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Bill McBirnie - Extreme Flute
A superior jazz and Latin flutist from Canada who is now garnering an international reputation.
About Me
Bill McBirnie, author of The Technique and Theory of Improvisation, is a jazz and Latin flute specialist based in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has studied with renowned American flutist, Samuel Baron, distinguished Canadian
flutist and composer, Robert Aitken, as well as Cuban charanga legend, Richard Egües. Bill’s extraordinary level of
skill as a flutist led to a personal solicitation from no less than Sir James Galway to serve as his Resident Jazz Flute
Specialist at Sir James' official website.
Although Bill is known for his outstanding technique, he is also recognized as an exceptional improviser (notably in
the bebop, swing and Latin idioms) which is corroborated in his many recordings as a sideman with the likes of Junior
Mance, Irakere, Four80East, Memo Acevedo and Emilie-Claire Barlow. Needless to say, Bill has performed and
recorded extensively with Toronto's finest musicians, and is a charter member of Bernie Senensky's, Moe Koffman
Tribute Band.
Here are a few illustrative comments regarding Bill's work:
- “Dear Maestro McBirnie, ...This just blew me away. Great, great playing...Innovative...I have never heard anyone play
like this...Great technique and music making. The scales are so even it sounds like [you] wrote the Taffanel scale
book...Bill, when you read this, I have to take my hat off to you. This is great playing by any standard.” SIR JAMES
GALWAY (Galway-Flute-Chat)
- “In both duo and quartet formats, McBirnie dazzles...In every instance, his technique is flawless, dynamic and often
simply jaw-dropping...McBirnie has been called Canada’s standout jazz flautist. I maintain he is one of the top two or
three in the world.” MARK E. GALLO (JazzReview.com)
- “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)
- “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)
- “...All beautifully recorded, unclassifiable, and virtually timeless...” MICHAEL STEINMAN (Cadence Magazine)
Bill has five straight-ahead acoustic jazz recordings under his own name entitled, The Silent Wish (with Bernie
Senensky which received a 2020 JUNO nomination for Best Instrumental Album of the Year), Find Your Place (an
organ trio featuring Bernie Senensky which won the 14th annual Vox Populi Best Jazz Album award at the
Independent Music Awards in the USA), Mercy (featuring Robi Botos which won a Toronto Independent Music Award,
and earned a nomination at the USA Independent Music Awards), Paco Paco (featuring, Bernie Senensky which was
nominated at the National Jazz Awards as Album of the Year), and Nature Boy (featuring The Mark Eisenman Trio
which attained a Top 40 spot in Bob Parlocha's USA syndicated jazz program and received regular spins on his show,
year after year). Needless to say, all of these albums have garnered consistently excellent reviews, in Canada and
abroad.
In addition, Bill was chosen Flutist of the Year by the Jazz Report Awards and nominated as Miscellaneous
Instrumentalist of the Year at the National Jazz Awards. He also bears the singular distinction of being the only triple-
crown-winner in all three of the National Flute Association’s jazz flute (1) Soloist, (2) Masterclass and (3) Big Band
Competitions. Bill is also a Designated Hayes Artist, an active teacher/clinician and a longstanding contributor to the
Woodwinds column of Canadian Musician magazine.
Website: http://www.extremeflute.com
Contact: [email protected] or (416) 652-1541
Albums: https://billmcbirnie-extremeflute.bandcamp.com
The Technique and Theory of Improvisation: Available at all Amazon websites
(1) DOWNBEAT - REVIEW
The Bill McBirnie/Bernie Senensky Duo
Opening for Eliane Elias at the TD Toronto Jazz Festival
“…Toronto’s deep pool of local talent was on display at dozens of events…Opening for Eliane Elias, flutist Bill
McBirnie proved a passionate and eloquent improviser with sure-footed support from pianist Bernie Senensky. Their
set included works by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Clare Fischer and a show-stopping finale penned by Senensky that
[McBirnie] said was inspired by Hermeto Pascoal and Charlie Parker.” (by ALLEN MORRISON 7/16/2013)
(2) JAZZTIMES - REVIEW
The Bill McBirnie/Bernie Senensky Duo
Opening for Eliane Elias at the TD Toronto Jazz Festival
“Best Opening Act - Eliane Elias delivered a solid, opening-weekend show at the Old Mill Inn, focusing squarely on
selections from her recent Chet Baker tribute, I Thought About You. But it was the dynamic opening duo of pianist and
composer Bernie Senensky and flutist Bill McBirnie that, battling a cacophony of cutlery, truly set the expansive
dining room aflame and, ironically, provided far more satisfying dips into the Brazilian songbook. For the uninitiated,
check out their 2005 pairing on Paco Paco.” (by CHRISTOPHER LOUDON 7/8/2013)
(3) JAZZIZ - REVIEW
The Bill McBirnie Trio
Find Your Place
“...An effervescent, joyous quality pervades The Bill McBirnie Trio's Find Your Place [which] showcases a wide
range of grooves, from bop and bossa to gospel and swing…Those new to McBirnie will be amazed at his imagination
and originality on this engaging album.” (by MARK HOLSTON Spring 2014 Edition, page 109)
