Buddy DeFranco
Born Bonifaccio Ferdinando Leonardo DeFranco in Camden, New Jersey in 1923, Buddy was raised in South Philadelphia. He began playing clarinet at the age of 9, in a family so poor that his blind piano-tuner father had to spend their rent money to buy him his first instrument. By the time he was 14 he had won a national Tommy Dorsey swing contest and played with Gene Krupa on Saturday Night Swing Club. At Mastbaum Technical High School, attending classes alongside noted players Red Rodney and Joe Wilder, DeFranco finished in three years rather than the usual four.
In 1939 DeFranco began touring with Johnny ‘Scat’ Davis. He went on to play under Gene Krupa in 1941 and then Ted FioRito and Charlie Barnet in 1942. It was while playing with Charlie Barnet that he was exposed to Charlie Parker and bebop for the first time, and began to play with and study him. He joined Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra in 1944, then moved over to Boyd Raeburn’s band in 1946, before returning to Dorsey in 1947. DeFranco recalls one time when Dorsey, who had no interest in bebop, leaned into a basement where
his sax players and Buddy were rehearsing and exclaimed, “That’s fantastic!” Then, on being told they were playing Charlie Parker transcriptions, Dorsey
slammed the door and stormed off, never to mention it again.
In 1950 DeFranco became the only white member of the Count Basie Septet. He toured Europe with Billie Holiday in 1954, then followed that with three years leading a quartet with Art Blakey. In 1958 he worked with Nelson Riddle, premiering Riddle’s Cross-Country Suite at the Hollywood Bowl and subsequently recording the piece. He also formed another quartet, this time with Tommy Gumina, which explored polytonal music. He toured with Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic series through Europe, East Asia, and Australia. He became the bandleader for the Glenn Miller Orchestra in
1966, continuing with the group until 1974.
Starting his career at the tail end of the era of swing and the big bands, DeFranco continued long past the point when clarinet players such as Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Woody Herman were losing ground in the public eye. If not for the timing, he may have become a much more prominent figure in the jazz world. Still, he’s considered the only notable jazz musician who played clarinet exclusively. He is also noted as the only major bebop clarinetist.
Over his long career, DeFranco has performed live and recorded with Art Tatum, Nat King Cole, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Lenny Tristano, Billy Eckstine, Herb Ellis, Mel Tormé, Louie Bellson, Oscar Peterson, and many others. As well, he was repeatedly voted into the Metronome All Stars, playing alongside a wide range of other top-notch performers, including Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra.
DeFranco’s many accolades include twenty Down Beat Magazine Awards, nine Metronome Magazine Awards, and sixteen Playboy All-Star Awards. He had his own television show, The Buddy DeFranco Jazz Forum, on PBS. He was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo in 1998. He has been inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame and was the recipient of a 2006 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship. As well, there is an annual Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival held at the University of Montana, which includes clinics for high school and college jazz bands. In
2007 Washington, DC’s Kennedy Center honored him with its Living Jazz Legend Award.
Still playing in his 80s, Buddy continues daily practice and performs regularly. His current group is co-led by vibraphone player Terry Gibbs, who he has worked with for many years.
