles involving as many as ten different instruments. A master of reeds who came out of the Australian jazz scene in the '40s, Buddle paid dues in Detroit with bandleader and drumming monster Elvin Jones, and if a double-reed pun can be allowed, has been quite bocal about having recorded the first jazz improvisation on bassoon. He also plays alto, tenor and baritone saxophone, clarinet, oboe, and flute, and might even have a sideline as a drummer if the discographical indication of "d" means what it is supposed to.

The town of Adelaide was his early stomping grounds, the scene of formal study at several colleges and conservatories as well as radio work beginning in 1946. During the second half of the '40s he worked in Jack Brokensha's combo, among others; in the '50s he relocated to Sydney and had a weekly gig for his own band featuring many leading players on the Australian jazz scene. In 1952 he went to Canada on a work permit, playing first bassoon with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra. On the side he played tenor in local bands and did more than just gaze at the city of Detroit across the water. He began collaborating there with bandleader Johnny "Scat" Davis, including an appearance on television in 1954. Buddle worked with his own group in Detroit and also gigged with Jones through the end of 1954. He continued to live away from Australia until 1958 but remained heavily involved with his native country's jazz scene, joining a band known as the Australian Jazz Quartet as the thunder of Jones' tom-toms was still ringing in his ears.
Source: Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide

Sol Schoenbach
I was told by American bassoon patriarch Sol Schoebach, former Principal Bassoon of the Philadelphia Orchestra and teacher of many of the country's finest bassoonists while at the Curtis Institute, that he played a jazz with Benny Goodman’s band. He called himself "the mystery bassoonist", who walked on stage, played a jazzy solo and walked off. Bay area bassoonist Herb Fawcett has provided some new information, "I located a Philadelphia FM radio broadcast tape (interview Sol) that I
>> will copy for you when it arrives. It has the Benny Goodman stuff on it."

So we'll get that information after all these years. The Goodman Society new nothing of this when I contacted them. We'll let them know.

Gunthur Schuller wrote a concerto for bassoon that includes jazz improvising. I was recorded by Ken Pasmanick.

Finally, there was a bassoon in the 1920’s Paul Whiteman band. I have done no research on that one.

This article was submitted in response to an email from Melanie Chua.