February 2022
My newly regulated flute is now in a good an stable condition. So am I.
I continue to practise the crossing into the next octave. Very consistently, but it often doesn't sound good. And it frequently squeaks. I choose not to be bothered by it, I continue undeterred.
What annoys me a bit is that my first tone don't sound very nice. I notice this very clearly when recording. Maybe it's because of the bad microphone on the mobile, but I suspect it's more to do with my embouchure. Well, never mind. I'm still a flute rookie. With not tooo many lessons so far.
And I have released another keyhole, the "E", from the silicone plug. This means that I have to cover this key with my fingertip a little more consistently and precisely.
I did a little research on the internet. I entered flute + jazz + Munich + lessons into the search mask. A few names come up that I will have to remember. I need to acquire more flute knowledge before I make a foray into jazz. After all, I've already had to suffer relevant experiences in my Jazzpiano lessons and would be stupid to do so again. So I'll continue to take classical flute lessons and try to gain a solid and resilient basis. Maybe I'll manage to get into jazz at some point. I'll give it one more try.
There are great jazz flutists. Most of them are rather saxophonists, but they learn to play the flute as a side instrument during their studies (or maybe out of curiosity). Eric Dolphy's flute, for example, was passed on to John Coltrane, a great saxophonist, by his mother after his death.
My parents enjoyed listening to Herbie Mann, Rashaan Roland Kirk or Yousef Lateef, among others, in the 60s/70s. As a child I found this light, airy and sometimes spooky sound very beautiful. It came back to me much later when my daughter learned to play the flute.
I like Bobbi Humphrey. A flutist who was very popular in the 70s and she plays the flute with a warm sound. You should listen to "Harlem River Drive" in a gloomy and dark hour and then "Una Esta". I guarantee that you will be lifted in good spirits afterwards.
Or Chip Wickham, an Englishman and contemporary, with a very full and gentle sound. You can find spiritual jazz set pieces a la Pharao Sanders and Sahib Shihab, funk rhythms or even shifted beat influences. A very interesting mixture and I like him extraordinarily well.
But that also means that when I enter jazz flute in the Google search mask, I only get results from saxophonists. The subject of jazz flute alone is not offered at music colleges. Solo flute in classical music yes, but in jazz no. I don't know why that is so, I haven't been given a conclusive answer yet. But the saxophone, trumpet and trombone are already offered as solo subjects in the wind department.
When practising my small pieces, I sometimes like to do a yoga exercise. Standing in front of the music stand for a long time is often exhausting after a while, and I'm not the youngest anymore. For a change, I do "the tree". For non-yogis, this means: I stand on one leg and place the second leg with the sole of my foot at a right angle to the knee. Requires a good inner stability and flexibility. But I am able to continue fluting relaxed and concentrated at the same time.