WFO 2 & Chris Norman

Irish Flute
1

I recently received a copy of WFO2. What great stuff. I think I like it even better that the first. Perhaps there are more standalone flute tracks, and rawer material that is so appealing. Not sure. The Chris Norman track is fantastic, and even drew a favorable comment from my wife who has promised not to marry another flute player if I croak prematurely.

Thoughts on his best CDs for purchase?

Thanks,
McCullagh

2

My preferences are “The Man With the Wooden Flute” and “The Caledonian Flute”. Someone else might be able to give you an opinion on his time with Skyedance.

Kevin Krell

3

I just bought “The Flower of Port Williams”, and that’s a sweet CD too. I think Chris is unable to make a bad recording. Very nice guy too.

4

Let me second “The man with the wooden flute.” I don’t normally like discs with a single sound, but this one is absolutely captivating, all 77 minutes of it.

My other fave of his is the Baltimore Consort’s “The mad buckgoat.” It’s not all flute, but there’s enough that if you’re a fan, you’ll love it.

5

well, my favourite cd is The Beauty of the North, a very wonderful cd with Alasdair Fraser at fiddle and Billy McComiskeyon accordion & concertina;
but i need to recommend you the Flower of Port Williams, that is maybe less happy but is charge of an incredible flute virtuosisms

6

Thanks, lads. I just put an order in for each of the aforementioned recommendations via the Boxwood Music web site. I didn’t realize until perusing the catalogue just now the extensiveness of his work. I’m looking forward to hearing them.

Cheers,
McCullagh

7

Thanks, lads. I just put an order in for each of the aforementioned recommendations via the Boxwood Music web site. I didn’t realize until perusing the catalogue just now the extensiveness of his work. I’m looking forward to hearing them.

Cheers,
McCullagh

8

Yes! As i told someone else, hearing him play fast chromatic French accordion music brings tears to my heart. And he’s not just showing off, the guy wears his heart on his music, and his musicality is very inspiring. Lots of pictures of his Mom on that CD too, even bathing suit pictures. :smiley:

9

hmmmm

10

I think his style is very understated in that he really doesn’t call attention to his playing. Listen to something like the Fairy Queen. I’d heard that tune a hundred times, and took up the flute, before I ever said, WOW, what flute playing. Before that, it was always Wow what a beautiful piece of music. I’ve heard a half dozen other renditions of it, and none of them do for me what Chris’s does.

You have to listen, be familiar with the flute, and dig a little before you realize how intricate his playing is. But it’s also so much more than the intricacy, it’s his whole approach to the music, subtlety, the way he slides into the volume of a note.

11

Yes, and especially in Man With The Wooden Flute, and that track in particular, he’s backed up by a group of spectacular musicians, and the whole group works together to present the music in the best possible way. There’s nothing too fancy about the way they play the Fairy Queen (and Man of Constant Sorrow, another favourite of mine in that CD, and “Dry and Dusty”, “Wounded Hussar”, and so on), but they’re just beautiful renditions in which each musician contributes to make the music shine.

12

I had Man with the Wooden Flute on my CD alarm clock for many moons. Nice to wake up to and start the day. My wife liked it too, she wasn’t too happy when I tried to switch to Conal O’Grada’s “Top of Coom”…

13

:laughing: