All this thinking about the Ideal Whistle has got me thinking about the Big Names that play their whole career on a single cheap whistle – and got me thinking about what the rest of the Big Names play. So following the style of a teen guitar magazine (which dedicate a page of an interview to the question “So, what gear do you use” – especially silly amongst teen-guitar-mag interviewees, because the answer is a more detailed version of “Whatever I get paid to endorse” – but I digress):
What whistles do the Big Names use?
I can get things started (corrections and additions welcome):
Mary Bergin plays Generations.
Joanie Madden mainly plays O’Riordans.
Paddy Moloney plays Generation and Burke.
Cathal McConnell plays Generations.
Okay, someone else’s turn. I’m particularly interested to hear about Big Names that play cheap whistles that aren’t Generation.
Chris Norman plays a boxwood whistle crafted by Glenn Schultz of Troy, Michigan.
So who’s Chris Norman? I hear everyone asking collectively. Well, he’s actually a flute-player (early music and traditional American, Maritime, British Isles), but dang that man can play a whistle. Anything by him (Dorian label) is worth the price, but The Mad Buckgoat (Baltimore Consort) is all about the “Ancient Music of Ireland” and his whistle-work on that disc is superlative!
On 2001-07-02 10:35, JessieK wrote:
Wow! Galway plays an Abell? How do you know?
He plays Muramatsu flutes and a Lillian Burkart piccolo.
> Jessie
I’m also a member of the the James Galway flute forum (www.JamesGalway.com). I initially asked about the whistle on the flute chat section and got the most uninformed answers possible. Sir Galway piped in with his whistle preference.
By the way, I bought a Muramatsu flute in college because Galway played one.
Well, Loren, I suppose someone had to ask, didn’t they? Thanks for getting it out of the way. I’d try asking him myself, but he never seems to return my calls… (:
Tom
[ This Message was edited by: WyoBadger on 2001-07-02 10:53 ]
On 2001-07-02 08:44, tephillah wrote:
I thought Mary Bergin played Sindts???
Laurence Nugent plays Copelands.
Seamus Egan also plays Copelands.
Mary Bergin plays a Sindt high D whistle. Mary also plays a Copeland A (given to her as a gift from another whistle recording artist who did not give me clearance to say his/her name). In 1999, she played the Sindt in two concerts I saw. In 2000, she some of the Sindt, but mostly the Copeland A. I think that was because she was playing with her sister on harp and vocals, and Myron Bretholtz on bodhran and bones.
Some of Solas’ liner notes states that Seamus egan plays Copeland low whistles, but I was at a Solas concert in Philly (Keswick theater) last year. I had 2nd Row Orchestra pid seats right under Seamus Egan. Seamus did not pull a Copeland out all night (He played almost no whistle). Seamus played mostly flute and banjo for that performance. Mick McAuley handled a majority of whistle playing that night. The whistles Seamus played looked like Cheiftains. They had the aluminum tube with a short mouthpiece (unlike the long mouth piece on Overtons). They also lacked the distinctive round to square transition of Overtons. Note, these were not in the Key of D (high or low), but low whistles in odd keys (I’m not really sure but they could be as low as E and as high as G-flat). Mick played what looked like a mix of both Overton and Cheiftain whistles. I hope to see Solas on their next tour (starting soon). Maybe I’ll see Seamus play a Copeland then. They have a new CD due out before 2002.
I saw Ronan Browne play a solo concert this year. Of course he played mainly pipes, but he performed a couple of selections on whistle using a Clarke C (traditional) and a cheap cane low whistle pitched, I would guess, in about G.
Jerry O’Sullivan plays Susato high whistles (I’m sure of that) and Pat O’Riordan Low Whistles (I’m less sure of that, I’ll ask him in a few weeks at East Durham).
I saw John Skelton play a Susato high whistle twice (both at O’Friels in Wilmington Delaware. O’Friels is for sale for 1.3 M if anyone is interested). I saw him twice at east Durham, but I don’t know what whistles he played then. I’ll ask him, too.
Scott Reiss (a recorder & flute player with the baroque/renaissance ensemble Hesperus) plays a Ian Lambe Low D which sounded absoulutely wonderful, even with all the tonguing that would normally be a turn off to my tastes. Scott just pulls it off.
Bob Pegritz plays all Copelands. . . until recently. I haven’t talked to him since he cut his CD, but he has started playing Burke whistles (which are featured on a few tracks of his CD) with his Copelands.
I’ll see Joe McKenna at East Durham, Maybe I’ll ask him too. Folks will think I’m some sort of whistle-o-path or something. Maybe I will just keep a check sheet or something. That would be a bit more sensitive and discrete.
On 2001-07-02 10:44, FairEmma wrote:
Chris Norman plays a boxwood whistle crafted by Glenn Schultz of Troy, Michigan.
I went to a festival in Michigan where the band Helicon was playing. During the day there were hour long workshops and Chris Norman gave one. At that time (about 10 years ago) he had a really cheesy looking whistle more or less of the Generation type. As I recall it was all orange from head to toe. He made it sound pretty good (my understatement of the morning).
I’m particularly interested to hear about Big Names that play cheap whistles that aren’t Generation.