That ain't doubling on flute. This is doubling on flute.
August 6, 2008 5:58 AM Subscribe
Two flutes at once. Two guitars at once. (Honorable mentions.) Two recorders at once, 100% nose-powered. Two trumpets at once (breakdown at three).Two harps at once. Two saxophones at once. (Bonus: Clarinet/sax unos.)
(Double-link YouTube filter in honor of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's birthday this week.)
(Double-link YouTube filter in honor of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's birthday this week.)
Tom Waits' band member, Vincent Henry, was playing two saxophones and clarinets for a few numbers when I saw them last week. Review.
posted by rongorongo at 6:19 AM on August 6, 2008
posted by rongorongo at 6:19 AM on August 6, 2008
FYI- the first two are recorders, NOT flutes. The only really impressive one is the second trumpet guy. And the clarinet/soprano sax guy was good, too- he's got some serious circular breathing skills going on. The rest is just gimicky and lame.
posted by rtboo at 6:33 AM on August 6, 2008
posted by rtboo at 6:33 AM on August 6, 2008
I have both Tenor and Alto saxophones, so will be trying this later today after a few drinks. What with the transposing and all, I'm not expecting it to be as good as the dude with the two altos. The two flutes one intrigued me so I clicked on it - that's not what I think of as a flute - someone playing two concert flutes at the same time - now that would be impressive.
Cool post, though.
posted by Nick Verstayne at 6:37 AM on August 6, 2008
Cool post, though.
posted by Nick Verstayne at 6:37 AM on August 6, 2008
And good and all as the guy with the soprano/clarinet combination was, ANYONE who does ANYTHING with a soprano sax should be extraordinarily renditioned.
Good God people! Does no-one remember Kenny G?
posted by Nick Verstayne at 6:43 AM on August 6, 2008
Good God people! Does no-one remember Kenny G?
posted by Nick Verstayne at 6:43 AM on August 6, 2008
Yeah, I looked for Western-style concert flutes but I couldn't find any. I guess you would need a killer embouchure to reach the second one at the same time. So I tried to sneak by on "flute" via poor visibility (first link) and the standard "Native American flute" terminology (second link)... only to be called out by the third comment! It's a fair cop.
I must reject, however, the claim of lameness. It's true that most of these folks aren't doing much to write home about, artistically speaking. But they are having fun playing music, which is one of the least lame things I know of.
posted by No-sword at 6:56 AM on August 6, 2008
I must reject, however, the claim of lameness. It's true that most of these folks aren't doing much to write home about, artistically speaking. But they are having fun playing music, which is one of the least lame things I know of.
posted by No-sword at 6:56 AM on August 6, 2008
Oh goodie! An opportunity to share one of my favorite rants: Pat Metheny on Kenny G.
Regarding multiple instruments at once: IMO, you can't do better than Rahsaan Roland Kirk. (I also like Jeff Coffin of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, but I can't pull up a relevant video of him right now; it's worth mentioning, though, that he has a piece called "The Two Horny Blues.")
posted by danb at 6:57 AM on August 6, 2008
Regarding multiple instruments at once: IMO, you can't do better than Rahsaan Roland Kirk. (I also like Jeff Coffin of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, but I can't pull up a relevant video of him right now; it's worth mentioning, though, that he has a piece called "The Two Horny Blues.")
posted by danb at 6:57 AM on August 6, 2008
I've long been a fan of Zack Kim so was glad to see him in the FPP. Thanks for this post!
posted by benzo8 at 7:35 AM on August 6, 2008
posted by benzo8 at 7:35 AM on August 6, 2008
I came to this thread to post a link to Morphine, I'm glad someone beat me to it.
Morphine fucking rocked. Two-string slide bass, baby.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 8:31 AM on August 6, 2008
Morphine fucking rocked. Two-string slide bass, baby.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 8:31 AM on August 6, 2008
Oh goodie! An opportunity to share one of my favorite songs: Richard Thompson on Pat Metheny on Kenny G.
posted by MrMoonPie at 9:30 AM on August 6, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by MrMoonPie at 9:30 AM on August 6, 2008 [1 favorite]
Thanks for posting the Thompson song, MrMoonPie. I was looking for that. It's satire perfection.
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 10:10 AM on August 6, 2008
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 10:10 AM on August 6, 2008
I once caught this guy playing two trumpets simultaneously, but he was playing with a large band so I can't vouch for his accuracy.
posted by Chinese Jet Pilot at 12:15 PM on August 6, 2008
posted by Chinese Jet Pilot at 12:15 PM on August 6, 2008
Metheny has lately backed off on Kenny G, largely on a "live and let live" basis. I don't think Joel Dorn, Rahsaan's friend and producer, ever did though.
The several mentions of Morphine's saxist remind me not so much of Rahsaan Roland Kirk (other than the two horns) but rather of the late British rock-jazz saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith(slyt).
Heckstall-Smith was a double-reed player with Georgie Fame's Blue Flames, Alexis Koerner, Graham Bond Organization, Jack Bruce's "Things We Like", Colosseum, and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, all more the antecedent to Morphine than Rahsaan.
I'm posting this to remember DHS, who died at age 70 in 2004, and whose birthday will pass largely unnoticed next month.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk is worthy of many fine tributes and this post is an amusing diversion of those who've in some way been touched by his amazing sheer force of jazzitude. I think Heckstall-Smith would have counted himself among those. He was always trying to slip Pres and Rollins in on the unsuspecting blues-rock crowds, and I know that Rahsaan was an inspiration to him.
Dana Colley is a worthy successor, but in my mind, to the blues-rock side of things; maybe I missed something somewhere, but I never heard him even attempt anything on the scale of Seasons (concert flute + "nose flute" recorder) or his epic Saxophone Concerto from Prepare Thyself to Deal with a Miracle.
posted by beelzbubba at 6:13 PM on August 6, 2008
The several mentions of Morphine's saxist remind me not so much of Rahsaan Roland Kirk (other than the two horns) but rather of the late British rock-jazz saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith(slyt).
Heckstall-Smith was a double-reed player with Georgie Fame's Blue Flames, Alexis Koerner, Graham Bond Organization, Jack Bruce's "Things We Like", Colosseum, and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, all more the antecedent to Morphine than Rahsaan.
I'm posting this to remember DHS, who died at age 70 in 2004, and whose birthday will pass largely unnoticed next month.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk is worthy of many fine tributes and this post is an amusing diversion of those who've in some way been touched by his amazing sheer force of jazzitude. I think Heckstall-Smith would have counted himself among those. He was always trying to slip Pres and Rollins in on the unsuspecting blues-rock crowds, and I know that Rahsaan was an inspiration to him.
Dana Colley is a worthy successor, but in my mind, to the blues-rock side of things; maybe I missed something somewhere, but I never heard him even attempt anything on the scale of Seasons (concert flute + "nose flute" recorder) or his epic Saxophone Concerto from Prepare Thyself to Deal with a Miracle.
posted by beelzbubba at 6:13 PM on August 6, 2008
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/sigh, the bar just keeps getting higher.
posted by lester the unlikely at 6:15 AM on August 6, 2008