Well, I just got my copy of Wooden Flute Obsession 2. I had skipped on WFO1 because probably 80% of the tracks on it in are taken from CDs already represented in my massive collection. (Thank you, Philippe Varlet and Celtic Grooves Imports, for driving me towards bankruptcy…) But WFO2 looked quite promising, as it features many new tracks recorded expressly for this compilation (as opposed to the mainly if not exclusively licensed-from-other-CDs fare on WFO1) performed by a whole new cast of flute-playing characters, many of whom I’d not heard of before.
Now, after listening to this new 2 CD set, I have one comment and one question. The comment is: WOW! There’s a lot of great flute playing there! Which leads directly to my question, which is: Who the hell are these guys (and gals) and where did they come from?!?!? I thought I was reasonably up on the Irish flute scene, but of the 44 players on WFO2, I’d only heard of 24 of them before. (And in many cases, “heard of” means I’d heard the name, and that’s about it.) The sleeve notes for WFO2 have just the names of the players and the names of the tunes, and a pointer to the www.worldtrad.org website for more information. There is indeed more information there, but in most cases it consists mainly of the maker of the flute that the player is playing on the CD. Which is nice to know, don’t get me wrong, but what I’d really like to know is where the player is from, how old they are, who are their influences, and other details about the person and their music. Can anyone out there supply this kind of information about any of the great players on WFO2?
Kevin; I suspect there is a need for a publication. Short bios, covering both WFO1 & 2 players, and with their recordings listed they may increase sales. And of course an up-grade for WFO3 etc. I am not aware of any contemporary specialty publication, so other than having a collection of magazines there is a void.
OK, I’m not saying there isn’t a need, but it may be difficult to implement. I already provide a link at the bottom to Mike Anthony’s flute & whistle discography (http://www.theflow.org.uk/disc/disc.html), and I can certainly submit listings there to help make that more current or complete.
Some players have their own websites [the “W” icon] with biographical, touring and purchasing info, and actually I think it’s important to see how the rest of the community values them, which is the reasoning behind the Google [the "G’ icon] and Newsgroup [the “N” icon] searches. I also offer a webpage or site to any of the flute players who participate. If they provide content, I’ll put it up (as I did for Catherine McEvoy, Martin Gaffney, and at one time, Loretto Reid), or they can take control of an entire website for themselves, and update their own content (John Creaven http://www.johncreaven.com).
Geoff Wallis’ book “Rough Guide to Irish Music” has some additional information, and may represent more of what you’re asking for. I would rather the players submit their own Bios then be responsible for any inaccurate comments through my own efforts.
I certainly want to assist everyone to succeed in enjoying and spreading the music.