Biography of buddy defranco
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Buddy defranco jazz festival
Interview by Molly Murphy for the NEA
January 11, 2007
Edited by Don Ball, NEA
CHOOSING THE CLARINET
Q: What was your first instrument?
Buddy DeFranco: I started playing the clarinet.
I wanted to play saxophone but my father, who was a blind man and had played amateur guitar, he had some very good friends that were good musicians and they suggested I play clarinet first. In those days you played both in the big bands, you played alto or played saxophone and clarinet.
You doubled. Sometimes you played flute. He got a teacher for me and I started playing the clarinet instead of the saxophone and I liked it.
Biography of buddy defranco
It seemed to be natural for me.
Q: Why did you like the clarinet?
Buddy DeFranco: Because the clarinet's more difficult to play and it would be easier to transfer to playing the saxophone. The clarinet is much more difficult so it was better to play the clarinet first.
I did play alto saxophone as well.
But I liked the clarinet, felt more comfortable with that. Of cou