Jazz Flute Written by Haley Conway

In the jazz world, the flute was performed very little until the 1920s and it did not truly emerge as a solo instrument until the early fifties. Part of the reason that popularity was low for jazz flute was because of the low volume the flute could produce against a jazz ensemble. The principal instruments at during the 1920s that were trumpets, trombone, and saxophone because of the sound were big enough to fill a large hall. For a flute to have a chance at being heard within a large hall would involve the 3rd register during the entire solo. With the development of microphones, jazz flutes became more popular and they begin to revolutionize the flute in a jazz setting.

For a flute player to be in jazz ensembles, it was important for musicians to learn multiple instruments. One of the best secondary instruments for a flute player to learn is the alto or tenor saxophone. The saxophone has similar fingering system and written musical range. It also interferes little with the flute embouchure and it forces the student to learn to project their sound to a greater extent. Compared to classical works that flute players are used to playing, jazz contains different articulations that makes the musician more aware of the music they are playing and gets them a chance to analyze chord progressions at a deeper level. Flute players also gain another musical experience that is not within classical music, which is improvising. This gives musicians another way to expand musically and to be able to express themselves.

Since the 1920s, there have been multiple flutist that have influenced the flute in the jazz world. One musician who started to change the face of jazz flute was Alberto Socarras. He was a Cuban clarinetist is regarded as one of the earliest known example of a recorded jazz flute solo.

Another musician that jazz historians generally credit to be the first true jazz flutiest is Wayman Carver. He has been to record extensively with many famous bands in the 1930s.

Buddy Collette is another jazz flutist who has made a statement in jazz by being one of the first jazz musicians to record on all of the orchestral flute family. Also within the second half of the 1950s the flute established a new role for itself in the larger ensembles with recordings such as ‘Blue & Sentimental’ by the Buddy Rich Big Band, where Collette’s flute can be heard in combination with muted trumpet.

In today’s modern jazz world, Herbie Mann is considered the first modern jazz flutist to base a career on playing only the flute. He helped distinguish himself by blending a variety of ethnic styles from Latin American and the Middle East.

Yusef Lateef is also another flutist who was strongly influenced by other cultures, such as Eastern and Oriental music. He showed his influences by using different kinds of flutes, such as the Chinese flute, the Arab ‘nai’ flute, and the ‘ma ma’ flute that he invented himself. He has also credited with being the first to sing or hum into the flute while playing.

In the Jazz World, there are multiple ways that flute has influenced the style and the musicians. It has its own specific sounds that continue to grow and change.

Work Sited Guidi, Peter. "A Short History of Jazz Flute." Flutehistory.com: Jazz. Molenaar Edition B.V., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.

"Jazz Flute & Flautists." Jazz Flute & Flautists. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2013.