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Clarinet Summit at PAAM

By Kahrin Deines

January 30th, 2008

From low, warm tones that resonate deep in the stomach to high, plaintive cries, clarinets can climb mountains in sound range and they will surely be doing so in Provincetown at an upcoming winter jazz concert at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM).

Hosted by Bart Weisman, the Feb. 16 jazz concert will feature four clarinetists in a Clarinet Summit, the first of its kind on the Cape.

Elmer Drotos, Paul Nossiter, Ted Casher and Henry Duckham – clarinetists one and all – will perform at the summit. Drotos plays sax with a number of bands in the Boston area, but he lends his breath to make the sax’s sister reed instrument sing as well. He has also toured the U.S. and Canada with the Artie Shaw Orchestra.

Casher, as well, has performed with the Artie Shaw Orchestra, along with many other groups including the Klezmer Conservatory Band, the Benny Goodman Tribute Band and the Harry James Orchestra.

Some Cape audiences, meanwhile, may already know Nossiter, from his days as first oboe with the Cape Cod Symphony in the 50s. Over a 65-year span in the world of jazz, he has since performed with many jazz stars, such as Dave McKenna, Bobby Hackett, Sidney Bechet and others.

And Duckham’s performance history includes concerts with Al Grey, Dick Wellstood and Cecil Taylor, among others.

The four clarinetists will be joined by John Harrison III on piano, Laird Boles on bass, Jamie Bryce on banjo, Bob Leech on tuba and, of course, Bart Weisman on drums.

The winter jazz series concerts, which are free, bring jazz musicians from all over to jam in the visually rich setting of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, presenting a special opportunity for attendees to indulge in a synesthesia of visual and auditory art.

In addition to hosting the winter jazz series, Weisman is also the founder of the popular Provincetown Jazz Festival.

The Clarinet Summit will take place on Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, which is located at 460 Commercial Street. To find out more about the Winter Jazz Series, call PAAM at 508.487.1750 or go to www.paam.org.