Famous Clarinetists of the World — From Classical to Jazz
With its warm timbre and wide range, the clarinet is a highly popular instrument across many genres, including concert band, classical, and jazz.
Another hallmark of the clarinet is its versatility: it adapts to a variety of performance settings, from ensembles to solo playing.
Many people may have first learned of the instrument through the well-known children’s song “I Broke My Clarinet.”
In this article, we’ve gathered notable clarinetists from around the world who are active in classical and jazz.
Read on, and the clarinet might start to feel even more familiar to you.
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World-Famous Clarinetists: From Classical to Jazz (31–40)
Disco Kid / Osamu ShojiTaniguchi Eiji
A clarinetist with a background in wind band.
He is very well-known in the jazz and pop fields.
In this video, he performs a clarinet solo accompanied by a wind band.
The piece Disco Kid was originally a required work for wind band competitions, but it is still performed very frequently today.
Fantasy Pieces, Op. 73 / Robert SchumannGervase Alan de Peyer
Gervase de Peyer was a London-born clarinetist.
Fantasiestücke, Op.
73, is one of a series of pieces for solo instrument composed by Schumann in 1849.
Due to its structure, the piece makes breathing difficult and demands high technical skill and endurance, yet this performance is brilliant and effortless, betraying none of its challenges.
Rapsodie No. 1 / Claude DebussyJacques Lancelot
A French clarinetist.
He is also very well known today as the author of études and other works.
His richly colored tone is captivating, with an especially beautiful resonance in the high register.
It matches the gently undulating flow of the piano accompaniment, making it very pleasant to listen to.
Sweet LorraineJimmie Noone
Jimmy Noone was an American jazz clarinetist known for influencing the later Benny Goodman.
This “Sweet Lorraine,” performed by Jimmy Noone, is a 1928 piece that is now recognized as a jazz standard.
I vespri siciliani / Giuseppe VerdiSimone Nicoletta
It is a five-act opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi, based on the event and uprising known as the Sicilian Vespers, in which the French were massacred by the islanders in Palermo in 1282.
It is performed under the baton of Riccardo Muti, with a solo by Simone Nicoletta.
Famous Clarinetists of the World — From Classical to Jazz (41–50)
Memories of You／Eubie BlakeKitamura Eiji
Speaking of representative Japanese jazz clarinetists, the name that likely comes to mind is Eiji Kitamura.
With his white hair as a trademark and frequent appearances on television, he’s well known even among people who aren’t jazz fans.
Kitamura picked up the clarinet when he was a university student and debuted at the age of 22.
After turning 50, he also studied classical techniques, broadening his musical range.
In 2007, he was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette.
Musette of Melancholy / SantanaAkasaka Tatsuzō
Tatsuzo Akasaka, a world-renowned clarinetist of whom Japan is proud.
After graduating from Kunitachi College of Music, he won first prize in both clarinet and chamber music at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.
Boasting an illustrious list of awards, including third prize at the Toulon International Music Competition, he is also known for being hailed by Pamela Weston of the International Clarinet Association as “a prodigy of the past 40 years.” He has released numerous solo albums and enjoys overwhelming support from classical music fans.
From 2012 to 2020, he served as a professor at Elisabeth University of Music, dedicating himself to nurturing the next generation.