I had the distinct pleasure of meeting with Jerry Freeman late this morning at the tweaking center of the universe (his home). Jerry had sent me a PM yesterday saying he had some whistles ready for me to try. Upon my arrival I was warmly welcomed by Jerry and his two "killer" dogs
, that he could pretty much fit in the palm of his hands. I was escorted to a table that had a selection of Freeman Tweaked Whistles in various keys that Jerry gave me free reighn on. He even abstained from making fun of my playing. My initial attempt on the first Freeman I picked up was less than spectacular while I searched for the correct amount of airflow to make the whistle sing. Simultaneously, Jerry grabbed a whistle and played several phrases that spoke not only of the awesome tone of his whistles, but also his skills as a player.While I sat at the table trying various whistles and tormenting Jerry's dogs, he sat at the table tweaking whistles and making some Blackbird and Bluebird Freemans in various keys for me to try. Jerry also entertained me with some history regarding the development and evolution of commercially mass produced whistles. I recounted to Jerry how in my earlier years I had hunted for grouse a stone's throw from where he lives. As I played, I selected the whistles I intended to keep placing them aside on the table. I sheepishly inquired about Jerry's interest and development in his skills related to tweaking whistles. I did not want him to feel like I was asking him to relinquish any trade secrets, but I guess one look at the mangled head of my Feadog that I had just days ago attempted to repair, put him at ease that I was not an industrial spy. He did repair the Feadog without charge. Jerry then offered to give me a tour of his shop which I readilly accepted. I can now say I enjoyed a tour of the inner sanctum of whistle tweakdom as led my the master himself.
During our conversation and the shop tour, it was highly apparent to me that Jerry is highly skilled at his craft which includes skill sets in machining, math and physics, invention, use of recycled and sustainable materials, the science of thermoplastics, and I would not be surprised if there were a wee bit of alchemy involved as Jerry turns Gens into gems.
So onto the whistles, I ended up leaving Jerry's with set of Freeman Blackbirds in Eb, D, and C, Bluebirds in Eb and D, all of those in nickle plate finish. I also purchased some brass Freeman Tweaked Gens in Bb, low G, and a high F that I find to be a joy to play ( a very sweet sounding whistle). And of course, I had my freshly repaired Feadog that Jerry repaired gratis ( my first whistle ). I could not wait to get home and play these whistles which I did promptly.
I feel very fortunate to have spent a part of my day with Jerry Freeman and for his most gracious hosting of me during that time. His genius with whistles will be obvious to anyone who loves whistles and has the opportunity to meet him. It is nice knowing that he is just about twenty minutes away from where I live. Jerry Freeman is a great resource for whistlers around the globe.
Cheers,
Cayden
