Heavy Flute
Funky Flute Grooves from the 60s and 70s. This is a collection of soul jazz from the Atlantic catalogue featuring the flute. Traditionally, the high range and twittery sound of the flute made it unpopular in jazz. In most types of straight jazz flute sounds really out of place (much like soprano sax). Flute does sound great in forms that are strongly rhythmic--there are great flautists in Afro-Cuban (Richard Egües) or funk (Maceo Parker) for example. The songs on this album represent rhythmic forms of jazz (Soul Jazz, Hard Bop, Latin) which also sound great with the flute. Especially flute played by guys like Herbie Mann with a Latin and Soul influence or Rahsaan Roland Kirk who sings/shouts/spits onto the flute for a frenetic sound. These guys are often dismissed as 'pop' by jazz critics. Pop or not, this is some funky-ass stuff, all tracks recommended, start with 1, 2, 4, 6, 5, 7, 10
1) *Hard bop with quietly grooving drums and bass, featuring flute and vibraharp.
2) *Up-tempo, flute plus a wicked big band
3) Laid back
4) *Latin flavor with congas and timbales
5) Rahsaan Roland Kirk cover of Ain't No Sunshine, features his humming/singing breathy style flute, accompanied by string orchestra
6) *Hard bop, strong blues flavor. Flute with guitar/bass/drum rhythm section
7) Up-tempo Latin flavored, nice piano
8) More frenetic Kirk
9) Soft, light flute and piano comping
10) Funky early 70s Flute and guitar soul jazz from Herbie Mann
Tom Purcell, January 2001