Greatest flautists of Progressive Rock?
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Topic: Greatest flautists of Progressive Rock?
Posted By: Trickster F.
Subject: Greatest flautists of Progressive Rock?
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 05:15
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I am looking for inspiration in the ProgRock's flautist circles, as this seems to be the only kind of playing that influences mine. I am vastly disappointed with some of the major names though, as their flute solos seem to be just traditional rock guitar solos played on flute. The lead flute work(non-solo)is great though.
Basically, I ask you all to list the most original, creative flute players of prog, preferrably without mentioning the big names(I've known about Latimer, McDonald, Anderson and others for years, guys).
 Oh, please list the ALBUMS their playing is represented the best too.
 -- Ivan ------------- sig |
Replies:
Posted By: S Lang
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 05:30
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Mel Collins is the legend.
Never released an album under his name, he plays the best flute I can think off. As a feature musician, he played on hundreds of albums for big names, always playing his own style, never to be "bought".
There may be others, but I couldn't think of anyone better.
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Posted By: Rocktopus
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 05:32
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Not to obvious I think: Sacha van Geest Supersister: 1. Present From Nancy, 2. To the Highest Bidder, 3. Pudding en Gisteren. All fantastic. Teddy Lasry (Claude Engel, Richard Raux also credited flute players) Magma: Kobaia Pascal Vandenbulcke Dün: Eros Udo Dennenbourg (Christopf Franke also credited) Tangerine Dream: Alpha Centauri I find all these albums and fluteplayers untyphical unique sounding. Gong and almost all Canterbury bands have been mentioned many times. Finally Gnidrolog, PFM, Harmonium and some VdGG. Probably not as original, but always very beautiful . ------------- Over land and under ashes In the sunlight, see - it flashes Find a fly and eat his eye But don't believe in me Don't believe in me Don't believe in me |
Posted By: Rocktopus
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 05:34
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Forgot: Rob Young Comus: First Utterance ------------- Over land and under ashes In the sunlight, see - it flashes Find a fly and eat his eye But don't believe in me Don't believe in me Don't believe in me |
Posted By: Rocktopus
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 05:42
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Oh! Richard Harvey and Brian Gulland Gryphon: 1. Gryphon  2. Midnight Mushrooms 3. Red Queen to Gryphon Three ------------- Over land and under ashes In the sunlight, see - it flashes Find a fly and eat his eye But don't believe in me Don't believe in me Don't believe in me |
Posted By: Kotro
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 05:45
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Setting aside the obvious (Anderson, Thijs, etc...) I'm really into the playing of Andrea Monetti on La Maschera di Cera's albums. ------------- Bigger on the inside. |
Posted By: Andrea Cortese
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 06:32
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Kotro wrote:Posted By: Andrea Cortese
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 06:33
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BTW, the greatest flutist is prog is Ian Anderson, without any doubt!
HE is the flute in prog!
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Posted By: Rocktopus
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 06:37
It depends on how you look at it, of course. Yes he is the greatest, as in the most profilic. Not the best or most original. ------------- Over land and under ashes In the sunlight, see - it flashes Find a fly and eat his eye But don't believe in me Don't believe in me Don't believe in me |
Posted By: Dragon Phoenix
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 06:50
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I'll take Thijs van Leer over Ian Anderson any day.
------------- Blog this: http://artrock2006.blogspot.com |
Posted By: Tony Fisher
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 07:15
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Jim Lockhart of Horslips is far better than Ian Anderson (or any other flautist in prog for that matter).
Try The Book of Invasions or The Tain and see how good he is (as well as playing pipes, whistles and keyboards!!!)
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Posted By: Andrea Cortese
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 08:00
Ian Anderson IS the flute player!
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Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 08:12
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My favourite bit of flute is on "The Virgin and The Gypsy" by Steve Hackett. I believe it is Steve's brother John.
Also Jimmy Hastings who played some great stuff on "Fish out of Water".
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Posted By: Clark Ashton
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 11:27
| Giorgio Giorgi from QUELLA VECCHIA LOCANDA. |
Posted By: sm sm
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 12:39
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Aside from the afore-mentioned names, check out Jazz flautistists Roland Kirk and Eric Dolphy, whose playing in the 1950's and 1960 influenced many a progger.
P.S. Agreement with others, No insult to the person claiming Ian Anderson is the best flautist because that's the person's opinion.
However it may be more factual to state he is the best known Flautist, as many will say Kenny G is the best saxaphonist in Jazz because that is the only person they know about in such music.
James Galaway is the "best Flautist in classical" to me because he is the only one I know in this genre.
P.S. The reason you read Toots Theilman winning Downbeat music poll as best Jazz harmonica player is because he is probably the only Jazz harmonica player.
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Posted By: Andrea Cortese
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 13:27
I sated Ian Anderson to be the flute in prog not because I only know him as a flute player!
I haven't said he has to be recognized as the best in playing flute. I only said he's the flute in prog because he was one the very first to use flute in prog. Jethro Tull first album was published in early 1968 and their first singles were of 1967!
His character became very soon memorable and it is so still today. That's not only a question of pure fame! He is the symbol of flute.
That said I personally can tell you I like very much Andy Latimer way of playing flute and also Monetti of La Maschera di Cera. I like very much Giorgi in QVL and Perrino in Celeste.
There are lots of impressive musicians out there!
The flute in prog remains always him, Ian Anderson.
I know that truth can hurts, sometime...
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Posted By: Fitzcarraldo
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 14:15
I don't know about the instruments used on the first two albums you quote, Rocktopus, but Richard Harvey and Brian Gulland didn't play flute on "Red Queen To Gryphon Three":
Richard Harvey / keyboards, recorders, krumhorn.
Brian Gulland / bassoon, krumhorn.
and on the GRYPHON album "Raindance":
Richard Harvey / grand piano, Rhodes, RMI and Crumar electric piano, Minimoog, Coperman-Hart organ, Mellotron, clavinet, keyboard glockenspiel, recorders, krumhorns, penny whistle, clarinet.
Brian Gulland / bassoon, backing vocals.
Richard Harvey plays the recorder extremely competently, and shows what a beautiful sound this simple instrument can produce in the hands of an accomplished musician.
Good call, nonetheless.
 ------------- http://www.progarchives.com/Collaborators.asp?id=326" rel="nofollow - Read reviews by Fitzcarraldo |
Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 15:20
All good nominations, but the flute passages on Kobaia are truly magnificent (in my completely objective opinion
). Seeing as the Baldies haven't added their opinion yet, I'd also have to nominate Didier Malherbe of Gong, a brilliant and highly adventurous flautist whose playing is as much influenced by jazz and Indian music as it is by rock. Try Flute Salad for starters, and proceed from there.Ian Anderson is a highly distinctive flautist but his playing is heavily influenced by the mighty Roland Kirk, as he himself admits. He also admits that he's not that great a player; when Gentle Giant supported Tull in the 70s, the Shulman brothers invited him to play with them but he felt that he wasn't good enough. ------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |
Posted By: Tony Fisher
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 19:09
Great musicians, great band - but neither of them plays the flute at all on any Gryphon album. |
Posted By: spacecraft
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 19:16
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Surely Steve Jollife desreves a mention, great Flute work on Cyclone, everybody's favourite Td hate album. Some of his solo stuff is pretty damned good too. ------------- To Him as the Supreme King and Judge we commit our cause, casting our cares upon Him and firmly trusting that He will inspire us with courage and bring our enemies to nought. |
Posted By: The Wizard
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 19:25
-------------  
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Posted By: spacecraft
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 20:07
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However, in a n interveiw (can't remember when it was, 1990's i think) he stated that he had been playing the flute wrongly. Still the greatest flautist?????? ------------- To Him as the Supreme King and Judge we commit our cause, casting our cares upon Him and firmly trusting that He will inspire us with courage and bring our enemies to nought. |
Posted By: Logan
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 21:26
No... He said greatest flautist, not greatest flatulist. 
But seriously, it does rather look like Ian Anderson is letting one rip
-- on his flute of course -- as he plays an adaptation of "air on a
g-string" for wind instruments. Good flautist. Of the
big names, I do slightly prefer van Leer I think, though perhaps he's
better with his organ. |
Posted By: chamberry
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 21:49
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I second Syzygy in saying that Didier Malherbe being highly adventorous. IMO I find her to be one of the best flautist in prog. Very unique too. ------------- 
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Posted By: arnold stirrup
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 22:28
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You must check out Eric Dolphy, specifically the album Out To
Lunch. Although he doesn't play flute on every track, the album
itself is a classic of progressive jazz.
------------- So much music. So little time. |
Posted By: shanocles
Date Posted: July 14 2006 at 23:42
Re: Gentle Giant on Ian Anderson... thanks for that info, very interesting. Ian must have been in awe of GG a bit hey? Re: Flute Salad/Oily Way. yeah the start is nice with the flute by itself but is just as goood in the next part of the song with the other instruments. some killer wah too. ahhhhh the flute, we do have ian anderson to thank i think for the elevation of this instrument in prog. italian prog is such a vast listening playground for those who want to hear flute. those bands include: Alphataurus Alusa fallax New Trolls Atomic System PFM ------------- if left is wrong i don't wanna be right... 
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Posted By: bhikkhu
Date Posted: July 15 2006 at 00:03
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I also enjoy John Hackett quite a bit. He has done some great work with his brother. "KIm" from "Please Don't Touch" is a beautiful song. "The Virgin and the Gypsy" fom "Spectral Mornings" has some very unique sounds. "Voyage of the Acolyte" features him throughout the album. "Sketches of Satie" is actually classical, but it is just Steve on acoustic guitar, and John on flute.
------------- a.k.a. H.T. http://riekels.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow - http://riekels.wordpress.com |
Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: July 15 2006 at 02:45
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As Syzygy already mentioned: Bloomdidoo all the way! He easily plays
the pants off Ian Anderson. Just listen to live versions of "Oily Way"
(with the introductional flute salad, of course), where he usually
plays flute instead of the sax of the studio version. And of course the
in my opinion pinnacle of his carreer, the fantastic "Fairy Tales"
album of Mother Gong. He is simply out of this world on it. I highly
recommend his new band Hadouk, by the way. Nik Turner of Hawkwind is by far not a virtuoso on flute as Didier Malherbe, yet he recorded one of the best flute-driven albums of all time: "Xitintoday", a concept album about the Egyptian book of the Dead, with the support of Morris Pert, Alan Powell, Harry Williamson and half of Gong (Mike Howlett, Tim Blake, Steve Hillage, Miquette Giraudy). Very atmospheric; to be played around midnight to evoke the Egyptian Gods in your own home.  -------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: Chris S
Date Posted: July 15 2006 at 05:18
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f**k.....I think all flautists are winners really...but Jimmy Hastings has to be numero uno ------------- ...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR] |
Posted By: Fassbinder
Date Posted: July 15 2006 at 05:53
| Still, no-one has mentioned yet Dave Arbus (East of Eden) |
Posted By: Rocktopus
Date Posted: July 15 2006 at 06:02
Sorry, recorders? ------------- Over land and under ashes In the sunlight, see - it flashes Find a fly and eat his eye But don't believe in me Don't believe in me Don't believe in me |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: July 15 2006 at 06:16
Malherbe has blown in an amazing amount of wind instruments from all corners of the world
The most adventurous to say the least
BTW, I find Didier to be a rather Male figure ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: M. B. Zapelini
Date Posted: July 15 2006 at 09:10
Steve Jollife also played with Steamhammer ("Mk II" album) - he is more proeminently featured on saxophone, but there are some good bits of flute playing here and there.
What about Chris Wood of Traffic? He was damn good!! ------------- "He's a man of the past and one of the present" PETER HAMMILL |
Posted By: M. B. Zapelini
Date Posted: July 15 2006 at 09:12
Hey, if you're going in a jazzy way, don't forget Herbie Mann's jazz records... ------------- "He's a man of the past and one of the present" PETER HAMMILL |
Posted By: RomanticWarrior
Date Posted: July 15 2006 at 09:55
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Best Flute playing with feeling is definetely After Crying - Overground Music, the vibrator on that instrument is just unbelievable... I used to think some flute solos were lame/gay before listening this amazing musicians, is just the best level of string meets wind instruments you will ever hear...it will totally blow your mind....
Stay Classy ------------- 
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Posted By: markosherrera
Date Posted: October 07 2006 at 21:52
| IAN ANDERSON AND DAVE VALENTIN. |
Posted By: markosherrera
Date Posted: October 07 2006 at 21:55
| I WANNA KNOW WHO IS THE BEST female flautist....AND OTHER IN FLUTE IS JACK LANCASTER . |
Posted By: Alex Zambra
Date Posted: October 07 2006 at 22:53
| I like Jon Field, from Jade Warrior; in the firsttwo Vertigo albums; sounds a little like Ian Anderson but more aggressive. |
Posted By: Trickster F.
Date Posted: October 08 2006 at 02:44
Best bump ever. ------------- sig |
Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: October 08 2006 at 02:56
 ------------- "There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson |
Posted By: KoS
Date Posted: October 08 2006 at 03:00
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Posted By: Australian
Date Posted: October 08 2006 at 03:03
Im shocked
 ------------- 
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Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: October 08 2006 at 03:08
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When I was at the Tull concert (I'm such an art rocker snob), and Ian started hogging in on the guitarist's solo by acting like that (motions above) and air guitaring on the flute, I started clapping really, really loud...but no one joined in... ------------- "There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson |
Posted By: andu
Date Posted: October 09 2006 at 07:24
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along with normal flute, blockflote is a great instrument to use in progrock. romanian bands used it with great succes in the 70s, though not for soloing. such blockflote players were bassist iosef kapl for phoenix and dan andrei aldea for sfinx. their reason to use it was that it has a slightly different sound from that of the flute, that they used to immitate the sound of the archaic air instruments of the ancient peasants. ------------- "PA's own GI Joe!" 
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Posted By: Easy Livin
Date Posted: October 09 2006 at 10:47
| Muilti-instrumentalist Yoel Schwarcz of Continuum played some superb flute on their albums. Try the extract from Autumn Grass on the band's page in this site. |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: October 09 2006 at 11:05
Actually Anderson was very adventurous at first.
Although not that highly virtuoso a player, he is always a very modest person re to his playing. He's way too intelligent to ever consider himself a virtuoso (even though he could qualify).
If the Mad Flauter turned down playing with GG, it is mostly because he was completely lost in the extremely complicated rhythms of GG and therefore would've screwed up easily. I don't think anybody in his right mind would accept playing with GG without a solid crash course first.
But our Mad Flauter's real invention was the way he played while saturating the flute the way he did. Some might say it was not the way to play the flute, but he opened up a new way of playing it, IMHO. And THAT makes him one of the best. ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: Pnoom!
Date Posted: October 09 2006 at 15:17
| I completely agree. |
Posted By: Pnoom!
Date Posted: October 09 2006 at 15:18
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I completely agree that Anderson is THE prog rock flautist, since my post didn't make that clear. |
Posted By: greenback
Date Posted: October 09 2006 at 20:43
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there are tons of excellent flautists:
RDM
Solution
circus
moraz/syrinx
kraftwerk
ozric tentacles
white willow
king crimson
danny wilding (wilding/bonus)
you all forgot peter gabriel on trespass....sublime!
jean-pierre rampal
 THE BEST FEMALE FLAUTIST IS.... ANNE_MARIE HELDER!
------------- [HEADPINS - LINE OF FIRE: THE RECORD HAVING THE MOST POWERFUL GUITAR SOUND IN THE WHOLE HISTORY OF MUSIC!> |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: October 16 2006 at 05:53
| I love Jethro Tull, and when I saw them live a couple of years ago, I was amazed how clear Ian Anderson's flute sounded in concert. Still, I'm convinced the greatest flautist in prog is Jimmy Hastings. He's very subtle, not an exuberant showperson like Mr Tull, but every solo I've ever heard him play (especially on Caravan or National Health albums) was a delight! |
Posted By: T.Rox
Date Posted: October 16 2006 at 06:05
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Here is a guy that pops up on one album and he plays some pretty cool flute (supposedly recorded in the toilet of the recording studio to get the sound the band was after on their one and only abum)...
John Challenger of Steel Mill ... and no one seems to have heard of him since!
http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive_rock_discography_CD.asp?cd_id=6083 - STEEL MILL Green Eyed God ------------- "Without prog, life would be a mistake." ...with apologies to Friedrich Nietzsche |
Posted By: Bern
Date Posted: October 16 2006 at 18:21
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François Richard who played in that awesome fusion band called L'Orchestre Sympathique has amazing flute talent. Rarely I've heard such great flute playing. Highly recommended unknown band. I recommend you get En concert à la Grande Passe now that it is out on CD. He is the guy that convinced me to pick up the flute a while ago. -------------  
RIP in bossa nova heaven. |
Posted By: The Whistler
Date Posted: October 17 2006 at 02:13
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IF proggy flute is your passion, then you need BURSTING OUT, the Tull album I happen to be peddling everywhere I go. It has a flute improvisation solo that must be heard to be believed. Coupled with the song Thinking 'Round Corners offa Catfish Rising, makes me suspect that Mr. Anderson is, in fact, possessed by demonic entities. Just a theory. ------------- "There seem to be quite a large percentage of young American boys out there tonight. A long way from home, eh? Well so are we... Gotta stick together." -I. Anderson |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: October 17 2006 at 04:46
Right on, Bern
L' OS debut is fairly close to early Maneige, but their next two are jazzier (in the pre jazz sense) ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |