BILL McBIRNIE TRIO - Find Your Place
Extreme Flute EF 06
Bill Mc Birnie (flute) Bernie Senensky (Hammond B3 organ) Anthony Mitchell (drums)
Recorded June 10th & 11th 2013 at Hilo Studio, Toronto, Ontario
The tenor sax in consort with the Hammond organ is one of the sexiest sounds in jazz: the lusty sax overlaying the silky, sensual harmonies of the organ and the voluptuous swell of its rich orchestral climaxes; it is a combination that has the potential to raise the hairs on the back of your head to say the least. Does it work as well if you exchange the sax for a flute? In this case the answer is an affirmative yes! because Toronto based Bill McBirnie plays with an earthy potency and attack that is every bit as virile as the sound of the larger instrument albeit with added silvery sophistication and breathtaking velocity.
With his fellow Canadians he has put together an appealing programme of pieces that represent the entire jazz spectrum from songbook standards and swing, thru gospel, bop and Latin whilst taking in the pop scene with a Beatles tune. As popular as the programme might appear, with familiar tunes like `So In Love` and `Estate` nestling amongst jazz standards such as `Sister Sadie` and Monk’s `Rhythm-A-Ning` this is no anodyne easy listening exercise because there is sufficient passion and invention in the playing to whet the most fatigued jazz appetite. Indeed, Mc Birnie’s solos are melodic constructions of real musical substance with nary a wasted note and free of the arpeggiated padding which can be wearisome at length.
Mc Birnie may be a name that is new to us but he is apparently (and hardly surprisingly) highly regarded within the flute fraternity being a specialist advisor to Sir James Galway, the famous classical flautist. With recordings like this to testify to his talent it can’t be long before his name becomes more widely known outside specialist circles and the confines of his native city taking up a place amongst the international elite of world class players.
His trio companions deserve a mention too: Bernie Senesky plays Hammond in the best Blue Note tradition but divested of extreme vibrato and over repetitive riffing whilst Anthony Michelli provides sure footed support in the execution of the various rhythmic solutions applied in these excitingly fresh interpretations. Definitely a fine recording that deserves to find a place in your collection.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon
Extreme Flute EF 06
Bill Mc Birnie (flute) Bernie Senensky (Hammond B3 organ) Anthony Mitchell (drums)
Recorded June 10th & 11th 2013 at Hilo Studio, Toronto, Ontario
The tenor sax in consort with the Hammond organ is one of the sexiest sounds in jazz: the lusty sax overlaying the silky, sensual harmonies of the organ and the voluptuous swell of its rich orchestral climaxes; it is a combination that has the potential to raise the hairs on the back of your head to say the least. Does it work as well if you exchange the sax for a flute? In this case the answer is an affirmative yes! because Toronto based Bill McBirnie plays with an earthy potency and attack that is every bit as virile as the sound of the larger instrument albeit with added silvery sophistication and breathtaking velocity.
With his fellow Canadians he has put together an appealing programme of pieces that represent the entire jazz spectrum from songbook standards and swing, thru gospel, bop and Latin whilst taking in the pop scene with a Beatles tune. As popular as the programme might appear, with familiar tunes like `So In Love` and `Estate` nestling amongst jazz standards such as `Sister Sadie` and Monk’s `Rhythm-A-Ning` this is no anodyne easy listening exercise because there is sufficient passion and invention in the playing to whet the most fatigued jazz appetite. Indeed, Mc Birnie’s solos are melodic constructions of real musical substance with nary a wasted note and free of the arpeggiated padding which can be wearisome at length.
Mc Birnie may be a name that is new to us but he is apparently (and hardly surprisingly) highly regarded within the flute fraternity being a specialist advisor to Sir James Galway, the famous classical flautist. With recordings like this to testify to his talent it can’t be long before his name becomes more widely known outside specialist circles and the confines of his native city taking up a place amongst the international elite of world class players.
His trio companions deserve a mention too: Bernie Senesky plays Hammond in the best Blue Note tradition but divested of extreme vibrato and over repetitive riffing whilst Anthony Michelli provides sure footed support in the execution of the various rhythmic solutions applied in these excitingly fresh interpretations. Definitely a fine recording that deserves to find a place in your collection.
Reviewed by Euan Dixon