"Izabel"

Available at CDBaby and iTunes on MARCH 2, 2015.

PERSONNEL & CREDITS:

Bill McBirnie – flute, alto flute (tracks 3 & 14) & piccolo (track 9)
Bruce Jones – guitar, vocal, percussion & synths
Produced by – Bill McBirnie & Bruce Jones
Recorded at – Da Da Music, Toronto, Ontario
Engineered by – Bruce Jones
Edited & Mixed by – Bill McBirnie & Bruce Jones 
Mastered by – Pacy Shulman at Hilo Studio, Toronto, Ontario
Cover Photo by – Gongbass
Layout, Design & Manufacturing by – Staci Patten, Accurate Audio, Toronto, Ontario

Bill plays a Wm. S. Haynes flute, a DynaLance headjoint (made by Guo Musical Instrument Co.), an Armstrong alto flute and a Gemeinhardt piccolo.

LINER NOTES:

Bruce Jones and I first collaborated about 15 years ago on my debut album, Desvio  (which was subsequently nominated for a Toronto Independent Music Award).  This initial recording project came about as a consequence of working regularly with Bruce's Brazilian rock band, Da, and as a further consequence of dressing tracks for Bruce on his various Da, Amazon Dreams and other recording projects.  After a while, I had done so much work with Bruce (whose songwriting I always admired) that I suggested to him, “Maybe we should try and do a flute-oriented project.”  To my surprise, Bruce was more than happy to oblige and that suggestion evolved into our first album, Desvio, which he dubbed “extrema flauta” (and which we anglicized as “Extreme Flute”).

Our musical paths diverged thereafter but, about a year ago, Bruce asked me to do some dressing for a couple of tracks he was working on.  This went really well and, in the course of doing so, I learned that Bruce had a lot of material in various stages of completion on his hard drive.  Once again, I suggested to him, “Maybe we should extend ourselves and do another flute-oriented project.”  Yet again, Bruce was happy to oblige and Grain of Sand is the result.  As fate would have it, this project has evolved into another incarnation of Extreme Flute!

Bruce is—and always has been—enormously talented, on multiple dimensions.  Musically, what he does is ostensibly Brazilian (in no small measure because he was raised in Brazil).  However, he combines that rich musical heritage with many other influences, ranging from rock & roll and hip-hop to new age.  For me, the big draw in working with Bruce has always been both the diversity of his material and his openness to improvisation (which is what I like to do most of all).  These features of his work have always provided us with a solid basis for collaboration—both then and now.

A project of this nature—involving just the two of us—takes considerable time to complete and so it inevitably proceeds in stages.  Each track starts with Bruce writing, playing and recording whatever idea he has in mind.  After Bruce has laid down what is often a fairly complete track, we then overlay any flute melodies he has in mind.  In addition, we conjure up shots and harmony parts and overdub these.  After that, we go back and I improvise over the entire track.  Finally, we take whatever we have (...which is typically far too much...) edit it and mix it down.  Of course, we “subtract” far more than we “add” as the process unfolds until sooner or later (...usually later...) we find what we're after.

The end result of this most recent collaboration, Grain of Sand, is both a fitting theme and title, because there always has been—and there always will be—a lot more from wherever this came.
						
Finally, Bruce and I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Canada's premier jazz station, Jazz.FM91, for including “Tudo Bem” (a track from our first collaboration, Desvio) in their spin cycle for what is now close to 15 years!

Bill McBirnie


02 Se Eu Fico Com Voce (If I Stay With You)

07 Carnaval Blue (Blue Carnival)

06 Breque Trio A Trez (Break Samba Trio For Three)

Available at CDBaby and iTunes on MARCH 2, 2015.

PERSONNEL & CREDITS:

Bill McBirnie – flute, alto flute (tracks 3 & 14) & piccolo (track 9)
Bruce Jones – guitar, vocal, percussion & synths
Produced by – Bill McBirnie & Bruce Jones
Recorded at – Da Da Music, Toronto, Ontario
Engineered by – Bruce Jones
Edited & Mixed by – Bill McBirnie & Bruce Jones 
Mastered by – Pacy Shulman at Hilo Studio, Toronto, Ontario
Cover Photo by – Gongbass
Layout, Design & Manufacturing by – Staci Patten, Accurate Audio, Toronto, Ontario

Bill plays a Wm. S. Haynes flute, a DynaLance headjoint (made by Guo Musical Instrument Co.), an Armstrong alto flute and a Gemeinhardt piccolo.

LINER NOTES:

Bruce Jones and I first collaborated about 15 years ago on my debut album, Desvio  (which was subsequently nominated for a Toronto Independent Music Award).  This initial recording project came about as a consequence of working regularly with Bruce's Brazilian rock band, Da, and as a further consequence of dressing tracks for Bruce on his various Da, Amazon Dreams and other recording projects.  After a while, I had done so much work with Bruce (whose songwriting I always admired) that I suggested to him, “Maybe we should try and do a flute-oriented project.”  To my surprise, Bruce was more than happy to oblige and that suggestion evolved into our first album, Desvio, which he dubbed “extrema flauta” (and which we anglicized as “Extreme Flute”).

Our musical paths diverged thereafter but, about a year ago, Bruce asked me to do some dressing for a couple of tracks he was working on.  This went really well and, in the course of doing so, I learned that Bruce had a lot of material in various stages of completion on his hard drive.  Once again, I suggested to him, “Maybe we should extend ourselves and do another flute-oriented project.”  Yet again, Bruce was happy to oblige and Grain of Sand is the result.  As fate would have it, this project has evolved into another incarnation of Extreme Flute!

Bruce is—and always has been—enormously talented, on multiple dimensions.  Musically, what he does is ostensibly Brazilian (in no small measure because he was raised in Brazil).  However, he combines that rich musical heritage with many other influences, ranging from rock & roll and hip-hop to new age.  For me, the big draw in working with Bruce has always been both the diversity of his material and his openness to improvisation (which is what I like to do most of all).  These features of his work have always provided us with a solid basis for collaboration—both then and now.

A project of this nature—involving just the two of us—takes considerable time to complete and so it inevitably proceeds in stages.  Each track starts with Bruce writing, playing and recording whatever idea he has in mind.  After Bruce has laid down what is often a fairly complete track, we then overlay any flute melodies he has in mind.  In addition, we conjure up shots and harmony parts and overdub these.  After that, we go back and I improvise over the entire track.  Finally, we take whatever we have (...which is typically far too much...) edit it and mix it down.  Of course, we “subtract” far more than we “add” as the process unfolds until sooner or later (...usually later...) we find what we're after.

The end result of this most recent collaboration, Grain of Sand, is both a fitting theme and title, because there always has been—and there always will be—a lot more from wherever this came.
						
Finally, Bruce and I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Canada's premier jazz station, Jazz.FM91, for including “Tudo Bem” (a track from our first collaboration, Desvio) in their spin cycle for what is now close to 15 years!

Bill McBirnie



10 A Ponte Para Carlton (The Carlton Bridge)

Bill McBirnie (flute); Mark Eisenman (piano); Steve Wallace (bass); John Sumner (drums)

09 Billy Boy (traditional)

1 – CRESCENT WRENCH is in a salsa groove.  The tune is based loosely on the title track from the classic John Coltrane album, Crescent.  I have always liked the basic harmony of this piece because it unfolds in an absorbing way without ever resolving in an obvious manner.  This particular track is dedicated to a great percussionist and my long-standing friend, Memo Acevedo.

01 - Crescent Wrench

13 Theme From Rocky & Bullwinkle

Bill McBirnie - flute
Robo Botos - piano
From the album, Mercy - The Bill McBirnie Duo/Quartet
(This track is dedicated to Jeremy Steig.)
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/mcbirnie 

Willow Weep For Me

Bill McBirnie - Flute & Alto Flute
Bruce Jones  - Guitars & Bass

Desvio

Adagio Variation - Albinoni

The Silent Wish is now available at CDBaby and iTunes!

https://store.cdbaby.com/all/extremeflute

CRITICAL RESPONSES:

SIR JAMES GALWAY—"I want to tell you how much I enjoyed your latest, and greatest, CD.  I’ve listened to it several times and it’s a really terrific record.  You are my favourite jazz flutist…This album is a real knock-out!…"

DOWNBEAT—“Toronto’s deep pool of local talent was on display at dozens of events…Opening for Eliane Elias, flutist Bill McBirnie proved a passionate and eloquent improviser with sure-footed support from pianist Bernie Senensky. Their set included...a show-stopping finale penned by Senensky...inspired by Hermeto Pascoal and Charlie Parker.” (Allen Morrison)

JAZZTIMES—"Best Opening Act [at the TD Jazz Festival] – Eliane Elias delivered a solid, opening-weekend show at the Old Mill Inn, focusing squarely on selections from her recent Chet Baker tribute, I Thought About You. But it was the dynamic opening duo of pianist and composer, Bernie Senensky, and flutist, Bill McBirnie, that...truly set the expansive dining room aflame and, ironically, provided far more satisfying dips into the Brazilian songbook.” (Christopher Loudon)

PERSONNEL & CREDITS:

Bill McBirnie – flute (alto flute on track 10)
Bernie Senensky – piano
Produced – by Bill McBirnie
Co-produced – by Pacy Shulman
Engineering, mixing & mastering – by Pacy Shulman of Hilo Studio
Picture of Bill's hands – by Bill Beard (courtesy of Jazz.FM91)
Picture of the rain-drenched branches – Image 306339 (courtesy of Wall Haven)
Layout, design & manufacturing – by Staci Patten of Accurate Audio & Design

TRACK LISTING:

1 - Reflection (Ray Bryant) – Latin/swing 3:43
2 - Black Orpheus/Morning Of The Carnival (Luis Bonfa) – slow bossa nova 5:37
3 - Saber Cair/Knowing How To Fall (Louis Simão & David French) – Maculelê 3:31
4 - Cabana Boy (Michele Mele) – relaxed bossa nova 6:44
5 - My Heart Belongs To Daddy (Cole Porter) – up swing 4:08
6 - First Song (for Ruth) (Charlie Haden) – ballad 4:30
7 - Recado Bossa Nova (Djalma Ferreira) – up bossa nova 5:28
8 - Dança da Solidão (Paulinho da Viola) – relaxed samba 3:49
9 - No Moon At All (David Mann) – medium swing 4:20
10 - Away From Home (Bill McBirnie & Bruce Jones) – rhapsody 5:07
11 - Blue Bossa (Kenny Dorham) – medium bossa nova 4:49
12 - What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
(Michel Legrand, Alan & Marilyn Bergman) – ballad 5:49

The Silent Wish

What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?

FIND YOUR PLACE is a relaxed bossa nova in A-B-A format. The A-section is in a minor mode while the B-section is in two unrelated major keys. However, I let the last half of the tune vamp in a hypnotic, Bebel Gilberto-fashion during which the major/minor motif is sustained, but without any modulation until the end where it just rests on the minor.

Scratch It!

Find Your Place

This abstract piece is dedicated to the sport of free diving. I play it on alto flute with (1) interval and (2) delay effects. It was entirely improvised, without any splices or edits. (However, I did overdub a second alto flute in a couple of spots!)

12 Free Diving

Bill McBirnie is a Canadian jazz and Latin flute specialist.  He has studied with renowned flutists, Samuel Baron, Robert Aitken and charanga ledgend, Richard Egues. Bill's awards include Flutist of the Year—Jazz Report Awards and he is also the only one to be a "triple crown" winner in all three of the USA National Flute Association’s jazz flute (1) Soloist, (2) Masterclass and (3) Big Band competitions.  As a testament to his superior skill, he was solicited personally by Sir James Galway to serve as the resident Jazz Flute Specialist at Sir James' official web site.  He is also a teacher, clinician and woodwind columnist with Canadian Musician magazine.  You can find additional information about Bill at his website (www.extremeflute.com) or you can contact him directly at extremeflute@look.ca 


extremeflute@look.ca

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