Heavy Flute

I used to think that a flute was an instrument that produced only a tiny bird’s sound in classical music. But the CD Heavy Flute blew out my fixed image of the flute and presented me an unexpected idea that “A flute can be heavy and groovy.”

I’m not the only one, though, who thought a flute is just for classical music. Joel Dorn mentioned that in the ‘50s a lot of jazz fans felt like “It’s not a real jazz instrument,” or “You can’t swing on it.” The jazz flute had a long and tortuous route before it was welcomed to the head table. But in the decade from the mid ‘50s to the mid ‘60s, it found its rightful place. “When Herbie Mann came out with ‘Comin’ Home, Baby,’ the flute had a semi-defining moment like the soprano,” Dorn said.

Heavy Flute introduces a funky, unique music created by seven well-known jazz guys from the ‘60s and ‘70s who inspired the flute with its jazz soul and passion. For instance, “The Thirteenth Floor,” by David “Fathead” Newman, liberally expresses high tempo, ad-lib melodies, whereas “Ain’t No Sunshine,” by Rahsaan Roland Kirk, creates a mixture of mellow, husky flute sound and his emotional voice. There is something of a rough diamond in Heavy Flute, a departure from orthodox jazz.