Jean-Michel Veillon in Ireland next month

bradhurley · Post by **bradhurley** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 8:41 am

The great Breton flute player Jean-Michel Veillon will be giving a series of concerts and workshops in Ireland in early December.

Details are here:

http://www.firescribble.net/flute/flutenews.html

I've also updated my online calendar of Irish flute-related events, which is available at

http://ical.mac.com/WebObjects/iCal.woa ... hFlute.ics

smoro · Post by **smoro** » Fri Nov 21, 2003 3:36 am

Great flute player, and a great person.
If you have the oportunity to see him playing you will really enjoy with his rich style.
A couple of years I went to one of his concerts with kornog in Oporto, Portugal. I drive from Spain 700 km to see the concert. After finishing a session came. He gave me a copy of his live CD BEO! and talking with him for a while I discovered what a kind and nice person he is.
Go and enjoy!
Serafin.

Henke · Post by **Henke** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 3:37 pm

I was really turned off by his track at the wooden flute obsession cd. The only tune on both cd's that I didn't enjoy. Anyway, that's the only thing I've heard from him, and I'm sure there is more to him.

AaronMalcomb · Post by **AaronMalcomb** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 3:52 pm

JMV's style is very different from most flute playing I've heard. I don't know if it's from his youth spent playing bombarde or just his own invention. The tone he gets out of a flute is very idiosyncratic.
I had only heard a few bits of JMV on Kornog tracks and when I got E Koad Nizan and the Barzaz CD, An Den Kozh Dall, it was almost alien. I was familiar with Breton music but JMV's flute playing was so unusual. But he does express Breton music very well so I'm able to get into it though on those CD's I found the production a little distracting.
I haven't heard JMV in person yet but I hope to soon.

Yec'hed mat!
Aaron

Whistlin'Dixie · Post by **Whistlin'Dixie** » Sat Nov 22, 2003 7:53 pm

Henke wrote:I was really turned off by his track at the wooden flute obsession cd. The only tune on both cd's that I didn't enjoy. Anyway, that's the only thing I've heard from him, and I'm sure there is more to him.

That's the only tune I've ever heard of his, and I thought it rocked!!!

Mary

Henke · Post by **Henke** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 5:51 am

Yeah, Mary, It's probably largely a matter of opinion, since it is very different. I absolutely did not like it, but I can see why some people would like it.

Cheers

carrie · Post by **carrie** » Sun Nov 23, 2003 7:32 am

JMV's BEO is one of my all-time favorite flute CDs. There are a few tracks on that CD, including the dazzling set of jigs that ends with Rambling Pitchfork and a lovely lyrical track played on a mellow Bb, that I've listened to over and over and over and over and never grow tired of them. I am amazed at his playing: every note has been given tender thought, it seems to me. I don't know another flute player with a greater dynamic and expressive range than JMV.

Btw, he attended our local session last December, where his father-in-law is a regular, and seemed like a lovely person.

Carol

RudallRose · Post by **RudallRose** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 7:16 pm

bet it was great!

spittle · Post by **spittle** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 12:19 pm

I remember reading that post only a few weeks ago in the archives, Carol. What an amazing experience! Really unbelievable

Jean-Michel was my first introduction to wooden flutes and Celtic music (the Korong disc from Kornog specifically), so to happen upon an idol in a local pub would have blown my mind. The BEO! album is one of my absolute favorites as well.

Oh to be in Ireland in the next couple of weeks!

Regards,
- Ryan

ChrisLaughlin · Post by **ChrisLaughlin** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 1:54 pm

If I had to choose two flute CDs to listen to for the rest of my life, they'd be one of Jean-Michel's and one of Hariprasad Chaurasia's. These guys are soul food for me.... and I'm an IRISH music addict. Seriously, even Matt Molloy and James Galway think Jean-Michel is the best there is... and Jean-Michel thinks Hariprasad is the best.

Chris

kkrell · Post by **kkrell** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 2:14 pm

cskinner wrote: I don't know another flute player with a greater dynamic and expressive range than JMV.
Carol

Have you heard Desi Wilkinson's Shady Woods CD?

Kevin Krell

carrie · Post by **carrie** » Thu Nov 27, 2003 11:09 pm

kkrell wrote:
cskinner wrote: I don't know another flute player with a greater dynamic and expressive range than JMV.
Carol
Have you heard Desi Wilkinson's Shady Woods CD?

Kevin Krell

I haven't, Kevin. Thanks for the tip.

Carol

Tchie · Post by **Tchie** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 4:00 am

cskinner wrote:JMV's BEO is one of my all-time favorite flute CDs. There are a few tracks on that CD, including the dazzling set of jigs that ends with Rambling Pitchfork and a lovely lyrical track played on a mellow Bb, that I've listened to over and over and over and over and never grow tired of them. I am amazed at his playing: every note has been given tender thought, it seems to me. I don't know another flute player with a greater dynamic and expressive range than JMV.

Btw, he attended our local session last December, where his father-in-law is a regular, and seemed like a lovely person.

Carol

He is a gifted person, but he does so much effort to absorb the music all over the world through CDs, flute players and so on, all the time...

I love his "Beo!" CD... When I am upset, I usually listen to the CD... his mellow tone and very emortional play conforts me...

I may not own so many CDs as the others but I am agree with "I don't know another flute player with a greater dynamic and expressive range than JMV."... Please listen to his "air macedonien" in Beo! and Flook's "Macedonian Oro" ...

I do not say who is better than the other (both are so so so great!)one but I shall say that I PREFERE that of JMV's. In fact, during his workshop, there came a moment that I was so touched by his flute and I could not stop my tears... (nan, ce n'est pas parce que je n'arrivais pas suivre son cours, hehehehe...)

There are many wooden flute players in Britanny now. He is the pioneer of the wooden flute which had not yet been popular in Britanny at that time (late 70's). He established his proper "breton"play style through his own long experience of bombarde and to be breton dancer... Thus, this means he does not play the breton music by Irish style...

(for more detail, there is kornog's official site and this one:
http://jmveillon.stalig.com/ )

that is why I respect and consider JMV to be the great flute player...

bradhurley · Post by **bradhurley** » Fri Dec 05, 2003 10:14 am

Tchie wrote:
In fact, during his workshop, there came a moment that I was so touched by his flute and I could not stop my tears... (nan, ce n'est pas parce que je n'arrivais pas suivre son cours, hehehehe...)...

Very nicely stated, Tchie. I too am not ashamed to say that Jean-Michel's playing has moved me to tears, and the same has happened to several of my friends while listening to him in person or on recordings. To my ear, Jean-Michel has a perfect balance of power, passion, and sensitivity. And he has spent time experimenting with how to make each note on the flute speak the way he wants...watching him play you will see him vent keys to bring out certain qualities in a note, and using harmonics to play certain passages, all sorts of things that are technically difficult to do yet he does them all effortlessly and they all add to the music.

Pat Cannady · Post by **Pat Cannady** » Fri Dec 05, 2003 10:42 am

yeah, and he plays the BOMBARDE too!

He's one of those special individuals that can take the loudest, rudest double reed of them all and really make it sing beautifully. I would dearly love to see him play a bombarde - biniou duet some time - no guitars, no drums, no synths, none of that. Just cane, wood, leather, two powerful sets of lungs, and four very skilled hands.