Comments on: That ain't doubling on flute. This is doubling on flute.

That ain't doubling on flute. This is doubling on flute.

No-sword — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:58:31 -0800

Two flutes at once. Two guitars at once. (Honorable mentions.) Two recorders at once, 100% nose-powered. Two trumpets at once (breakdown at three).Two harps at once. Two saxophones at once. (Bonus: Clarinet/sax unos.)

(Double-link YouTube filter in honor of Rahsaan Roland Kirk's birthday this week.)

By: lester the unlikely

lester the unlikely — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:15:23 -0800

I can play a round on two recorders simultaneously...but not with my nose. _{/sigh, the bar just keeps getting higher.}

By: rongorongo

rongorongo — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:19:36 -0800

Tom Waits' band member, Vincent Henry, was playing two saxophones and clarinets for a few numbers when I saw them last week. Review.

By: rtboo

rtboo — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:33:06 -0800

FYI- the first two are recorders, NOT flutes. The only really impressive one is the second trumpet guy. And the clarinet/soprano sax guy was good, too- he's got some serious circular breathing skills going on. The rest is just gimicky and lame.

By: Nick Verstayne

Nick Verstayne — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:37:02 -0800

I have both Tenor and Alto saxophones, so will be trying this later today after a few drinks. What with the transposing and all, I'm not expecting it to be as good as the dude with the two altos. The two flutes one intrigued me so I clicked on it - that's not what I think of as a flute - someone playing two concert flutes at the same time - now that would be impressive. Cool post, though.

By: misteraitch

misteraitch — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:41:26 -0800

Two saxophones at once.

By: Nick Verstayne

Nick Verstayne — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:43:39 -0800

And good and all as the guy with the soprano/clarinet combination was, ANYONE who does ANYTHING with a soprano sax should be extraordinarily renditioned. Good God people! Does no-one remember Kenny G?

By: mkb

mkb — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:48:48 -0800

It wasn't the soprano sax that makes Kenny G poison.

By: No-sword

No-sword — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:56:44 -0800

Yeah, I looked for Western-style concert flutes but I couldn't find any. I guess you would need a killer embouchure to reach the second one at the same time. So I tried to sneak by on "flute" via poor visibility (first link) and the standard "Native American flute" terminology (second link)... only to be called out by the third comment! It's a fair cop. I must reject, however, the claim of lameness. It's true that most of these folks aren't doing much to write home about, artistically speaking. But they are having fun playing music, which is one of the least lame things I know of.

By: danb

danb — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:57:14 -0800

Oh goodie! An opportunity to share one of my favorite rants: Pat Metheny on Kenny G. Regarding multiple instruments at once: IMO, you can't do better than Rahsaan Roland Kirk. (I also like Jeff Coffin of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, but I can't pull up a relevant video of him right now; it's worth mentioning, though, that he has a piece called "The Two Horny Blues.")

By: chillmost

chillmost — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:33:02 -0800

Double-neck wankery

By: benzo8

benzo8 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:35:50 -0800

I've long been a fan of Zack Kim so was glad to see him in the FPP. Thanks for this post!

By: BitterOldPunk

BitterOldPunk — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:31:55 -0800

I came to this thread to post a link to Morphine, I'm glad someone beat me to it. Morphine fucking rocked. Two-string slide bass, baby.

By: fearfulsymmetry

fearfulsymmetry — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:43:56 -0800

Two saxophones at once

By: MrMoonPie

MrMoonPie — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:30:37 -0800

Oh goodie! An opportunity to share one of my favorite songs: Richard Thompson on Pat Metheny on Kenny G.

By: Seekerofsplendor

Seekerofsplendor — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:10:13 -0800

Thanks for posting the Thompson song, MrMoonPie. I was looking for that. It's satire perfection.

By: Chinese Jet Pilot

Chinese Jet Pilot — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:15:04 -0800

I once caught this guy playing two trumpets simultaneously, but he was playing with a large band so I can't vouch for his accuracy.

By: joelf

joelf — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:33:34 -0800

two girls at once? no.

By: beelzbubba

beelzbubba — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:13:23 -0800

Metheny has lately backed off on Kenny G, largely on a "live and let live" basis. I don't think Joel Dorn, Rahsaan's friend and producer, ever did though. The several mentions of Morphine's saxist remind me not so much of Rahsaan Roland Kirk (other than the two horns) but rather of the late British rock-jazz saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith(slyt). Heckstall-Smith was a double-reed player with Georgie Fame's Blue Flames, Alexis Koerner, Graham Bond Organization, Jack Bruce's "Things We Like", Colosseum, and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, all more the antecedent to Morphine than Rahsaan. I'm posting this to remember DHS, who died at age 70 in 2004, and whose birthday will pass largely unnoticed next month. Rahsaan Roland Kirk is worthy of many fine tributes and this post is an amusing diversion of those who've in some way been touched by his amazing sheer force of jazzitude. I think Heckstall-Smith would have counted himself among those. He was always trying to slip Pres and Rollins in on the unsuspecting blues-rock crowds, and I know that Rahsaan was an inspiration to him. Dana Colley is a worthy successor, but in my mind, to the blues-rock side of things; maybe I missed something somewhere, but I never heard him even attempt anything on the scale of Seasons (concert flute + "nose flute" recorder) or his epic Saxophone Concerto from Prepare Thyself to Deal with a Miracle.