When you’re going on a trip…. it’s tough to bring a saxophone!  Especially size tenor or larger.

Checking a horn can be scary business, since things get shaken around and parts can get bent.

I thought about taking an alto in a softcase- hopefully being able to carry it onboard, but I didn’t have one and neither did the store I checked.  (They could have gotten on in a week, but that was partyway into the trip already).

Another option could be a soprano or even better a curved soprano.  But I don’t have one at this point.

So…. I decided to go with clarinet- the Yamaha case was nice and compact.

Clarinet is actually what I started playing before saxophone, haven’t played it much in a while.  But I still like the sound of it and I just placed it in a carryon bag and went on the plane.

Flute could work too, and I have one, but it’s not my specialty.

Bringing the clarinet worked very well and I actually learned ‘Blue Bossa’ on clarinet.  Played in the lower register of the clarinet- first learned the melody then the chord changes.

The chord changes were much simpler than I thought they were.  I V, ii V I in one key, ii V I a half step up, then ii V I back down a half step.

The are a few great jazz clarinet players that I have seen too- Don Byron and Paquito D’ Rivera come to mind.  I have seen Don  Byron anyway, Paquito not yet.