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Hot flutes

© Ray Chandler

For decades virtually all the accolades for flute playing in folk music went to Irish traditional players - and that's hardly surprising given the predominance of fluting there.

Most of the styles and techniques for flute playing in traditional dance music and folk airs developed in Ireland, and that's where all the great players learnt their art. Sure, excellence grew in the US, too, but this was almost exclusively among the Irish ex-pats.

Recognised masters such as Matt Molloy of the Chieftains showed the world just how exciting this instrument could be in the right hands, and how playing techniques and styles had developed to an extremely advanced state in the folk genre - every bit as intricate and expressive as the best classical flute playing.

Ireland remains the most prolific breeding ground for traditional flute players, but very fine players are increasingly emerging elsewhere, and traditional flute playing has never been in a healthier state.

And with all this fluting going on, there's a wide range of styles being played, revived, adapted and developed. To my ear, the most exciting flute player is the Irishman Conal O'Grada who plays with a raw energy unmatched by any other player I've heard. And of the young Irish players adopting Matt Molloy's daunting combination of technical excellence and stylish expression, Kevin Crawford must surely be among the front-runners - a delightful mix of virtuosity and musicality. Niall Keegan has been pushing boundaries back, too, with astounding technical ability plus the application of jazzy improvisations on traditional tunes.

But it's not only in Ireland that fluting excellence has been thriving and developing. The Irish communities in the US continue to produce excellent flute players - showing the obvious influence of their Irish roots but with the special flavour that distinguishes American-Irish tradition music from its native Irish origins.

And in England there has been exciting growth in flute playing with the emergence of young players adopting basically Irish playing styles but overlaying them with distinctive technical approaches.

The band Flook has become much sought-after by festival organisers in the UK, and one of its young players, Brian Finnegan, is breaking exciting new ground on flute and whistle. Another young British player, Philippe Barnes, is making a distinctive mark on the flute-playing scene. He has overcome the difficulties of playing traditional music on the modern classical Boehm system flute - most traditional players use the older 'simple' system - and is using it to produce a beautifully fluid sound with technical flourish and great swing.