BBb and EEb Contrabass Clarinet

• Richard Teitelbaum with Anthony Braxton: "Time Zones" (Arista Records AL 1037 -LP). Includes Behemoth Dreams on side 2 for Contrabass & synthesizer). Jazz/classical synthesis.Not as avant-garde in playing technique as many Braxton and the contrabass clarinet is clearly audible when playing. Shows off the sound of the instrument very well.)
• Donald Martino: "Triple Concerto for Clarinet, Bass Clarinet and Contrabass Clarinet" Nonesuch (LP). A modern classic and there is plenty of contrabass writing. Martino states that he used the 3 sizes of clarinet as a kind of Superclarinet. The style is very modern but not avant-garde and there are no extended playing techniques. It is apparently a virtuoso piece.  A more recent recording (CD) is "Donald Martino - Notturno" (1995, Albany Records, Troy168), with Leslie Thimmig on contrabass clarinet.
• Elver Schmiel & Christoph Schiller, "Modern Music by Swiss Composers" (Jecklin szene sCHweiz JS 296-2 CD). This includes Rudolf Kelterborn: Duett fuer Bratsche und Kontrabassklarinette. Many avant-garde techniques used - multiphonics, extended high register, etc. The contrabass clarinet is not always as loud as the viola but can generally be heard well enough. There is also an interesting composition on this disc for soprano and basset horn.
• Marc Monnet: "Pieces Celibitaires" (Disques Montaignes 782068 CD). Includes Le Cirque for unaccompanied contrabass clarinet played by Armand Angster. There is relatively little traditional playing in this piece and a lot of tongue slapping on the reed.
• Anthony Braxton: "Complete Anthony Braxton" (1971, Arista 0798, 2 LPs) includes a track for unaccompanied contrabass clarinet. The style is avant-garde Jazz. Some 'straight' playing but much avant-garde - split-notes, high-pitched squeaks, etc. Various other Anthony Braxton recordings also use contrabass clarinet in quartet and other groupings.
• Hamiet Bluiett, "The Clarinet Family" (1987 Black Saint 120097-2). This is a great CD: imagine a clarinet choir performing free jazz. The players are Hamiet Bluiett on Eb alto clarinet; Dwight Andrews on Eb soprano and Bb soprano; Don Byron on soprano and bass; Buddy Collette on soprano and alto; John Purcell on soprano and bass; Gene Ghee on soprano and bass; J.D. Parran on Eb soprano, Bb soprano, alto and EEb contralto clarinets; Sir "Kidd" Jordan on BBb contrabass; with Fred Hopkins on string bass and Ronnie Burrage on drums.
• Paul Winter, "Prayer for the Wild Things" (CD - Living Music LD0028) includes an extended solo for contrabass clarinet (Dennis Smylie), a solo for heckelphone (Mark Perchanok), and other instruments.
• Bob Moses, "When Elephants Dream of Music" (1993, Gramavision Inc.). Jazz, verging on avant garde, by a large ensemble. The musicians include Howard Johnson on tuba and "electric contrabass clarinet."
• Doctor Nerve, "Skin" (1995, Cuneiform Records). Avant garde metal rock. The ensemble includes guitar, bass, drums, two trumpets (one doubling baritone), bass/contrabass clarinet, soprano sax, and vibraphone. The contrabass clarinet is hard to pick out in the mix, and is mainly used to add "ambience". (The bass clarinet is clearly audible, however.)
• Oliver Messiaen, "Éclairs Sur l'Au-Delà" (e.g., 1994, Deutsche Grammophon 439 929-2) includes a contrabass clarinet, with at least one solo passage.
• John Corigliano, "Symphony No. 1" ("Of Rage and Remembrance") (e.g., 1996, RCA Victor Red Seal, 09026-68450-2), Leonard Slatkin and the National Symphony Orchestra.  This work also include a solo contrabass clarinet passage.
• Hoffnung's "Music Festivals" (1989, EMI 7 63302 2) contains a recording of "Variations on Annie Laurie" by Gordon Jacob, scored for two piccolos, heckelphone, two contrabass clarinets, two contrabassoons, serpent, contrabass serpent, harmonium, hurdy-gurdy, and subcontrabass tuba.  Written and arranged on a dare...
• Allen Ginsberg "The Lion For Real" (1989, Mouth Almighty Records, 314 534908-2).  This CD consists of Allen Ginsberg's poetry, read by the author with a musical (mainly jazz) background.  The musicians include Bill Frisell, Lenny Pickett, Steve Swallow, Rob Wasserman, and other well-known players.  One track ("Stanzas: Written at Night in Radio City") has a funky background by Lenny Pickett (alone), which includes contrabass sarrusophone, tenor sax, alto sax, soprano sax, Eb clarinet, Bb clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, flute, piccolo, oboe, sopranino recorder, soprano recorder, alto recorder, tenor recorder, hambone, and drum.
• David Sanborn "Another Hand" (1991 Elektra Musician 9 61088-2) includes one track ("medley: prayers for Charlie from the devil at four O'clock/the lonely from the Twilght Zone") that includes Lenny Pickett on Eb clarinet and contrabass clarinet.
• The Vinny Golia Large Ensemble "Commemoration" (1994 Nine Winds Records NWCD 0150/0160) is a 2 CD set that includes Vinny Golia on contralto clarinet (along with piccolo through bass flute, sopranino through bass sax, andEb/A/alto/bass clarinets).  A large jazz band with a cello section!
• trio de clarinettes "Live" (1991 FMP CD39).  This CD contains a live performance by jacques Di Donato (cl, bs cl), Louis Sclavis (cl, bs cl) and Armand Angster (cl, bs cl, contrabass cl).  As with all FMP releases, this is free jazz :-)
• "circular logic" by Steve Adams and Vinny Golia (9winds, NWCD0203). Steve Adams plays C/alto/bass flutes and sopranino through bari saxophones, while VG plays sopranino/bari/bass saxes, english horn, bassoon, picc/C/alto/bass flutes, and Eb/Bb/A/alto/bass/contralto/contrabass clarinets.  The tracks are listed on the back along with a chart of who plays what on which track.  A lot of creative interplay, in a free jazz improvisational style.
• "Bits & Pieces", Wolfgang Fuchs (1996 FMP, OWN90004).  This CD contains solos and duets by Wolfgang Fuchs (sopranino sax, clarinet, bass cl, and contrabass cl) with Evan Parker (soprano sax) and Jean-Marc Montera (guitar).  If you've heard any FMP CDs, you know to expect that this one is also free jazz.  WF does amazing things with/on/to the contrabass clarinet (a Leblanc 340), and spends quite a bit of time on it.  Worth picking up!
• Adam Gilberti's "Genesis Concert" CD includes contrabass and/or contra-alto clarinet on "Reflections of Honor", "Celestial Equinox", "Seismic Disturbances" (in which there are obvious CBCl solos), and "Violin Concerto" (with back to back CBCl and CBCA solos). Other instruments featured on the CD (actually a 2 CD set) include contrabass flute, contrabassoon, contrabass sarrusophone, serpent, contrabass sax, and Bb subcontrabass tubax. See http://www.genesisconcert.com to order the CD.

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