Albert Burbank
PANAMA
In seeking a good version of “Panama” to transcribe, I again consulted Mark Braud for advice, and once again he delivered. He pointed me to a 1953 recording by Paul Barbarin, the revered New Orleans drummer whose contributions to traditional jazz are irrefutable. I’ll have to devote a blog entry to Barbarin at some point, but suffice to say he is one of the pioneers of New Orleans drumming, and much like Art Blakey’s role in post-bop, mentored countless musicians throughout the years in his bands. One of those musicians is the feature of today, clarinetist Albert Burbank.
Burbank was unknown to me at the time of this transcription, but what immediately jumped out was Bechet’s influence on his tone and vibrato. According to a Wikipedia entry, he studied with Lorenzo Tio, Jr., one of New Orleans’ most celebrated teachers who was able to bring classical training to the jazz musicians of the time. Tio, Jr. was also a practitioner of the double lip embouchure and Albert system, favored by many traditional clarinetists of the era, including Johnny Dodds. This method is immediately evident in the flexibility in Burbank’s pitch and tone.
Burbank worked most notably with Barbarin as well as Kid Ory, and was a fixture in the New Orleans scene beginning in the 1920’s. Later in his career he would perform regularly with Preservation Hall, presumably in the 1960’s to 70’s. Burbank would suffer a stroke in 1975 but would recover and continue playing until his death a year later.
“Panama” comes from this excellent mid 50’s recording by Paul Barbarin entitled, Streets of the City. It is a collection of tracks from three different sessions, all done during the 50’s with local New Orleans musicians. “Panama” is a wonderful tune notable for its multiple sections, an artifact of many of these early traditional numbers. It has in fact four discreet sections, of which the first three are each repeated twice before the solo section arrives. The solo section is essentially the last section opened up for improvisation. It should be noted that this last section is a modulation, as the tune moves from Eb to Ab Major. Modulations were common in ragtime and early jazz, evidence of classical music’s influence on the emerging art form. We’ve seen it at least once on this blog on James P. Johnson’s “Carolina Shout.”
Burbank has a ton of technique and does not shy away from the upper register. He also has excellent melodic conception. Below is an example of using a theme to play through changes, making slight alterations to continue a line unimpeded to fit the harmony:
Here is another example of motific playing through changes. This phrase transitions smoothly from the IV chord to the #IV diminished and is an essential part of the tradional jazz vocabulary.
Burbank’s style is unmistakingly New Orleans jazz at its core, his sound and inflections heavily Bechet influenced yet distinct at the same time. His work is particularly important for carrying the tradition at a time in the 1950’s to 70’s when New Orleans jazz may not have been as popular yet was still thriving in the city that made it all possible.