BILL MCBIRNIE - radio vinilemania web-radio Latin - Jazz

BILL MCBIRNIE (FLUTIST)

Bill McBirnie is a jazz and Latin flute specialist based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has studied with distinguished Canadian flutist and composer, Robert Aitken, and Cuban Charanga legend, Richard Egues. Bill is known for his superior technique on the entire family of flutes (from bass flute to piccolo). He is also recognized as an accomplished improviser, notably in the bebop, swing and Latin idioms as illustrated by his recordings as a sideman with Junior Mance, Irakere, Memo Acevedo and Cache

About Bill:

“A distinguished flutist with a devotion that shows up in the airy sweetness of his sound at ballad tempos and in the remarkable control he can bring to rapid-fire, skittering runs on up tempo, Coltrane-inspired material.” (Stuart Broomer, Editor, Coda magazine)

“Great, great playing...I have never heard anyone play like this…Bill, when you read this, I have to take my hat off to you. This is great playing by any standard.” (Sir James Galway)

“McBirnie has always handled bop exceptionally well. You can hear his years at the conservatory in his sound—a pure, transparent tone at rest, brightening with exertion—yet he swings like someone who grew up with a large collection of Blue Note and Prestige LPs down in the basement. He's entirely idiomatic, but also effortlessly inventive.” (Mark Miller, The Globe and Mail)

“Include Bill McBirnie as an integral player in Canadian jazz. The Toronto-based flautist has marked his credentials through recordings of his own, in addition to appearances on albums by Junior Mance, Memo Acevedo, and Irakere…Listening to McBirnie also makes his credentials clear. He dips into the nectar of a melody and his dulcet tones rise to trigger the core of his imagination for some really interesting improvisational flights. These facets are abundantly manifest on Paco Paco...” (Jerry D’Souza, All About Jazz)

“Bill McBirnie has a powerful claim to be Canada’s best player on flute…What always stands out is his outstanding tone, agile technique and fecund imagination.” (Geoff Chapman, The Toronto Star)

“Toronto's Bill McBirnie occupies the rarified air of jazz flute with a sense of style and swing that sets him apart. There are precious few flutists who can make the instrument burn with musical intensity the way Bill does...McBirnie shows a range of emotional colours on both Latin and jazz standards in duo and quartet configurations…Bill McBirnie deserves to be placed alongside Moe Koffman and Herbie Mann in the pantheon of jazz flute.” (Andy Shepphard, After Hours, CBC Radio)

“His technique is flawless and sensual…Excellent!” (Lee Prosser, Jazz Review)

“I highly recommend this recording; the music is joyous and energetic throughout…I’m just itching to play it for some classical flutists I know. I can’t wait to see the expressions on their faces when they hear Bill practically turn the flute inside out on Teaneck.” (Merlin Williams, Wholenote Magazine)

“Now that the great Moe Koffman is no longer among us, there’s an opening in Canada for an outstanding straight-ahead jazz flutist and, with Nature Boy, Bill McBirnie has submitted his application and staked his claim…In the liner notes, McBirnie is modest about his talents but he needn’t be. He has great chops, a clear, sparkling sound and enough luminous ideas to brighten anyone’s melancholy frame of mind.” (Jack Bowers, All About Jazz)

“...All beautifully recorded, unclassifiable, and virtually timeless...” (Michael Steinman, Cadence Magazine)

“…With subtle playing, mature and confident swing, beautiful and well-chosen compositions throughout, there is now nothing to stand in the way of Bill McBirnie qualifying for the outstanding reputation he has forged.” (Berengere Richard, Traversieres Magazine, The Official Magazine of the French Flute Association)

“With a full tone, pin-sharp articulation, the occasional witty quote and some jazz licks that pay a compliment to the listener who can catch them (and which sometimes evaporate before they can be fully identified), McBirnie demonstrates that he is an impressive performer by any standard...The album is a treasure.” (Don Smith, Night Train, 3RPP FM, Australia)