This clarinet was made by Henri Selmer in Paris, France around 1957 to 1958. It is a Boehm System clarinet in B-flay, “Centered Tone” model, serial #Q9851, made of grenadilla with silver keys and rings. This clarinet is stamped:
DEPOSE
HENRI
SELMER
FRANCE
Centered
Tone
Cuban-born jazz clarinetist, Paquito D’Rivera acquired this clarinet in the late 1950s and continued to use it until he donated the clarinet to the museum in 2005. D-Rivera has received several awards and honors, including twelve Grammys, NEA Jazz Masters, Kennedy Center Living Jazz Legend award, and a National Medal of the Arts in 2005.
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