[Dixielandjazz] A few "notes" on whistling

[Bill Gunter]

Roger Whittaker, the popular singer is also a very gifted whistler.  He 
started out in the entertainment biz as a whistler but then decided to be a 
vocalist . . . not that much demand for professional whistlers.

Just thought I'd throw his name into the mix.

Respectfully submitted,

Bill "phweet" Gunter
jazzboard at hotmail.com


>From: "Norman Vickers" <nvickers1 at cox.net>
>To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] A few "notes" on whistling
>Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2007 09:52:03 -0600
>
>Listmates:
>
>
>
>Responding to the several of you who have posted items on whistling
>
>
>
>A decade ago, as I recall, there was an item in USA Today about whistlers.
>
>Of course, it mentioned the great whistler/vocalist Elmo Tanner who was 
>with
>Ted Weems.
>
>
>
>It mentioned three currently outstanding whistlers-jazz chromatic
>harmonicist, guitarist Toots Thielemans, clarinetist from Maine, Brad Terry
>and clarinetist, flutist, piccolo player Ron McCroby. Thielemans and Brad
>Terry are still following their vocation.
>
>Brad's whistling can be heard on a couple of recordings he did with late
>guitarist Lenny Breau-"Living Room tapes."
>
>
>
>The late Bob Haggart would whistle through his teeth one some numbers,
>including his "Big Noise from Winnetka."
>
>At a jazz party I saw Haggart and cornetist Peter Ecklund do a duet with
>this whistling through the teeth routine.
>
>
>
>I've seen great trombonist Bill Watrous do some great whistling numbers,
>too.
>
>
>
>
>
>One anecdote I heard about Elmo Tanner.  Seems that Ted Weems would wait
>until Tanner was eating something, then he'd call a whistling tune, much to
>Tanner's consternation.
>
>
>
>Here's a note about McCroby---taken from a website.
>
>
>
>Ron McCroby
>
>*	Genre: Jazz
>*	Active: '80s
>*	Instruments: Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet
>
>
>Biography
>
>
>Ron McCroby was a master of the rarely practiced art of jazz whistling,
>blessed with amazingly sure intonation and technical control that allowed
>him to mimic bebop players' lines with a clarity that made it sound as
>though he were playing a piccolo. In fact, McCroby delighted in describing
>his "instrument" as a "puccolo" (a conflation of "piccolo" and "pucker"). 
>He
>was born in 1934 and grew up in Morgantown, WV, where he played clarinet in
>the high-school marching band. It was there that he made his musical
>whistling debut, filling in the piccolo part in "Stars and Stripes Forever"
>when the regular player was out sick. McCroby studied music at West 
>Virginia
>University, but subsequently got married and moved to Cincinnati to pursue
>advertising as his vocation. In his spare time, he performed locally as a
>clarinetist with various large and small jazz groups, sometimes doubling on
>flute or saxophone. Eventually, he became the advertising director for the
>Little Tykes toy company, and also moved into cartoon voice-over work,
>portraying a whistling penguin on Scooby-Doo.
>
>McCroby made his television debut as a jazz whistler on a Cleveland morning
>show in 1981. Word spread quickly about his astonishing skill (and not
>inconsiderable novelty appeal), leading to his banner year of 1982. McCroby
>performed on The Merv Griffin Show and made the first of five appearances 
>on
>The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson; he also performed at that year's
>Monterey Jazz Festival, with a repertoire that ranged from "Body and Soul"
>and "Blue Rondo a la Turk" to Vivaldi to the Andy Griffith theme. If that
>weren't enough, McCroby also recorded his first album, Ron
><http://www.answers.com/topic/ron-mccroby-plays-puccolo>  McCroby Plays
>Puccolo, for Concord Jazz, with a backing quartet featuring flutist Sam
><http://www.answers.com/topic/sam-most>  Most, pianist Bill
><http://www.answers.com/topic/bill-mays>  Mays, bassist Bob
><http://www.answers.com/topic/bob-magnusson>  Magnusson, and drummer Jeff
><http://www.answers.com/topic/hamilton-vta>  Hamilton. A second Concord
>album, The <http://www.answers.com/topic/the-other-whistler>  Other
>Whistler, appeared in 1984. McCroby also continued his voice-over work for
>several ad campaigns, most prominently as Tenderheart Bear for the
>greeting-card toy spinoff The Care Bears, as well as a Winnie the Pooh 
>video
>game. He retired in 1999, and in 2001 he traveled to the Netherlands and 
>cut
>an album with the Hans Mantel Trio, titled Twolips From Holland. On August
>5, 2002, McCroby passed away at his Aurora, OH, home from an apparent heart
>attack.
>
>
>
>Norman-if you whistle, please do it in tune--Vickers
>
>
>
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