The flute is one of the oldest known instruments, but it gets little respect. Ever since Neanderthals held cave-dwelling jam sessions on perforated bear bones, humanoids have panned the instrument's airy magic. These days, anyone with a femur to pick would likely point to the many schmaltzy recordings of the concert flute or its woodwind cousins — the tin whistle, the pan flute, the ocarina or even the tonette. Luckily, the sheer virtuosic force of many jazz artists has lent a cool factor to the much-maligned instrument. Here are five of jazz's best flutists in action.
For more entries in NPR Music's weekly Take Five: A Weekly Jazz Sampler series, click here.
1 of
— Cover for We Free Kings
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2 of
— Cover for Billy Taylor with Four Flutes
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3 of
— Man of Many Parts
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4 of
— Cover for Out to Lunch
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5 of
— Psychicemotus
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