Page 81 - Blues Festival Guide Magazine 2018

the sheer expressiveness and tonal purity of the flute. I was
sold on the music and the art of improvisation and have been
serious about the flute and woodwinds ever since.
It’s only fair to mention a few of the influential flute masters
who have contributed so much to furthering the blues, rock
‘n roll and jazz. Yusef Lateef, Nathan Davis, James Moody,
James Newton, Roland Kirk, David “Fathead” Newman,
Frank Wess, Moe Koffman, Bobbi Humphrey, Jeremy Steig,
Jean Pierre Rampal and Hubert Laws all played modern
blues on modern flutes in a jazz style. Kofi Burbridge, of the
Derek Trucks Band and the Tedeschi Trucks Band, is perhaps
the brightest and best prominent flutist associated with the
blues today. His fluency, proficiency and overall mastery of
the flute certainly distinguish him from the other active flutists
I’ve seen. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and Ray Thomas of
the Moody Blues have also made huge strides with the flute,
and we can’t fail to mention Gheorghe Zamfir. His pan flute
stylings have helped to restore the sound of quills back into
the consciousness of listeners all over the world.
By nature, flutes, fifes and quills require the player to
surrender, focus and breathe life into them. What you put in
is what you get out, nothing more and certainly nothing less.
The sound of side-blown aerophones has been around for
tens of thousands of years and will continue to enhance our
sonic palettes in the future.

Regi Oliver graduated on a full scholarship from the Berklee
College of Music in 1987, with a major in Professional Music.
He then joined the faculty at Stanford University’s Jazz
Workshop for the next 13 years. Regi re-settled in Florida in
1998 and has since toured and performed throughout the
world, working with a long list of renowned artists. Connect
with Regi on Facebook.com/Regi.Oliver and to view some of
the great flutists in blues mentioned here, visit his flute blues
playlist on www.youtube.com/user/regioliverro

Author Regi Oliver

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