First Name

Bill

College/University:

University of Toronto

I am here for:

Gigs, Educational Purposes, Meet Players, Networking

Whom I want to meet:

I'd like to meet some great players!

I'd also like to offer musicians in other locations who might want some flute dressing and/or improvisation on their projects to contact me (because I can now do this kind of thing remotely - in collaboration with Pacy Shulman of Hilo Studio - here in Toronto, Ontario, Canada!)

Employment Status

Self-Employed

Occupation:

Musician

About Me:

Bill is a jazz and Latin flute specialist based in Toronto, Ontario. He has studied with the renowned American flutist, Samuel Baron, distinguished Canadian flutist and composer, Robert Aitken, and Cuban charanga legend, Richard Egues. Bill is known for his exceptional technique on the entire family of flutes - from bass flute to piccolo. He is also recognized as an accomplished improviser - notably in the bebop, swing and Latin idioms - as demonstrated by his recordings as a sideman with Junior Mance, Irakere, Memo Acevedo, Cache and Emilie-Claire Barlow. He has also produced two Extreme Flute projects and, more recently, two straight-ahead acoustic jazz recordings under his own name, “Nature Boy”, (featuring The Mark Eisenman Trio) and “Paco Paco” (with Bernie Senensky) which have both entered in JazzFM91's Top 40 line-ups as well as being in the spin cycle of Bob Parlocha’s widely syndicated jazz radio show in the U.S. He has also been declared a winner at the USA National Flute Association’s triennial Jazz Flute Masterclass Competition. Bill has also been chosen Flutist of the Year by the Jazz Report Awards and, more recently, he was nominated as Instrumentalist of the Year (for flute) and Album of the Year (for "Paco Paco") at the National Jazz Awards. Finally, in 2005, he was recruited by no less than Sir James Galway to serve as his Resident Jazz Flute Specialist at the official Sir James Galway web site.

Website:

http://www.myspace.com/billmcbirnieextremeflute

Website:

http://www.sonicbids.com/billmcbirnie

Website:

http://www.thegalwaynetwork.com/jazz/jazz.htm

Top 5 Desert Island Discs:

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
John Coltrane, A Love Supreme
Oscar Peterson, Night Train
John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman
Jeremy Steig, Flute Fever

Books:

The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
(...anything by Shakespeare...)

Television:

House

Movies:

Amelie