Hi all:
Normally when people are asked about their favorite flute player the same names appear: Matt Molloy, McGoldrick, Harry Bradley, Veillon…but I want to do a special mention about Mr Kevin Crawford.
I always loved his flute playing but after listening the last Lúnasa work I have to say louder than ever that he is in a terrific form, he is pushing the band in every tune, he is very very imaginative doing variations and harmonies and this gives a touch of class to all the sets. We know a lot of great flute players playing solo but working with other musicians Mr. Crawford is on the top, he does a great contribution like no other. He´s playing is always consistent and very enthusiastic. I remember him playing in Ti Coili, a famous pub in Galway when I was living there, he was playing for hours and hours without having a break, he LOVES what he does, while other local musicians in their sessions and gigs spent more time talking, smoking and drinking than playing music.
Kevin is a master, a top class flute player and one of the best playing into a band ever.
Have to agree with you. Kevin is an amazing player and a fantastic teacher. He makes every tune he teaches accessible and lets you know different variations as he teaches the tunes. His energy when playing and teaching is infectious…wish I had half of it sometimes!
Now I’m even MORE looking forward to my week at The Swannanoa Gathering (link here: http://www.swangathering.com/index.html). I’m attending Celtic week and one of the classes I’ll be taking is beginning flute with . . . Kevin Crawford teaching.
Have to chime in and agree with what a great teacher Kevin is; I took his class at Augusta a few years back and it was terrific. Don’t forget to bring a recording device; we came away from Augusta with TONS of recordings! Also, it might help to brush up on reading tunes in “ABC format” – he handed out copies of tunes he taught, but they were in the “handwritten Irish-music-teaching” version of ABC, which bogged a fair number of people down at first. And along about Thursday when we got into tune 6 or 7 and our ears got tangled, having stuff written down was very helpful!
So if you can at least read ABC notation like what you see on the Session or JC’s, you’ll be able to sort out Kevin’s shorthand version of it pretty quickly.
Have a great time! I’ll be over doing some octopus-strangling in the Pipes class.
Lunasa’ is definitely my favorite Irish band. Crawford is great – very inventive and energetic! And I love the arrangements. As a bassist who doubles on flute, of course, I love a band that plays trad material with a “big bottom.” If only I could find a spot holding down the low end playing similar material, I’d be delighted.
