Loren said that Kevin Crawford is coming out with a Bb flute album. that would be awesome! But I hope he does better in recording there that he did with the Bb on the In Good Company or the Merery Sisters (though track 6 is quite good)–he just doesn’t bring out the tone or sensitivity of the Bb. Playing with a loud violin doesn’t help.
I’ve been diggin’ on Malloy’s Shandows on Stone album–incredible work on the Bb for at least have the tunes, as he does on Heathery Breeze as well on two tunes. Nugent does a nice job on his Olwell Bb too, but he prefers a more “raw” tone on the Bb and the Copelands, so it’s hard to tell how the Olwell COULD sound.
Pat told me a couple of weeks ago that he is about half-finished with my Bb. He might be able to finish before his Ireland trip in early July. Sure hope so. On another note (or is that key?): only one or two years to wait for the Olwell keyed flute! I can wait with my Crawfod-like Rudall.
I read that Kevin recorded this Bb CD with only Bodhran playing along. I kid you not.
So you’ve got the Olwell Bb on the way, plus a Keyed Olwell in the pipeline…What else are you on the waiting lists for? I can’t believe you didn’t snap up the Grinter Bb…
Er, well…The Lowest note on the Bb wooden flute would be the Bb below the bottom C on your standard concert flute (not the Alto flute). Does that make sense?
Or to put it another way, the Alto flute goes even lower than the Bb keyless woodenflute.
Or for those Irish-trad players unfamiliar with B-flats, they play a major third DOWN from the concert D flute. B-flat just below middle C on the piano.
They’re strange beasts. They’re great sounding, that’s for sure, but they also make great workout flutes. Meaning, you wouldn’t believe how easy it seems to play a concert D or an E-flat fltue after playing only B-flat for a week.
Same could be said for low C bamboo flutes, like Pat Olwell’s. Great instrument.
When’s Kevin Crawford’s B-flat album coming out? Since I’ve got his flute’s sibling, I’d sure like to hear him play it.
Kevin Crawford has posted to this site already.
A couple of years back when we were discussing
performances/tunes/usual stuff.
It was about the time that their first book
was published. "Lunasa The Music 1996-2001
by Donough Hennessy. I had just bought
a new car that is now just 4 years old, so 2002?
He said that ‘they’ read the comments and that it made
their ‘discussions’ in the group worthwhile etc. IIRC
Actually, the Bb tracks on In Good Company, IMO, are the strongest on the album. . .to my ears the recording quality was fine, and the playing was brilliant. So I certainly hope Kevin can give us a Bb album!
The “recording quality” issues had nothing to do with the In Good Company album, but rather the solo Bb album that Kevin recorded subsequently; one track of that was rescued for Wooden Flute Obsession 2 but the album itself was never released due to a technical problem with the master recording…maybe one day he’ll try again but for now I believe we can all look forward to an Eb album from Kevin instead. And it’ll be worth waiting for, I’m sure!
