[Dixielandjazz] Whistlers

Steve Barbone barbonestreet at earthlink.net
Thu Jan 11 08:05:51 PST 2007


How can we talking heads not mention Ron McCroby?

"Correspondents to the rec.music.bluenote newsgroup have reported the
passing of Ron McCroby, a clarinetist and saxophonist active in the Ohio and
Utah areas. He was best known for his whistling, which his wife described as
follows: "He didn't whistle like a bird or anything like that, he whistled
like an instrument, like a flute or piccolo. He used to tell people he
played the puccolo -- coined from the words piccolo and pucker." He recorded
for the Concord label."

He was a clarinetist. He passed in 2002 at age 68 and was the m subject of
an NPR program back then. I saw him whistle "Line for Lyons" many years ago
and he was superb.

And there was "Dr. Horatio Q. Birdbath" whom the cognoscenti know. Did get
up to speed and a bunch of the Great Jazz whistlers, see:

http://www.thewhistler.com/

While there, check out the Mp3 of "The Saints Go Marchin In". Banjo, Bass
and whistler doing melody in 3rds, plus some improvisation.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone 





More information about the Dixielandjazz mailing list