Sunday, January 11:
On this week's Straight No Chaser, we take a partial break from our 2014 list of favorites to bring bad news: the death of Buddy DeFranco. In the forties and early fifties musicians, critics and listeners alike agreed that it would never be possible to play bebop on either the trombone or the clarinet. It was thought that the instruments were far to difficult to give the player the ability to play complex lines quickly, but as J. J. Johnson proved with the trombone, Buddy DeFranco proved the same with the clarinet. We honor Buddy tonight with music from groups he led and groups with Terry Gibbs.
