Search - Kenny Davern :: The Kenny Daven Quartet at the Mill Hill Playhouse

Davern marks 50 years of recording with a solid gold CD

Steve Emerine | Tucson, AZ United States | 01/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Clarinetist Kenny Davern returned to New Jersey, his home base for 35 years, to mark his 50 years as a recording artist with this solid CD on the Arbors label. The man himself considers a 1954 date with the Ralph Flanagan orchestra as his first recordings. But he actually cut a demo with trumpeter Dick Sutton and pianist Dick Wellstood three years earlier and appeared on a Rainbow 78 with "Alfredito's" Latin band (led by a non-Latino named Al Levy) in 1952.Since then, he has recorded scores of singles and albums with Eddie Condon, Jack Teagarden, Wild Bill Davison, Bob Wilber, Art Hodes, Ralph Sutton and many, many others. He told me recently this recording is his best ever, and it's hard to disagree. Drummer Tony DeNicola, guitarist James Chirillo and bassist Greg Cohen complement the maestro's clarinet very well as they perform nine tunes for 65+ minutes of great jazz. Davern fans in the western states can catch him on Jan. 24, 2004, at the Tucson Jazz Society's annual memorial concert honoring the late British clarinetist, John Denman. From there, he's off to Florida, where Arbors Records will honor him, and New York for a recording date with Buddy DeFranco. With no plans to slow down, he just might be good for another 50 years!"