CD Review

Local CD is up for a Grammy

Woodnotes Wyld

Dunn County News
by Deb Anderson
Sunday, January 16, 2011

In just a few weeks, a locally-produced CD, Woodnotes Wyld, will find itself amidst other nominees for a Grammy.

While Woodnotes Wyld (on the INAFA Productions label) is a joint effort, it is also a private ethnomusicoogical field recording created by Peter Phippen. The CD is nominated in the Best Native American Music Album category.

"I am honored and humbled by the nomination," says Phippen, who performs the Native American flute music, but has primarily German heritage.

Opting away from the red carpet, he said he will not be attending the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 13. But he is grateful that, according to Robert Doyle, president of Canyon Records, from now on he will be able to add "Grammy nominee" to his resume and album credits. (Phippen's album Shadows of Dawn was recorded through Canyon Records.)

Phippen says that the kudos for Woodnotes Wyld belong to many. He says it was a collaborative effort and credit goes to more than one.

"This is as much a human interest story as it is about the recording and the Grammy nomination," said Phippen. "It involved INAFA [International Native American Flute Association], my late flute teacher Dr. Richard W. Payne, Ivar Lunde Jr., and then lastly me."

Phippen, a well-known flutist from Eau Claire, performed and recorded the music in 2002. He played flutes from the collection of the late Dr. Richard W. Payne, his mentor and friend, whose flute room was used for the recording.

About Dr. Richard W. Payne

Payne was not only a physician, but a scholar and author devoted to cultures and world flutes. Phippen says Payne was the leading authority on the wood flute, adding, "Doc kept the flute alive."

Payne and Phippen were considered "kindred spirits fascinated by the flute sounds of the world," according to the INAFA website.

And according to the Peter Phippen website, Payne had high regard for his student saying, "Peter is a real phenomenon! He has shown a real talent with early Native American aerophones." The INAFA website states, "Dr. Payne's spirit and joy is still felt within the Native American flute community. His dedication and scholarship are gifts that will endure for generations."

Of Woodnotes Wyld Phippen says, "Originally, this recording was done for my personal use only (to learn about the antique instruments I recorded that belonged to my late teacher), until the INAFA wanted to release the work."

The INAFA website states its intent was to "maintain the integrity of Phippen's field recording, opting for a true, honest realization of the flute voices rather than trying to bend them to the Western, commercial ear."

About Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl and lNAFA

Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl, executive director of INAFA, recalls: "One evening, with Dr. Payne's blessing, Peter started picking flutes off of Payne's wall of instruments and recorded improvisations with these old prolific flutes. Woodnotes Wyld comprises those improvisations that Peter did that night, later engineered and mastered by Ivar Lunde, Jr. of Skyline Studios in Eau Claire."

Joyce-Grendahl, who holds a doctorate degree in classical flute performance, has also studied Native American flute, which became her life's work. She specializes in several instruments and is an author, scholar, and teacher. She has lectured and performed all over the world. She has also been a film consultant for her area of expertise with regard to Native American music, culture and flutes or for flute-playing skills. In the past, she sat on the screening committee for the Grammy Awards category for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) - Best Native American Music Album. She is also an advisory board member for the Native American Music Awards - the Nammys.

She commented further about the mentor and his student: "With his interest and research about the Native American flute, Dr. Payne played an integral role in bringing back the flute tradition, which had declined over the years within the Native American community. Peter wanted to have the flutes heard by everyone, since both Dr. Payne and his flute collection are so culturally and musically important.

"Peter and I talked about the project and decided to release the music off of the INAFA Productions label as part of our Historic Flute Series."

About Peter Phippen

Now an accomplished musician - a world flute specialist/recording artist/producer - Phippen has a collection of antique and contemporary flutes that inspired him to do research about their history and the techniques for playing them. It all started with a friend's gift of an Indian bansuri flute in 1987. Research and flute acquisitions followed.

Hailing from Potsdam, N.Y., Phippen resides in Eau Claire with his wife, Julie. He met his wife in Eau Claire, when a band from Shreveport, LA., that he was doing a three-year U.S. tour with, had a stop in Eau Claire. That was 1979, and Phippen who still plays rock bass guitar occasionally, performs at various gigs in the area. The couple have two grown children: Nicky, who is a social director in Madison, and Joshua, who is a music minister in Rochester, N.Y.

Phippen is a concert performer and educator. He has lectured and conducted workshops, artist residencies and assembly programs across the U.S. His website refers to his presentations as "an enchanting mix of the very old and very new in music." His music has been aired worldwide on radio as well as TV.

Phippen has released several solo CDs of his own original music for Canyon Records. He has also released several instrumental albums for Promotion Music Records and contributed to compilations and other CDs.

Phippen is an advisory board member of INAFA, as was Dr. Payne. Phippen gave the music, publishing rights and all royalties to the INAFA to help further its mission and goals.

Joyce-Grendahl said,"Peter received no compensation for his profound flute improvisations on Woodnotes Wyld, nor for producing the CD. Peter is truly a gifted and kindhearted person."

For more about Phippen, visit www.peterphippen.com.

About Ivar Lunde, Jr.

Lunde, who co-produced Woodnotes Wyld with Phippen at Skyline Studios in Eau Claire, agrees with Joyce-Grendahl adding, "When I finishedprocessing the raw material, I said to Peter that this was perhaps the best CD of his that I had heard. It was free and spontaneous - certainly inspired by his teacher and the situation. I still think it is his best work to date."

Phippen credits Lunde with having "ears of gold." And with great appreciation for his recording studio expertise, Phippen added, "He has amazing ideas on how to take things out of the norm. I'm very lucky he likes to work with me."

Lunde, a native of Norway, was the principal oboist for the Norwegian National Opera before making his way to Eau Claire. He taught music at UW-EC for 30 years and recently retired. Currently, he is musical director and conductor of the Eau Claire Chamber Orchestra. Skyline Studios is located at Skyline Drive, Eau Claire. The studio publishes music and special topic interests. It is a member of ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers).

For more about Skyline Studios, visit www.skylinestudio.com.

INFO BOX:
About Woodnotes Wyld
Woodnotes Wyld: Historic Flute Sounds from the Dr. Richard W. Payne
Collection (the first CD in the INAFA Historic Flute Series)
Executive producer: Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl
Producers: Peter Phippen and Ivar Lunde, Jr.
Engineer and mastered by: Ivar Lunde, Jr.
Label: INAFA Productions
Recorded at: Skyline Studios, Eau Claire
Liner notes: Dr. Kathleen Joyce-Grendahl
Cover photograph: Dr. Richard W. Payne.

Woodnotes Wyld is available for $15 (free U.S. shipping) at
www.inafa.org. All proceeds benefit the INAFA mission and its goals.

INAFA is "a musical and education-based organization whose goal is to foster the advancement, appreciation, preservation and understanding of the Native American flute, as well as other world flute traditions."

For more about INAFA, visit www.inafa.org.