John Kenneth Davern, known professionally as Kenny Davern, and born on January
7, 1935, in Huntington, New York, was a jazz clarinetist. He began his musical
journey at 16, joining the musician's union as a baritone saxophone player. His
breakthrough came in 1954 when he joined Jack Teagarden's Band and made his
first jazz recordings. Davern worked with bands led by Phil Napoleon, Pee Wee
Erwin, and the Dukes of Dixieland before freelancing with notable musicians like
Red Allen, Ralph Sutton, Yank Lawson, and Dick Wellstood in the late 1960s. He
was inducted into the Jazz Hall of...