Hubert Laws

Jazz Flute Players

Much of jazz flute playing suffers from poor instrumental and technical level that falls way back behind the level of playing on the main jazz instruments such as saxophone, trumpet and piano.

Many jazz flute recordings are by players whose main instrument is not the flute, usually saxophone players. A few saxophone players who play the flute (“doublers”) control it well enough to play at a high level.

In general, if you want to learn how to play jazz on the flute listen first to other instruments than the flute.

Here are some jazz flute players that represent to me good or at least interesting jazz flute playing, something you can learn from as a flutist. Most of them have good jazz feel on the flute and/ or good jazz phrasing or other interesting qualities to their playing.

General Jazz

§ Hubert Laws

Sadly, despite his excellent abilities he does not record a lot of good jazz music…

§ Bill McBirnie

http://www.myspace.com/billmcbirnieextremeflute

http://www.brendacarol.com/billmcbirnie.html

§ Kent Jordan

§ Jeroen Pek

§ Matt Marvuglio

Commercial / Smooth Jazz

§ Althea Rene

Latin Jazz / Salsa