From the Publisher

By Robert L. Miller

Whether the motif is jazz or swing, classical or ragtime, there is one constant in the films of Woody Allen: good music sets both the mood and the pace. The meticulous attention to scoring is no coincidence. Comedian Allen is deadly earnest when it comes to music, especially the New Orleans jazz style he favors most.

This week the Profile section explores the Woody Allen most fans do not know: Woody Allen, the jazz clarinetist. Though Allen rarely grants interviews to discuss his movies, he readily agreed to talk to senior editor Thomas Sancton about his other career. In the projection room of Allen's Manhattan film center, they discussed music and clarinets for 90 minutes. "Woody Allen is passionate about jazz," says Sancton. "It's not just an eccentric hobby."

Sancton should know. A native of New Orleans, he grew up in and around the clubs of America's jazz capital, sitting in on gigs with his clarinet from the time he was a teenager. Allen's musical hero, clarinetist George Lewis, was one of Sancton's own mentors, and in 1969 Sancton played at Lewis' funeral. While an undergraduate at Harvard University in the late 1960s, Sancton formed the Black Eagle Jazz Band. When he went on to Oxford for graduate work, he ^ toured briefly with several European jazz groups before putting the horn aside to complete his doctorate in European history. He did not play in public again until two years ago. Earlier this month, Sancton cut his seventh album, accompanied by pianist David Paquette and drummer Cornelis (Pam) Pameijer. It will be released next year by G.H.B. Records.

In the insular world of jazz, all roads lead to New Orleans, and in 1971 Sancton and Allen crossed paths at the Jazz and Heritage Festival. One night they both sat in on a jam session at Bonaparte's Retreat, a smoky riverfront club on Decatur Street. Last year, when Sancton started playing at the Cajun, a Manhattan night spot, he discovered that his pianist occasionally filled in with Woody's group at Michael's Pub. The pianist later told Allen about Sancton's return to the bandstand. "I met him in 1971," the filmmaker responded. "Do you think he remembers me?" He did.