Tuesday, January 9, 2018

TULL ALMOST RUINED IT FOR HIM

I have a hate affair with the flute. It has always seemed like a wussy instrument best reserved for classical music. I think the first time I heard it in any sort of music that I'd be interested in was in my high school art class, when students could bring in records to play while the class painted. The surf chicks that were in that class were always playing two records, one being It's a Beautiful Day (blech) and the other The Turning Point by John Mayall. When I first heard "Room to Move" from the Mayall LP, I remember thinking, "What's that flute doing in there?". Then Tull happened. I hate Jethro Tull. They, Ian Anderson in particular, practically wiped flute from my life altogether. Don't ask. If you don't hate Jethro Tull already, you probably wouldn't understand.

Johnny Winter pretty much saved the flute from the abyss that is music I hate. Seriously, after Tull I didn't think it would ever be cool with me. But Johnny Winter's semi-comeback Still, Alive and Well had a song called "Too Much Seconal" with flute by Jeremy Steig. It fit the song well. Flute was back, or at least on double secret probation.

Oh but that Ron Burgundy, he kicked the flute door down. LAMF. After seeing Will Farrell's character Burgundy in the movie Anchorman, I realized that I was making too big of a deal out of it. It's really just a weird instrument, all skinny and frail n' shit. You can't really convincingly rock out with it. When you're not playing it, you look weird walking around with it. Even the cases look weird. I laughed. I gave Herbie Mann a shot. Some of his stuff sounds like some sort of a hipster jazz dude's version of yacht rock. But I'm sorta digging it and that scares the hell out of me.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Listen:
John Mayall - Room to Move (streaming) at YouTube John Almond - Flute
Johnny Winter - Too Much Seconal mp3
at ATumblr (?) Jeremy Steig - Flute
Herbie Mann - Harlem Nocturne mp3
at Beware of the Blog
Herbie Mann - Odalisque mp3
at Roy Ayers Project
Herbie Mann - Blues In the Closet mp3
at Groove Addict

2 comments:

Dangold said...

The "Too Much Seconal" link is wrong. Thanks!

Tom G. said...

Fixed. Now comment on music.