[78-L] Penny whistle aka tin whistle

Cary Ginell soundthink at live.com
Sun Mar 16 13:08:39 PDT 2014


I'm a flute player and have a collection of whistles, recorders, and the like. A penny whistle is generally made of tin and consists of six open holes. It's easier to "slur" or "smear" notes when you don't have keys (in fact, it's next to impossible to do them on a closed-hole flute). Tin whistles are blown vertically through a mouthpiece and are more recorder-like than flute-like. Easy to blow into but difficult to control pitch and volume. In my opinion, a penny whistle is MUCH easier to play than a piccolo.

Cary


On Mar 16, 2014, at 12:43 PM, Taylor Bowie <bowiebks at isomedia.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the penny whistle info,  Cary...I just looked up some info about 
> it and it seems to be a very simple higher pitched cousin of the piccolo...I 
> wonder if it's easier to learn to play than is the piccolo?
> 
> Here's the Wiki on the thing if anyone else is interested:
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tin_whistle
> 
> 
> Taylor
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Cary Ginell" <soundthink at live.com>
> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
> Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2014 12:36 PM
> Subject: Re: [78-L] Cummins-penny whistle-Varsity 8
> 
> 
>> Listened to "Minnie" on YouTube, and it is indeed a penny whistle. Nice, 
>> fluid solo.
>> 
>> Cary
>> 
>> 
>> On Mar 16, 2014, at 12:17 PM, Taylor Bowie <bowiebks at isomedia.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> "Little By Little" is one of my faves...super muted trumpet work.  Rust
>>> lists Paul Roberts and possible Ernie Mathias on tpt...Mathias is 
>>> credited
>>> on some of those great 1933 Irving Aaronson Vocalions (talk about some 
>>> hot
>>> sides!) but I don't know anything about the other guy...whichever/whoever
>>> solos with Cummins is top notch.
>>> 
>>> Taylor
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: "Cary Ginell" <soundthink at live.com>
>>> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>>> Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2014 12:05 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [78-L] Cummins-penny whistle-Varsity 8
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> In my latest dance band acquisitions, I got Cummins' version of Little 
>>>> By
>>>> Little / Every Day Away from You (Vi 22088). Pretty nice.
>>>> 
>>>> Cary
>>>> 
>>>> On Mar 16, 2014, at 11:57 AM, "Taylor Bowie" <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Penny whistle?    That explains why it sounds so high-pitched...quite
>>>>> amazing  technique in any case!
>>>>> 
>>>>> Minnie the Mermaid is one of the "must-have" hot dance band records of
>>>>> the
>>>>> era...the Cummins band had great soloists and a real feel for jazz.
>>>>> 
>>>>> BTW,  the listing in Rust for some late Varsity Eight sides is very
>>>>> misleading.  "New" Rust continues to credit Ed Kirkeby for the sessions
>>>>> of
>>>>> October and November of 1930...Ed may have been there,  but playing the
>>>>> eight sides reveals that it is the Bernie Cummins band,  mostly in a 
>>>>> very
>>>>> jazzy mode.
>>>>> 
>>>>> The most common of the eight sides is You're Driving Me Crazy,  of 
>>>>> which
>>>>> there were at least three issued takes.
>>>>> 
>>>>> There are also at least two issued takes of Never Swat A Fly.
>>>>> 
>>>>> If anyone has any info about multiple released takes of the other six
>>>>> sides
>>>>> I'd like to hear about 'em!
>>>>> 
>>>>> Toodle-Oo (I'll Be Seeing You) is one of the best...very hip and witty
>>>>> lyric,  great vocal by Bernie...plenty of punchy ensemble jazz.
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> Thanks from
>>>>> 
>>>>> Taylor
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>>> From: "Cary Ginell" <soundthink at live.com>
>>>>> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>>>>> Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2014 11:28 AM
>>>>> Subject: Re: [78-L] Early jazz flute solos - Cummins?
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>>> I haven't heard it, but the new Dance Band discography shows it to be 
>>>>>> a
>>>>>> penny whistle, which counts in my book. This was on Victor 22355, 
>>>>>> March
>>>>>> 10,
>>>>>> 1930. The reed players on that session were Wally Smith, Cecil 
>>>>>> Armitage,
>>>>>> and Paul Blakely. I'll put that one on my "find" list!
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Thanks.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Cary
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Mar 16, 2014, at 10:51 AM, Taylor Bowie <bowiebks at isomedia.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Not long after Piccolo Pete there is another superb piccolo solo on a
>>>>>>> Victor
>>>>>>> dance band...the Cummins of Minnie the Mermaid...that guy REALLY 
>>>>>>> tears
>>>>>>> off a
>>>>>>> terrific hot solo,  showing amazing control of his little horn.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Any clues who that might be on the Cummins?
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Taylor
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>>>>>> From: "Cary Ginell" <soundthink at live.com>
>>>>>>> To: "78-L Mail List" <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>
>>>>>>> Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2014 10:14 AM
>>>>>>> Subject: [78-L] Early jazz flute solos
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Still compiling my list of early jazz flute or flutelike solos on
>>>>>>>> record
>>>>>>>> and obtained a copy of "Piccolo Pete" by Ted Weems & his Orchestra 
>>>>>>>> (Vi
>>>>>>>> 22037), recorded 6/28/29. Of course, Rust doesn't list personnel and
>>>>>>>> instrumentation on a song-by-song basis, just for the general 
>>>>>>>> session.
>>>>>>>> Does anyone know who the likely piccolo player would be on this
>>>>>>>> record?
>>>>>>>> My
>>>>>>>> guess would be Dick Cunliffe or Don Watt, who are the other reed men
>>>>>>>> besides Parker Gibbs, who was singing during the piccolo playing.
>>>>>>>> Here's
>>>>>>>> the personnel:
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Director - Ted Weems
>>>>>>>> Trumpets - Art Weems, Merrill Conner
>>>>>>>> Trombone - Harry Turner
>>>>>>>> Mellophone - Dudley Fosdick
>>>>>>>> Reeds - Dick Cunliffe, Don Watt, Parker Gibbs
>>>>>>>> Piano - Jack O'Brien
>>>>>>>> Banjo - Art Jarrett
>>>>>>>> Brass Bass - Country Washburn
>>>>>>>> Drums - Ormand Downes
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Cary Ginell
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> 
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