SIDNEY BECHET
Genres: Classic (1920s) Jazz, Jazz Related Soundtracks • United States

Sidney Bechet (1897-1959) was a U.S. jazz clarinettist and soprano saxophonist. Bechet was born in New Orleans on 14th May 1897. From a young age he was able quickly to master any musical instrument he encountered. Some New Orleanians remembered him as a cornet hot-shot in his youth. At first, though, he decided on the clarinet as his main instrument, and Bechet remained one of jazz's greatest clarinetists for decades. He is, however, perhaps best remembered as the master of the soprano saxophone. Bechet was the first notable jazz saxophonist of any sort, his playing characterised by forceful delivery, well conceived, improvised ideas, and a distinctive wide vibrato. Bechet had experience playing in travelling shows even before he left New Orleans at the age of twenty. Never long content in one place, he alternated between Chicago, New York, and Europe as his base of operations until finally he settled in read more...