"Blue Moon Wolf"
When Ed Hrebec at Spirit of the Woods sent me this flute he emailed shortly afterwards and asked how I liked it. I said, "I'm in LOVE". This particular flute has a wonderful deep warm tone. And the LIGHTER you blow, the better it sounds. To me the sound even characterizes the blue azurite inlaid wolf paw and the scrolled wolf head fetish. For it's size, and being made of mahogany, it is amazingly light and comfortable to play. The hole pattern, which is adjusted for the ergonomics of playing the flute sideways takes a little getting used to. It's not uncomfortable, just different. As I said on one of the other flutes, some flutes look ordinary and play incredibly while others look like pieces of art but play like a paper towel tube. Ed's flutes definitely hit hi marks on both aesthetics and playability. And the fact that he offers so many choices of fetish designs, inlay designs, flute types, woods, and custom features right on his website, you can't help but get the perfect flute for yourself.
"Dark Hawk"
This flute from Laughing Crow (now in Taos, New Mexico) is stunning both in appearance and playability. Most flutes, no matter how high the quality, have inherent strengths and weaknesses. Some play well but are not aesthetically pleasing while others look like works of art and play like a paper towel tube. This flute has an amazing tone because it's made from African wenge (wen-gay) wood. It is one of the most comfortable playing flutes both in fingering and breath and the workmanship is superb. This flute was used exclusively on the "WhisperLight volume 4 - Kokyo" meditation/quiet time CD and became a 2007 Native American Music Awards (Nammys) nominee.
"Owl Moon"
Another beautiful and wonderfully playable flute by Laughing Crow. I love the offset mouthpiece so I can slide forward and grab the drone note only when I want it. Being able to go on and off the drone note makes for some very creative playing.
"Fire Eagle"
Named "Fire Hawk", after the Hawaiian goddess, is from Odell Borg at High Spirits. Odell's flutes are very well-known and they are as great sounding as they are ruggedly made. This flute is made of birch. I have a walnut bass flute listed below that is also from Odell.
"Kauaii"
This flute is Ecuadorian in style (hence the fetish that looks Mayan/Aztec) and was made by Jose' Cabezas at AncientWinds.com. This particular flute has a very nice "breathy" quality to it. I met Jose while he was playing at the Benicia Farmer's Market in California. He not only makes this type of flute but also handcrafted "pan" style flutes and a variety of percussion instruments. This flute was used in "Cassandra Wind Spirit" off of my "Spirit of the Village Stone" CD. It will also be featured in my new upcoming meditation CD "WhisperingLight volume 6 - Kauaii".
"Eagle Bone"
This Eagle Bone flute is also from Song Bird Ocarinas. Since eagles are endangered, the flutes are made out of ceramic. It has a joyful bird-like quality to it. I am actually using it in a game of "mimmic" with the mocking birds at my house. Lots of fun!
"Eagle Spirit"
This eagle flute is certified Navajo made Jonah Thompson and I recently picked it up in Sedona, Arizone. It has a very nice warm tone that I didn't expect from a flute of that pitch and size. The rough carving of the eagle is also superb as it looks less "produced". This flute is also highly expressive in it's playability. Laughing Crow also sells this model along with six other totem selections through his website.
"Sleeping Bear"
This bass flute I named "Sleeping Bear" is also from Odell Borg at High Spirits. The tone on this flute is so deep and rich that it feels like it's going right through you. It's called a "Condor" flute and it is played in the song "Dreams of a Sleeping Bear" off of my "Spirit of the Village Stone" CD.