My
love of Latin flute music has been nurtured by the sense of possibility that
came from my Powell wood flute. The feelings I have about this flute run pretty
deep. I literally fell in love with this flute at the Columbus NFA Convention
in 2000, and played it nonstop at all my gigs--orchestra, jazz, chamber music,
concertos--everything, for several years. I really loved the way I felt like I
was playing an oboe or clarinet sometimes, and the blend with the other
woodwinds was different from the experience of a silver flute. The 3rd and 4th
octave high notes were clear, focused and in tune, certainly much more so than
some other wood flutes I tried out. Also, there was a mutuality that I felt
while playing it, in that the warmth of the wood was constantly giving me
something back.
 |
| Jane Lenoir |
I
have been playing the flute for over 45 years and for many years, improvising
and playing in jazz groups. My latest CD, Tocando Juntos, was recorded by Primavera
Latin Jazz band. This group formed 2 years ago at a time in my life when I was
ready for a new musical direction. The band members met initially at Berkeley’s
Jazz School, in an ensemble class on Afro Cuban Jazz. This was love at first
beat—the sound of the wood flute with all its dark warmth and richness, coupled
with those rhythmic percussive hits in the high range, floating over the sound
of claves, congas, piano and bass was just so irresistibly hypnotic, not to
mention appealing to the flute diva in me. Unlike the jazz idiom, where
sometimes as a flutist I felt like a visitor, in Latin jazz the flute is
queen--every solo a mini concerto of coloratura rhythmic flair. In Cuba, there
are still some charanga flutists are playing 5-key wooden transverse flutes
(labeled in the 50’s and 60’s “charanga flutes”) effortlessly popping out 4th
octave E’s and F’s.
Once
I started digging seriously into Latin American music, it became clear to me
that my feeling about the relevance of playing the wood flute is reflected in
history—Cuba and Brazil were populated by Europeans from Spain and Portugal in
the 16th century. The Europeans brought their instruments and music with them,
including baroque and classical styles, later to be synthesized into a version
of dance music created by the fusion with African percussion and rhythms. The
barons of the sugar and coffee plantations in these countries educated their
slaves in the traditional baroque and classical styles (Lully was a favorite in
Cuba) to entertain at balls and social gatherings. Pixinguinha, one of Brazil’s
greatest composers of choro music and grandson of slaves, was a virtuoso classical
flutist, a child prodigy. The synthesis of these cultural styles created
beautiful and sensual dance music, including charanga and choro, paving the way
for the evolution of samba, bossa nova, mambo, cha cha, salsa, and other more
modern styles.
My
south of the border musical quest was also influenced by my sister Annie, a
clarinetist, who became completely obsessed with Brazilian music after hearing
Paulo Sergio Santos and his young son, Caio Marcio,clarinet and guitar, from
Rio de Janeiro, perform at a clarinet convention. She called me from the floor
of the convention, telling me she had just heard the most amazing music from
Brazil--the standing ovation lasted for 10 minutes, while the piece for only 3
minutes long! When my sister gets excited about something, I pay attention. I
went out immediately and bought recordings and music. My band, Berkeley Choro
Ensemble, was formed from local musicians, some Brazilian. It consists of
flute, clarinet, 7-string Brazilian guitar and percussion. I play the wood
flute in this group also. In Brazil, most of the choro players are playing
silver, but I personally feel that the wood flute sound creates a gorgeous
quality with the clarinet. Here’s what one reviewer said about our last
concert: “Yesterday
I listened to Berkeley Choro ensemble at Avonova.
Jane has this mellow and dark sound flowing from her wooden flute and it is
amazing how Harvey and Jane weave their sounds together and match the colors so well
that at times I was not certain where the clarinet finished and flute began.” (Alex Ran)
To
read more about Jane, check out these websites:
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