Famous Clarinetists

Profiles of Jazz Clarinetists

Down below, you will find musicians who have made an impact in the world of jazz clarinet music. Many of these musicians play(ed) the B♭ clarinet while others were bass clarinetists (with a couple alto clarinetists sprinkled in here and there). Some of these musicians exclusively played clarinet while others were multi-instrumentalists or even “doublers” who considered the clarinet a secondary instrument yet still had a profound affect on the jazz community. Most of these musicians are/were jazz musicians, but you will also find some classical or klezmer artists who expanded their repertoire to include jazz. If you are looking for someone specific, the musicians are in alphabetical order by last name.

(Of course, as you may have guessed, this section is very much a work in progress, so we invite you to check back often to see our updates.)

  • Buster Bailey
  • Sidney Bechet
  • Barney Bigard
  • Don Byron
  • Acker Bilk
  • Anat Cohen
  • Eddie Daniels
  • Buddy DeFranco
  • Johnny Dodds
  • Eric Dolphy
  • Jimmy Dorsey
  • Paquito D’Rivera
  • Irving Fazola
  • Pete Fountain
  • Benny Goodman
  • Woody Herman
  • Bennie Maupin
  • Bob Mintzer
  • Jimmie Noone
  • Pee Wee Russell
  • Artie Shaw
  • Richard Stoltzman
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