Thinking About Flutes

After talking to you about Nathan Davis the other night, I've been thinking about other flautists that I listen to.

(Odd word isn't it? Flautist? Why add the A? Wouldn't flutist be just fine? English is strange.)

There's two tracks that immediately came to mind and I bet you haven't heard them.

you gotta love the cigarette holder...

The first is by A.K. Salim, whose name isn't talked about within our jazz circle, but he put out some fantastic music in the 50s and 60s. Duo-Flautist is a great track that has, you guessed it, two flute players, Herbie Mann and Frank Wess. One of the things I find interesting about Salim's records is that he doesn't play on them. What? How does that work? He's the arranger, composer and director of the records. Whatever works I guess. I suppose that's why he looks so scholarly on the cover of "Flute Suite". Duo-Flautist is great and if you've already started listening to it, you'll see I'm right. I recommend checking out any of his recordings. His "The Modern Sounds of A.K. Salim" combines his albums "Flute Suite" and "Blues Suite" and I know you'll like it.

The other track is by the great Wynton Kelly. I know you know the name since I've talked about him a lot and written about him too. His recording of Bobo is the other flute track that popped into my mind. It's a happy little thing isn't it? It's the first track on The Wynton Kelly Trio's "Undiluted"

I must also mention that one of my all-time jazz faves, the Great Paul Chambers, Kelly's longtime partner, is on bass. Jimmy Cobb is solid as ever on drums and then there's the flute, who appears only on one track on the album. It's  Rudy Stevenson.

Who? I hear you. Who indeed. He's not exactly a jazz luminary but he still played with a who's who over the years including Nina Simone, Grant Green, Cedar Walton, Duke Pearson, Lee Morgan, Herbie Mann and Junior Mance. He also named his son Wynton Kelly Stevenson, so I guess he loved his brief time with the Trio.

Tonight I'll spin something else and I'll give you a call to talk about it.

Tell Joe I said hello.

Was Nathan Davis The Greatest Flautist?

Jazz Concert in a Benedictine Monastery is hard to find but worth the search

I can face facts. I know that jazz flute has a bad rap. It's easy to understand why. Maybe that god awful album cover of Herbie Mann's Push Push was the final nail.

You've told me that most people find it difficult to relate to that upper register that doesn't have that same soul as a saxophone. It's not easy to swing on a flute. Maybe you're right.

But friends, Nathan Davis could do it. The man could play any sax too. He could probably rock a kazoo.

If you're doubting me, and I know at least one of you is, have a listen to Uschimaus (from the album 'Jazz Concert in a Benedictine Monastery' (1972) or on the collection 'The Best of 1965-76') and your doubts will be cast aside.

The recording quality is pretty poor, but the band is stellar and they cooked in that Benedictine Monastery. They probably had some of those monks realizing that God was right there, in jazz all along.

yikes. someone toss this man a shirt

Well, Nathan Davis died yesterday, and that's another Great who's moved on. It makes me wish that I was religious like those monks and then I would have some solace in thinking that he's jamming in the great beyond. It would be a great band up there, or down there, wherever.

Who knows. Maybe I'll be lucky and the afterlife is a jazz club in permanent happy hour. Dollar a drink, top shelf only.