One of the early influential clarinetists in the New Orleans tradition was Sydney Bechet. 
He was from a middle class family raised in New Orleans in the early decades of the 20th century. Several of his immediate family members were musicians which helped form and shape his interest in music. Sydney's career spanned several decades and continents. He had a powerful sound and sometime liked to dominate the musical texture.
Bechet's musical upbringing in New Orleans included stints with Freddie Keppard, King Oliver, and Bunk Johnson. In 1925, he moved to Paris and performed there and throughout Europe before returning to the United states. It was in Paris where he latched onto the soprano saxophone seen here in this picture. He was one of the earliest jazz musicians to develop a distinctive sound and approach to the instrument.
After WWII, Bechet relocated to Paris again in 1951 and lived the rest of his life there dying in 1959. Listen below the the powerful vibrato and lyrical clarinet playing on this famous blues: Blue Horizon.