It’s not just classical and jazz…

I’m a clarinettist, so naturally I think that the clarinet is the best, most versatile and underrated instrument. Not only did celebrated classical composers like Mozart write beautiful music featuring the clarinet (e.g. Clarinet Concerto in A, 1. Allegro), but the clarinet shines in a completely new way in the jazz of the early 20th century (e.g. Benny Goodman’s Moonglow and the iconic opening of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue).

In the world of contemporary music, however, the clarinet doesn’t feature nearly as much… or so I thought. If you look (listen) hard enough, you can find it in places you certainly wouldn’t expect.

Last year, I started compiling a playlist with the songs I’ve found over the years – both by happy accident and by scouring the depths of Reddit and clarinet forums. To my knowledge it’s the largest compilation of pop and contemporary songs that feature the clarinet. I’m rather pleased with it, and hope other clarinettists, students, teachers and music lovers find it enjoyable. Here it is on Spotify!

The criteria that songs must meet to be included are quite strict but improve the overall quality of playlist:

• Contains clarinet
• Released after 1960
• Not a cover of an existing song
• Not classical, jazz or klezmer
• Not from a musical/movie/etc orchestral soundtrack

Despite being relatively strict, the playlist still contains 49 tracks (and counting)! If you know of any songs not in the playlist that meet these criteria, please let me know and I’ll check them out.

… it’s rock, pop, disco, funk, folk, country, alternative and more

For those still interested in reading about this topic, I’ve pulled out a few of my favourites from the playlist to talk about them in more detail.

When i’m sixty four – The beatles

Paul McCartney has used clarinets in quite a few of his songs over the years, but this is by far the most extensive. Three clarinets (2 Bb and 1 bass) are very prominent throughout, giving the song a lighthearted and youthful feel. The song was actually sped up in post-production, so the whole thing is a tone higher than written!

I’ve been thinking about recording a cover of this song for some time, and got as far as faithfully transcribing the three clarinet parts by ear. If you’d like the sheet music for non-commercial purposes, get in touch.

Evening shadows – Van morrison Feat. acker bilk

This is a phenomenal collaboration between Van Morrison (of Moondance fame) and Acker Bilk (of Stranger on the Shore fame), released in 2002. The whole song is just *chef’s kiss* levels of silky smooth, and features Acker Bilk dropping in here and there, noodling around in his unique vibrato style.

The swimming – Blood music feat. First Aid Kit

I love the creative use of clarinets in this song – you get gritty and punchy bass, mellow texture and smooth riffs from the Bb clarinets, and a staccato upper register duet towards the end. The clarinets blend into the rest of the band and vocals so naturally, you wonder why more bands haven’t tried this before. I found this song while digging through First Aid Kit’s catalog; they don’t use clarinet in their other songs but they’re worth checking out anyway!

better written off (than written down) – The leisure society

I’ve been a fan of The Leisure Society for many years now, and have been fortunate to see them perform twice. Some of their songs are complex and hard to get into at first, but they’re phenomenal live! Two of their songs feature the clarinet – this one, and Life is a Cabriolet. The clarinet sneaks in for a solo about two-thirds of the way in, starting low and dancing around the vocal line.