Photo Courtsey of Diane Redhouse Photos By Di Di
Having been a serious woodwind player from a very early age Vince first thought about
the obvious limitations of the Native Flute but fell in love with it's sound and the connection it had to his Native culture. There came "dark nights of the soul", times when it felt like the world was crashing about his life and Vince late at night would play just one note on the Native Flute and hold it. "I felt the sound that others have been moved by and I began to play myself to sleep. It brought something to me that no other instrument could. It was because of this that I chose to play the Native Flute or should I say it chose me?"
Being classically trained taught him the discipline of study, which he would need in order to create a chromatic fingering system. "I've incorporated all the fingering systems I've known from the open hole silver flute, clarinet and the tenor sax on which I had to create and instantly memorize fingerings for the altissimo register (which enables me to play three and a half octaves in every key on the tenor sax). Also my extensive jazz backround helps me improvise and play off the page and in the moment just as I would on any other woodwind instrument that I play".
"I've been asked why I play music like
"Claire de Lune" by Debussy or Pat
Methany's "The Road To You" on the
Native Flute? To me it's fairly simple.
I want to play the most beautiful music
ever written or played on what I consider
the most beautiful sounding instrument.
Also my unique upbringing as an Urban
Indian that was exposed to great music
and training all through my life makes
this my gift to others."
Vince also hopes that because of the significance of the Native Flute to its people
that his playing of this instrument as he does will makes American Indians more
visible in this 21st century. "We have a spirtual connection to this land that is very
unique and a spirituality that was vital to those who lived on this land then and now."
Photo by John Ritter
