I recently got Kevin Crawford’s In Good Company. I am blown away by the playing and the arrangements. It is very relaxed, almost stately in places, but very good.
It’s all a matter of taste but according do me, no doubt,
the best is, and will always be, Matt Molloy.
That’s the one who seems to be the most in control, the most versatile, the most powerfull and sensitive at the same time…well the best.
My taste…
Leo
Veillon.
Agreed.
Actually, I wouldn’t say he’s the best ever. He’s just my favorite.
Throw in Larry Nugent and I’ll gladly judge the competition. Sounds like a great event. “Flutestock”?
I agree with the argument that due to the diversity of the instrument and the tradition it’s really a moot point to try and name a “best ever”. I myself can’t even pick my own favorite because I appreciate different things from different players.
As for Seamus Egan… even though I’ve listened to one of his solo CDs and a Solas concert on the Beeb I can’t really say I’ve heard enough of his flute playing to really valuate.
Cheers,
Aaron
I think it’d be hard to argue the multi-instrumentalist angle with Seamus - he is extremely gifted! I can’t think of a single other Trad muscian with so many talents (and all of them professional-caliber!).
Matt Molloy could certainly be considered the most influencial, modern flute player - he certainly is one of my biggest inspirations, however you start throwing around names like Gary Shannon, J-M Veillon, etc, etc, etc…and the definition of ‘best’ gets more and more subjective. And that’s not mentioning the ‘Old Guard’ who inspired the modern greats.
Enjoy them all, I will!
Cheers,
- Ryan
Well Chris, he may be refering to the lawsuit between Solas Seamus Egan and the Seattle Banjo player Seamus Egan. The Solas Egan sued the Seattle Egan because they both have the same name and the Solas Egan didn’t want somebody else’s album out there with his name on it. So he sued the Seattle Egan and I believe he won. This is third hand info though so don’t take my word for it. The Seattle Egan is a very good banjo player BTW.
Agreed. His CD “In your ear” is a monster.
Doesn’t strike me as a particularly harsh thing to say about a famous recording artist, nor as an objectionable comment to make. People can take it or leave it, what they hear from Dave Migoya about so-and-so.
Y’know, Larry will say many’s the time that there are many far better skilled and able musicians than he, and yet he’s generally my first choice.
i like Nugent very much as well, and i also like MM, Crawford and many others.
My “favorite” or “first choice” varies from week to week, in fact. But to me the question is who is a great musician as well as an excellent flutist. Veillon’s combination of technical ability, versatility and emotional power to me marks him as a great musician, i’d even say IMO he’s one of the finest musicians walking the planet. He has astounding technique, has created a style all his own which is a reference point for many others, but when he plays (to my ears anyway) the technique is always secondary to the music. I hear a depth of feeling in his music that is really rare – i’m especially thinking of one live show he did in Chicago, so i don’t expect anyone else to really understand what i mean.
Seamus Egan, by contrast, is astonishing technically but when i listen to him i can’t really get a sense of who he is as a person, beyond being someone who has spent a lot of time listening and practicing.
I do feel that Nugent has moments when he reveals a lot of himself through his music, BTW, and i much prefer listening to him than Egan. I’ve heard both of them live on several occasions as well.
just my ramblings.
BTW, at the end of that exquisite Veillon concert, Nugent, Paul McGrattan, Paddy Keenan, and a couple of others joined JMV on stage and tore through an impromptu 20-minute set of reels that completely blew everyone in the club away. What a great night.
I think this is a great topic. I’m not sure who is the greatest flute player of all time, but my two favorites are Eric Dolphy and Matt Molloy. I attribute my interest in the flute to hearing these musicians.
Eric Dolphy, known chiefly for playing alto sax, was also a virtuoso on the flute and bass clarinet. If you like avant-garde jazz, check out his flute tone on “You Don’t Know What Love Is” from the Last Date CD.
The other fave is Matt Molloy. After I heard “The Parting of Friends” from the Music at Matt Molloy’s CD, I had to go buy a flute immediately (a Firth & Hall antique). This was about 10 years ago and started my interest in ITM.
You are not the only one to ever have said so. I find his music to be quite revealing, and this quality is what grabs me.
But back to the discussion. 
There’s still plenty of room at the bottom, so I’ll just nominate myself as…
Hey! There are no pic players mentioned. Even half a flute deserves some respect!
(Paul M. rattles around in my brain the most..but that may be because the better half would play him 24-7 if she could get away with it…would you believe he’s programed into the alarm clock!)
I’m with you all the way, rh, on JMV. Btw, what club was that? A fellow Chicagoan really wants to know, though I realize it must have been some years ago.
Carol
It was Martyr’s… i think 1996 or '97? a while back, anyway.
I have no clue who is the best flute player, only who is my favourite player - Frankie Kennedy.
David
Seamus sued Shameless? Ha!
The Banjo S. Egan had a band, Buscar Ban. Sounds good and Celtic to ya? Translation is “White Trash.”
Another outfit was “Last Night’s Crusties.”
I read how Jean-Pierre Rampal was in the top three or four recorded artists of all time. So there’s your quantity.
My fave’s Jack Dolan, Co. Leitrim. Swingin’ stuff!
Hi Richard… I could tell almost the same story. Especially about Molloy, I discovered Dolphy later… And Charles Lloyd, and Coltrane. Some great sax players played the flute.
How is that Firth & Hall??