Jazz Flute and Flautists

The flute player’s classic introduction to jazz is often at school, when their band teacher tosses a saxophone to them and says, “Try this! See you after-school in jazz!” Saxophone, especially alto or tenor, is an excellent second instrument for a flute player, as it has a very similar fingering system and written music range. Though jazz flute players aren’t uncommon, most that play in a jazz ensemble typically play saxophone for the majority of the time, and “double” on flute for a particular song or improvised solo. The most versatile of jazz saxophonists will be able to double on flute, clarinet, or even piccolo!

Playing in a jazz band is an incredibly beneficial experience, especially to your musical appreciation. Saxophone interferes little with the flute embouchure, and forces the student to learn to project their sound to a greater extent. Jazz contains different articulations and rhythms than more classical work; it’s a great way to make you more aware of the music you play. It’s a chance to both “let your hair down” in performance and more deeply analyze chord progressions. Your first time improvising a solo on the spot may be terrifying, but with practice you’ll become addicted to the experience - through improvisation, you can express yourself through your own music. It's like a really expressive cadenza, only better; in a jazz ensemble, you usually have an energetic horn and rhythm section supporting you!

And remember how great you thought it was to be a concert-pitch instrument, never having to transpose any pitch? Well, yeah, playing sax in Eb does require the odd transposition, but knowing how to transpose early on will save you grief later, especially as you become a more advanced flute performer.

Members of the Concert Flute family

From high to low, the members of the concert flute family include:

• Piccolo in C or D-flat
• Treble Flute  in G
• Soprano Flute in Eb
• Concert flute (also called C flute, boehm flute, silver flute, or simply flute)
• Flûte d'amour (also called tenor flute) in B-flat or A
• Alto flute in G
• Bass flute in C
• Contra-alto flute in G
• Contrabass flute in C (also called octobass flute)
• Subcontrabass flute in G or C
• Double contrabass flute in C (also called octobass flute)
• Hyperbass flute in C (also spelled hyper-bass flute)

Each of the above instruments has its own range. The piccolo is an octave higher in pitch than the concert flute. Like the concert flute, it reads music in C, but sounds one octave higher. The alto flute is in the key of G, and extends the low register range of the flute to the G below middle C. Its highest note is a high G (4 ledger lines above the treble clef staff). The bass flute is an octave lower than the concert flute, and the contrabass flute is an octave lower than the bass flute.

Less commonly seen flutes include the treble flute in G, pitched one octave higher than the alto flute; the soprano flute, between the treble and concert; and the tenor flute or flûte d'amour in B flat or A, pitched between the concert and alto.

The lowest sizes (larger than the bass flute) have all been developed in the 20th century; these include the sub-bass flute is pitched in F, between the bass and contrabass; the subcontrabass flute (pitched in G or C), the contra-alto flute (pitched in G, one octave below the alto), and the double contrabass flute in C, one octave lower than the contrabass. The flute sizes other than the concert flute and piccolo are sometimes called harmony flutes.

Parents and new players - Your top flute questions answered!
When looking for a new flute and researching the various options, you can often be faced with flute jargon such as E mechanism or split E, open or closed mechanism, C or B footjoint options, headjoint over-cutting and undercutting, silver-plated or silver, padding and set-up…This guide should hopefully steer you through the jargon and help you to be more informed when visiting the music shop.
PDF File Parents Guide to First Flute

Oxford Flute Summer School
13-18th August 06

Britsh Flute Society
British Flute Society Convention - Manchester Royal Northern College of Music - 17th – 20th August
Display of new Miyazawa, Sankyo, Mateki and Trevor J. James flutes
Call 01228 670306 for more information

Jazz Flautists Links

Buddy Collette - William Marcel Collette was born on August 6, 1921 in the Watts district of Los Angeles. Along with saxophonist Dexter Gordon bassist Charles Mingus, and drummer Chico Hamilton, he helped keep bebop alive in the city's historic Central Avenue neighbourhood. Buddy also played an important role with the development of the cool jazz movement. After attending a concert by the legendary trumpeter Louis Armstrong with his parents, a young Collette was taken by the idea of a career in jazz. Satchmo's achievements and lifestyle presented an appealing alternative to the menial and often degrading jobs open to African Americans during the Depression. In 1933, at the age of 12, Collette formed his first jazz ensemble. The group contained, of all people, a talented teenager named Charles Mingus, who Buddy convinced to switch from cello to bass. Mingus was already an extraordinary talent, but his infamous temper was also firmly in place. In the years that followed, Collette was instrumental in helping Mingus forge better relationships with various musicians and producers. Buddy's gentle, friendly demeanor was the perfect counterpoint to the ornery bassist; they became lifelong friends. In 1949, Collette recorded "It's April" in the backroom studios of Dolphin's of Hollywood. Although "It's April" and other tunes recorded at Dolphin's were receiving radio airplay and selling well, studio owner John Dolphin seldom paid the musicians. This money conflict eventually led to the stabbing and killing of Dolphin by one of his musicians. Buddy left Dolphin behind and overcame tough racial barriers in the industry by becoming the first African American to perform in a television studio band, appearing on Groucho Marx's television show, You Bet Your Life.

Fortunately, Collette was not content on being the only black musician, he eventually became a political and cultural activist in the battle against segregation in the music industry, and the burgeoning influence of McCarthyism. He also helped organize a concert and rally protesting government repression of the legendary African American singer, actor, and political activist Paul Robeson. Collette's artistic and social activism continued when he led a grassroots campaign to desegregate the Los Angeles musician's union. Gerald Wilson, Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, and saxophonist Benny Carter were some of Collette's early supporters.  None of these activities got in the way of Collette's music making. In 1955, he became a founding member of drummer Chico Hamilton's legendary quintet. The unusual quintet also featured pianist and cellist Fred Katz, whom Collette calls "the first jazz cello player." A year later, Collette recorded Man of Many Parts, his first album as a bandleader. The album not only demonstrated Collette's mastery on saxophone but also his compositional talents.  In the late 1950s, the careers of Collette and his West Coast contemporaries were taking off. But while most of them like Mingus, Hamilton and saxophonists Eric Dolphy and Charles Lloyd moved to New York for more lucrative gigs, Collette stayed in Los Angeles. Although Collette didn't become a household name like his friends, he did become a noteworthy educator in the 1960s. His students included such wonderful woodwind players as James Newton, Frank Morgan, Sonny Criss, Eric Dolphy, and Charles Lloyd. In 1996, the Library of Congress commissioned Collette to write and perform a special big band concert to highlight his long career. For the concert Buddy brought together some of his old musical mates from Los Angeles including Jackie Kelson, Britt Woodman, and Chico Hamilton. Today, Collette is receiving more recognition than ever. Although he no longer performs due to a stroke in 1998, the gleaming beauty, immense talent, and gentle spirit of Collette remain intact and highly influential

Gareth Lockrane John Burgess Website
Lean, mean, flute machine

Rowland Sutherland  Tim Garland

 

Jamie Baum Website
Jamie - NYC-based jazz flautist/composer; recording artist/clinician

 

 

 

 

Bill McBirnie is a jazz and Latin flute specialist based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has studied with distinguished Canadian flutist and composer, Robert Aitken, as well as Cuban charanga legend, Richard Eques. Bill is known for his superior technique on the entire family of flutes—from bass flute to piccolo. He is also recognized as an accomplished improviser, notably in the bebop, swing and Latin idioms as demonstrated by his recordings as a sideman with Junior Mance, Irakere, Memo Acevedo and Cache

Bill McBirnie ( Extreme Flute)

 

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http://www.alfanet.hu/kirk/index2.html
http://www.jimnewsom.com/HerbieMann.html
http://www.budshankalto.com/
http://www.bb10k.com/RIVERS.disc.html  sam rivers
http://www.nikarejto.com/
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http://www.phoenixrisingmusic.com/ andrea brachfeld
http://www.janebunnett.com/index2.htm
http://hpnewyork.com/music/musicians/FrankWess/Frank.html
http://www.kennystahl.com/
http://www.lewtabackin.com/
http://www.hubertlaws.com/index.htm
http://www.jazzfluteweinstein.com/  Mark Weinstein
http://www.jamesmoody.com/
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=7826  Bill McBirnie
http://www.indiepool.com/newsite/showcase/biography.asp?id=15737 Bill McBirnie
http://www.redgoldmusic.com/  paul cheneour
http://www.joyofmusic.com/ bettine clemene
http://www.gillbolaget.se/woodwind/  Urban Hansson
http://www.sherrywinston.com/
http://home.hetnet.nl/~johmar/index.html John Devitt
http://www.matthias-ziegler.ch/english/aktuell/index.html
http://www.mkmjazz.com/  MAKANDA KEN McINTYRE
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Dolphy  Eric Allen Dolphy
http://www.vervemusicgroup.com/artist.aspx?ob=per&src=prd&aid=4180 Joe Farrell
http://www.fantasma.com/artist_rep/artist-dave_valentine.html Dave Valentin
http://www.aliryerson.com/

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^Contrabass Flute

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