We are new here, too, so welcome to the newbie corner. We're not sure if we are fully accepted, yet, though, because we are OCARINA Fluters, which one Dict. entry has referred to "as little more than a toy"...and this is a Sophisticated Group, with all the High Academic music stuff they talk about along with all last week's TP discussion. Anyway, Ocarinas are even more maligned than the Tin Whistle - Re: New York Times Article - Which brings me to this: In my searchings for useful snippets of Ocarina info on UseNet, I came across more maligning, joking,
outright mean references to Ocarinas than useful, defining or real stories (the one guy who threatened, if he didn't get his way about some high tech change in something or another, to "Jump Off A Bridge And Hope I Come Back As An Ocarina Salesman" and not one post from a real Ocarina Salesman). Yes, Trefor, the Sweet Potato Flute Corner here at Flutenet is a lonely, BUT PROUD, one...We stood together, for instance, in publicly, or at least in this group, denouncing the attempt by some Real Flute players to appropriate a lovely colloquial name of our beloved instrument and use it as a reference to an Instrument Made by a REal Flute Company - Re: Yam-a-ha-ha, my funny Sweet Potato -

We are going back to our corner now, I'll leave you with this thought: What nasty turn might have Clint Eastwood's career taken if it hadn't been for the Ocarina, an instrument that is more than a whistle and less than two octaves?  Plus, it is the most famous Ocarina lick of all time.

That was a great cup of coffee I had right before I wrote this.

I love this group because they let me write to it and haven't belittled me, yet.

Richard

>We are going back to our corner now, I'll leave you with this thought: What
>nasty turn might have Clint Eastwood's career taken if it hadn't been for
>the Ocarina, an instrument that is more then a whistle and less than two
>octaves?

Since Sandi and Richard are new to the list, they may not know
that our Good, Kind, often Wicked, Extreemely (this is getting out of
hand!!! <GGG) Uncle Adrian who played that little Ocarina lick that
turned Clint Eastwood's career around.

Cheers!
Papa Smurf

As someone who would love to play ocharina, I appreciate your contribution
to the list! Please come out of your corner more often!

Nancy

I promise I won't say anything to make you sorry for saying that, thank
you...

Richard,

Lost deeper than ever in Ocarina Bliss

I want to know who else didn't know this, or conversely, who knew this??!!???

Sandi and I did not know this, but asked the proper question (who on the Flutenet list played the Ocarina in for Clint Eastwood.......?) we could've guessed.

Our bows to you Uncle Adrian!! We are so honored.

My deepest bows, Really. Go To The Head Of My List Of Ocarina (and Clint's) Saviors, Uncle Adrian.

From: Richard, who is signing off to go add a name to an essay

Grace

Trefor and everyone whose names I forget...so it was our Adrian who played the refrain in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!:^)..or was that ocarina music in Hang 'Em High???:^) ..I remember at university seeing 4 Clint Eastwood movies at an all night drive in and they remain a bit of a blurr (who was watching the movie anyway?:^)...anyway...another claim to fame for our Extreemly wicked, sometimes kind, endlessly infamous and always musical Adrian.

Along with the resident chamber orchestra and pianist I'd like to put in my order for a classical guitarist and a chorus back up band....while you're at it, of course....Hmmm, what a great idea!! Wonderful fantasy! I just called my mother up this morning and told her she has to buy a piano but it fell on dead ears...one can only try.

Oh, yes, for the newbies....our resident psychiatrist is IN this weekend if you are feeling a little left out or have recurring chronic psychoses that are interfering with your practice sessions...Dr. Firegossup has a degree from all the major Montessori graduate schools in North America and
anyway, as long as you have a flute as payment, she'll treat you with kindness. Also, she could use the business...

Have a good weekend,

Calla

Welcome to all the newcomers since I had to be gone for awhile,  there seem to be a lot of names floating around I don't remember!

Regarding all this Ocarina talk, I do own one (although I don't  suppose it's a "real" one, seeing as I bought it in 8th grade at a  children's book/science store) I do love the sound of it though! I only have a small collection of flutes, two regular concert flutes (a cheap Gemeinhardt and also a Miyazawa that I spent my life savings on) and my Ocarina, and a tin whistle that I bought in Colonial Williamsburg. I've yet to master the last two, playing only a few songs on each, but I do enjoy them and they're handy to stick in my backpack and pull them out when I'm stuck somewhere and bored and just doodle around with them and hope for people to throw money <G My dream is to add an alto to the collection. I know many people here
are in love with the bass, but an alto is more my style (sorry guys. Also I have a pet turtle that I love as much as my two cats). As soon as I'm out in the world and have a career going and some money in the bank I'm going to spend it all for a nice alto. Ever since I heard a certain Sessame Street song (I'd Like To Live On The Moon, sung by Ernie) I've been dreaming of playing on some day.

Grace, an Ocarina to quiet kids? How perfectly wonderful! You sound like a great teacher! In fact, your reminding me more and more of my kindergarten teacher, Mrs Arens, every day! =) I wear my ocarina sometimes too in school, and when I'm stuck for something to do in pottery class I'll play a bit (my teacher listens to National Public Radio, so although the kids at school don't really go for my kind of music they like it better than the mid-day speeches they have on at that time!)

Rebecca
"Gather ye rosebuds while ye' may
Old time is still a-flying
and this same flower that smiles today
Tomorrow will be dying."

Richard and Sandi,

Other more pressing considerations, like having to fight for GBP14million owed to British musicians has prevented me dealing with the more important business of the ocarina<<<GG.

I have played the ocarina on many films and TV scores and countless jingles....you may recall the GBATU theme was used by Marlboro cigs after the spaghetti westerns, much to the annoyance of Ennio Morricone, its composer.

I also played the solo tin-whistle on "Secret of NIMH",  which was a cartoon film. My most famous recording was the complete voice for the character of "BUBO"--the mechanical owl--in "Clash of the Titans". (For non-Greek speakers on the list "bubo" is Greek for owl.....when I went to school we were taught classics!!!).

I did not record the first Clint Eastwood film score as I believe it was recorded in Rome. Later we recorded the music at Olympic Studios in London and I used a normal C ocarina and played the famous theme plus the famous "fall" at the end of the phrase which was MY interpretation.  I used the A to the open D. This was doubled with a tenor recorder played by my late friend Chris Taylor.

I recall the day showing up to CTS studios in Wembley and there being a very lonely seat in front of the National Philharmonic Orchestra, for whom I played for nearly 20 years and who were London's sole studio recording orchestra. All the members were of course my mates. I asked Dick Lewzey, the recording engineer where I was to sit and he said on the solo seat!! Well I had been asked to bring a large bag of "toys"- a fairly common request in my busy studio days.Henry Mancini, with whom I worked on some 20 odd movie scores including all the Pink Panther scores came into the studio and said " Good morning gentlemen---and good morning Adrian!" Needless to say the orchestra all laughed, not as Hank was suggesting I was not a gentlemen. He then handed me a part marked "Solo Ocarina" which I quickly perused and I grabbed a suitably pitched instrument from my bag. There was some momentary engineering glitch and a slight pause during which Hank must have seen the absurdity of me, a Solo Ocarina in front of a Symphony Orchestra consisting of the finest players from all  the major orchestras in London! A wry smile came across his face as he turned to me and said amidst total silence from the band,

                "Get much work on that thing do you?"

Instant collapse of a 100 piece orchestra.!!

Memories.

Adrian