Col Loughnan Tone Doctor”, Dr
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The Joe Allard Legacy – Col Loughnan Tone Doctor”, Dr. Joseph Allard. All Joe’s stories had a point, which Whilst Joe’s reputation as a great teacher would lead to a concept he was trying to Mention the name Joe Allard to reed is recognised universally, much less is explain. He was a truly inspiring teacher. players in the United States and you soon known of his achievements as a player. Th e fi rst I heard of Joe Allard was on become aware that, in the opinion of many, Joe was born in Lowell Massachusetts in a trip to the U.S.A. in 1972. I had a gig Joe was not only an expert on the subject of 1910. His fi rst instrument was clarinet touring Canada as a backing musician tone production, but was one of a kind in and later alto saxophone and bass clarinet. with a cabaret act and when that fi nished his ability to help saxophone and clarinet He studied clarinet under Daniel Bonade, I decided to go to New York and LA to players (both classical and jazz) overcome Gaston Hamelin and Ralph MacLean and check out the Jazz Clubs and Studios and problems involving the production of saxo phone with Chester Hazlett, who Joe to try and take some lessons. sound. described as having the most beautiful I rented an apartment in LA and the Joe had the unique ability to diagnose saxophone sound he had ever heard. landlord was a bass player named Ray a problem, explain physically what was Joe’s playing credits include bass clarinet Leatherwood who used to be with the causing it, and then using concepts and with the N.B.C. Symphony Orchestra Les Brown Band. One day I was practic- principles “prescribe” one or two of his under Arturo Toscanini, (he was the ing and I heard a knock on the door. My exercises to help the student correct it by only bass clarinettist under Toscanini to immediate response was “Oh Oh, here we teaching themselves. Just as you might visit have never been fi red!), clarinet with the go again. Someone’s complaining about a leading specialist in medicine, Joe was New York Philharmonic under Leopold the noise.” It was the landlord, but to my a leading specialist in tone production, a Stokowsky, jazz gigs with Red Nichols relief he was looking for a saxophone player kind of “Tone Doctor” who could help you and his Five Pennies and Red Norvo. For to fi ll in on a big band rehearsal that night play in a natural and relaxed way, making it seventeen years he was the solo clarinet and I jumped at the chance. It was there possible to reach your full potential musi- with the Bell Telephone Hour. Th e other that I met Vic Morosco. When I walked cally. A list of those who sought his help winds were the fi rst chairs in the New York in he was warming up. I was amazed at his certainly confi rms the fact that Joe had Philharmonic. absolute virtuosity on the fl ute, clarinet something very special to off er as a teacher. A lesson with Joe was full of wisdom, and saxophone, so aft er the rehearsal I ap- Th ey include Eddie Daniels, Harvey Pit- humour and great stories, like the one proached him about taking lessons. tel, Michael Brecker, Stan Getz, Victor when he was asked to play bass clarinet Vic is also a great teacher and an expert Morosco, Eric Dolphy, all fi ve members under Toscanini. on Joe’s principles. He made me re-think of the Glenn Miller saxophone section, “We were rehearsing Till Eulen- my whole way of playing, and any success I Carmine Campione, Paul Winter, Harry spiegel Opus 38 By Richard Strauss. have had as a teacher or player I owe much Carney, Paul Cohen, Dave Liebman, Ken Th e opening starts on a low E and to him and, of course, Joe. It was some eight Radnosky, Bob Berg and the list goes on. ends up on a high E. Th e fi rst time years later that I decided to go and see the In Joe’s own words “It may have been I played it, the Maestro stopped the “master” himself. a high note, a low note, pitch, breathing, orchestra, looked at me and said in I studied with Joe in 1980 at his home something like that, they would come to Italian ‘Chic-Chic-Chic Bravura!’ in Tenafl y, New Jersey and again in 1983 me and I’d help them with their problem. – meaning that I had played it like a at his summer home on the Lake in Wyn- Most teachers would tell the student to chicken and that he wanted it played dham, New Hampshire. The drive to practice more or have them play out of a with courage. So I thought ‘I’ll blow New Hampshire was about 6 hours, so I book”. the hell out of this thing’. He had would go up every weekend and sleep over Joe’s teaching credentials covered a pe- me play it all alone about ten diff er- Saturday night and drive back on Sunday riod of more than 50 years. Th ey include: ent ways. Each time I played double afternoon. The lessons were amazing, Juilliard, Th e Manhattan School of Music, fortissimo. He may have fi red every everything I anticipated and more. Th e Brooklyn College, Long Island University other bass clarinettist, and was test- room I slept in was next to Joe’s and had an and Th e New England Conservatory of ing me to see if I’d walk out, but I open partition at the ceiling, so the lessons Music. He also taught at his home in New was determined he wasn’t going to would continue into the night. On Sunday Jersey, his studio in New York City and fi re me! Aft er that incident he was mornings I would go to the local general at his summer home in Windham, New fi ne and never said ‘Boo’ to me for store with Joe and have coff ee with his Hampshire. Upon his retirement from the the next fi ve years. I found out later friends. Th is would be followed by a trip to New England Conservatory of Music in that the Maestro was a little hard of the supermarket (I would push the trolley) 1987, he was presented with an Honorary hearing, especially with the low-end and then back to Joe’s for another lesson. Doctorate Degree making him truly “Th e instruments.” Joe was a great person and a wonderful June 1999 21 teacher who taught with patience, compas- the jaw toto descenddescend oror tightentighten upup toto ascend.ascend. – Col Loughnan teaches saxophone and wood- sion, wisdom and humour. Mix that with Sliding the mouthpiece in a little as you winds in the Jazz Department of the Sydney music, anatomy, physics and the experience ascend and sliding out as you descend will Conservatorium of Music. He is well known in of a lifetime of teaching and playing and help. Th is exercise is a “wake up call” for Australia as a soloist, composer and arranger. there you have some idea of a lesson with the vocal cords, gets you in contact with He has worked with artists as varied as Frank Joe Allard. With all this talk of anatomy the way the reed vibrates and helps you Sinatra, the Toshiko Tabakin Orchestra, Sammy and the laws of physics one might conclude form a practical embouchure. To achieve Davis Jnr., Freddie Hubbard, Georgie Fame and that Joe was a “mechanical” type of teacher. the most benefi t from this exercise, practise the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. He studied in Nothing could be further from the truth. both soft ly and loud. Long tones using vol- the United States with Joe Allard, Eddie Daniels and Victor Morosco. Everything he taught was a means to an ume control (crescendo decrescendo etc.) end, to play in the freest way possible, should also be practised. Gaining control unrestricted by unnecessary tension and of the mouthpiece alone will make the with the end result … music. job of playing the instrument easier and To detail all of Joe’s principles, exercises is also a great way to start beginners. Aft er and their application to musical and instru- all, fl ute players begin with the headjoint, mental problems would take many pages brass players with the mouthpiece. It makes and may be the subject of perhaps another sense that we should be able to control the article some time. Some of Joe’s unique reed fi rst. A reed that is too hard or too and more unusual exercises to stress the soft will make this exercise more diffi cult importance of the ear and to gain fl exibility to execute. and control are: Th e key “C” is an example only. Each 1. Playing scales, arpeggios and tunes on mouthpiece will produce a diff erent pitch the mouthpiece alone. depending on what instrument you play, 2. Bending notes down from a semitone eg., clarinet, alto, tenor sax etc. Start on the to a fourth in certain registers without highest note you can play comfortably andand compromising the embouchure. then try to change the pitch one note at a 3. Playing a scale without moving fin- time. At fi rst you may only be able to move gers. a tone or a minor third.With practice you 4.