tin whistle recordings from 1945 and 1929

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Jerry Freeman
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tin whistle recordings from 1945 and 1929

Post by Jerry Freeman »

Django Reinhart accompanied by Les Lieber on tin whistle (whistle begins around 0:30):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq6pHSwpqxs

1920 recording of "Piccolo Pete" featuring tin whistle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MY4yBxM_zY&t=93s
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Re: tin whistle recordings from 1945 and 1929

Post by stringbed »

Les Lieber was known for playing the tin whistle with Django Reinhardt. There’s a photo of him holding one back in the day here and another years later here.

Piccolo Pete was a stage name of the British band leader Jack Hylton. He’s shown holding a piccolo on the first British edition of Phil Baxter’s eponymous composition. Hylton also recorded the piece with his band in 1929, shortly after the Ted Weems recording. The player on that one isn’t named but I wouldn’t have thought there to be any reason to claim that the instrument was, in fact, a tin whistle. Notwithstanding the bucolic drawing on the sheet music, chromatic runs on the Weems recording indicate a keyed instrument. There’s nothing I can hear otherwise that suggests it to be anything other than a piccolo.

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Re: tin whistle recordings from 1945 and 1929

Post by Mr.Gumby »

Les Lieber was known for playing the tin whistle with Django Reinhardt.
He has been discussed here a few times. Not just with Reinhardt but others as well, various youtubes linked in previous discussions.

Now, did we mention Coltrane's whistle tapes or are they out of season?
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Re: tin whistle recordings from 1945 and 1929

Post by stringbed »

Mr.Gumby wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 4:11 am Now, did we mention Coltrane's whistle tapes or are they out of season?
The aspect of the matter that triggered my comment was how the sounds of a piccolo and a tin whistle might be confused.
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Re: tin whistle recordings from 1945 and 1929

Post by Mr.Gumby »

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And the object of mine was an obligatory mention of 'the pennywhistle tapes' in accordance with forum tradition, to be made whenever the subject of jazz whistle is touched upon. Or when they're in season, ofcourse. :D

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Re: tin whistle recordings from 1945 and 1929

Post by Steve Bliven »

Mr.Gumby wrote: Sat Aug 06, 2022 6:43 am And the object of mine was an obligatory mention of 'the pennywhistle tapes' in accordance with forum tradition, to be made whenever the subject of jazz whistle is touched upon. Or when they're in season, of course. :D
The traditional mention of "the pennywhistle tapes" is, of course, a significant aspect of ITM. :P

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Re: tin whistle recordings from 1945 and 1929

Post by stringbed »

Please forgive a relative newcomer to this forum who has yet to become familiar with its less obvious protocols (and looks forward to getting used to them :) ). At what point did the tin whistle in jazz become a less reasonable topic of discussion here than its nexus in ITM is? The scope of the latter is obviously and overwhelmingly larger but, if anything, wouldn’t that make its mention in a different context all the more interesting?

It’s not me who raised the subject and I may regret protracting its discussion. But Coltrane’s association with the tin whistle was an April Fool’s Day joke (perhaps the key to my puzzlement), Les Lieber’s was not, and where does that leave Piccolo Pete being presented as having played a tin whistle and not the instrument suggested by his name?
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