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Jazz Articles about Bill McBirnie
Bill McBirnie: Mercy
by Hrayr Attarian
Flutist led jazz records are quite infrequent, which makes one of quality all the more a find. Toronto-based Bill McBirnie's Mercy is mostly comprised of standards from a variety of jazz styles. The only original composition is the title track, by pianist Robi Botos. The diversity in styles, from trad jazz to Latin, does not affect the unity of the recording's theme, but creates a unique multifaceted whole thanks to McBirnie's versatility and superlative musicianship. McBirnie is ...
read moreTake Five With Bill McBirnie
by AAJ Staff
Meet Bill McBirnie:Bill McBirnie is a jazz and Latin flute specialist and has studied with renowned American flutist, Samuel Baron, distinguished Canadian flutist and composer, Robert Aitken, and Cuban charanga legend, Richard Egues. He is recognized as a consummate technician and an accomplished improviser -notably in the bebop, swing and Latin idioms -as demonstrated by his recordings as a sideman with Junior Mance, Irakere, Memo Acevedo, Cache and Emilie-Claire Barlow. He has also produced two straight-ahead acoustic jazz recordings under ...
read moreThe Bill McBirnie Duo/Quartet: Paco Paco
by Jerry D'Souza
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 Acavedo, and Irakere; jam sessions at the Colored Musicians Club of Buffalo; and appearances with Herbie Mann, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey. Listening to McBirnie makes his credentials clear. He dips into the nectar of a melody and his dulcet tones rise to trigger the core of his ...
read moreBill McBirnie: Nature Boy
by Jack Bowers
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 I suspect that, 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. McBirnie showcases each of those assets on an ...
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