Hi all,
My wife and I are travelling to France in a few weeks, and I’m thinking it would be fun to contact and visit a few Breton flute makers while we’re there. Does anyone have any favorites? Lehart, Le Coant, Hervieux & Glet, others? 
Many thanks,
Kevin
I played a Lehart flute for many years and think it was the most affordable of keyed flutes available. It was also unique among flutes in tone and response, however if I was making the trip I would fit in Stephane Morvan or Pol Jezequel as several people I trust think they are among the best makers workig today. Other options are Louis Jordan and a Peter Merbeth {does he still make flutes}
Stéphane Morvan and Pol Jezequel are surely among the best flute makers today, you can also add to the list of breton flute makers Solen Lesouef who makes very good flutes and Glen Le Bot, a very creative flute maker. And of course Michel Bonamy, great flute player and also a very good flute maker.
I returned yesterday from Brittany with a new Poljez 8-keyed flute in mopane with an ivoirine headjoint that is simply terrific, just like the other two 8-keyed Poljez flutes I own, one in blackwood and one in mopane, both with regular headjoints. If you want to know what I mean by “terrific” I’m at a loss to help you, but I believe you can still hear my son-in-law playing one at a workshop he gave with Kevin Crawford at Berkenhage, Oct. 2009, by going to Raf Goethal’s MySpace page: http://www.berkenhage.be/
I had many, many top-quality flutes in my collection, both antique and modern (including Boosey, Rudall & Rose, Wilkes, Olwell, to name just a few), but I sold them all after buying my first Poljez. Pol told me he would not be taking any more flute orders but you never can tell–in any case, it took me almost 2 years before I got my new one. Pol’s e-mail address is:
If he has really stopped taking orders all is not lost because I will be selling my blackwood Poljez in a month or so after I convince myself (a mediocre player at best) that I only need two flutes. I actually got the blackwood Poljez from my son-in-law who had played it professionally for about 6 months; it narrowly escaped confiscation by by Kevin Crawford who played it when Pol took some of his flutes to an Irish workshop (Ennis?) to show.
Dick Abrams
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Yes. don’t forget Solen Lesouef. I haven’t met/played her flutes, but she’s a “favourite” of mine just for her exotic key designs and her prices are amazingly good value.
To follow on from Dick, Jean-Michel was playing another (cocus, I think, though may have been cocobolo - I can’t remember for sure) Poljez at Berkenhage last year (I’ve posted links to videos on my FB before) - not the ivorine headed one from the previous year. He was making wry comments about breaking them in for Pol and then them getting passed on while he got the next one!
I met Louis Jourdain at Lorient in 2008 where he had a stall - tried quite a few of his flutes. They were pretty good, but didn’t really blow me away.
I have to say the sound clips from Glen Le Bot certainly sound great but then again I’m sure Malo could make any flute {swing}.
Off topic but I also think the clips on Francois Baubet’s a french fellow living in Ireland sound nice and very decent prices
Solen’s stuff as well and then Morvans and PolJez {I came real close to ordering a POLJEz well before he was as well known and regret not ordering then}
Too many flutes I’ve not tried.
My goodness. These look incredible!
Thanks, everyone!
The search for the perfect flute vs the search for the perfect tune…
“v”?
They’re not mutually exclusive desiderata…
The search for the perfect flute vs the search for the perfect tune…
A bit much coming from someone who has bought and sold so many nice highend flutes over the years here and on the session
Spent several hours going over Aird’s Airs yesterday {thanks Jack Campin} and found several lovely tunes including two slip jigs one in B minor with some lovely phrases I’ve never heard before or can even relate to another tune I know of.
When I play this {new to me} tune I expect an interested response from players I respect due to the unusual phrases {one might expect these tunes to be newly composed}
Doesn’t mean I don’t want to see what some of the lesser known {to us} makers have to offer in a flute
The best players try different flutes and change flutes now and again and don’t make apologies for it.
Veillon seems to be playing a Pol Jez flute latley should he have not tried it over his Wilkes or before that Lehart {insert any scenario here}
Calum Stewart’s post about his Rudall cylindircal flute with the headjoint he plays now is another example. He wrote about finding the voice or his voice in finding the flute that works best for him. Should he have given up before he found that flute.
The OP’s question was sincere as are the responses and while I think players who havent been playing very long can’t put enough into a flute to judge it and may never get to that point.
What makes us have the right to tell them not to try to find their voice {if in this particular case it happens to be someone insterested in Breton made flutes where arguably some of the best flutes are being made}.
Sorry for the rant.
And the names of the slip jigs are…?
Thanks and best wishes.
Steve
Hello Steve,
Here are the two slips jigs {well they’re in nine eight anyway}.
I particularly like the end of the A and B part of the first one.
the octave jump on the f sharp is nice.
The second one is more familiar {normal sounding} sounding I really just grabbed it to have a set and it works.
X:0930
T:Three good Fellows.
M:9/8
L:1/8
Q:3/8=120
I: || ||
Z:Jack Campin * www.campin.me.uk * 2009
K:B Minor
d|B3 FBc d2 e|A3 EAc e2 f|dcB FBc dfd|edc cf^A B2||
f|b2B d2f d’c’b|c’2e c2e ac’a|d’c’b agf edc|dcB ^AfF B2|]
X:0823
T-:Rakes of Westmouth,
C:Irish.
M:9/8
L:1/8
Q:3/8=112
I: :: 
Z:Jack Campin * www.campin.me.uk * 2009
K:D
d3 dAG FED|d3 dAG G2E|ABc dAG FGA|=cBc E2F G2E:|
d2g fdf ece|d2g fdf g2e|d2g fdf ece|=cBc E2F G2E:|
Here is a nice reel as well.
X:0822
T:Major McLean’s Reel.
M:C
L:1/8
Q:1/2=104
I: :: ||
Z:Jack Campin * www.campin.me.uk * 2009
K:G Dorian
A|GGBG B/c/d g2|f2cf AFcA|GABc defd|dgg^f gGG:|
^f|ggdg fadf |caBg AFFf|ggdg fadf|dgg^f gGG
^f|ggdg fadf |caBg AFFA|GABc defd|dgg^f gGG|]
% As in the book (with confused key signature):
% K:G
% A|GGBG B/c/d g2|=f2 cf AFcA|GA_Bc de=fd|dggf gGG:|
% f|ggdg =fadf | ca_Bg AFFf|ggdg =fadf |dggf gGG
% f|ggdg =fadf | ca_Bg AFFA|GA_Bc defd |dggf gGG|]
and this seems to be an early version of the Humors of Ballyconnell
X:0803
X:0812
T:A Highland Reel.
S:Aird v5 p5
M:C|
L:1/8
Q:1/2=100
I: :: ::
Z:Jack Campin * www.campin.me.uk * 2009
K:D
defe dcBA | GFdF E2 E2 |
defe dcBA | BdAF D2 D2:|
(3DED AF (3DED AF|(3EFE BG (3EFE BG |
(3DED AF (3DED AF| BdAF D2 D2:|
a>ba>f a>ba>f| (ge)(be) (ge)(be)|
a>ba>f a>ba>f| (ge)(af) d2 d2:|
Anyway I love just playing through an old collection looking for the ones that jump out at me.
Pat