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Take Five With Cheryl Pyle

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By AAJ Staff
October 2, 2013
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Meet Cheryl Pyle:

The versatile flutist Cheryl Pyle received her BA in Music from the University of California at Berkeley in 1976, having received her Associates Degree from Mesa College in 1974. Her teachers included Merrill Jordan, Janet Maestre, Francis Watson, and Jayn Rosenfeld. She took Master classes with

Jean-Pierre Rampal

" data-original-title="" title="">Jean-Pierre Rampal, Julius Baker, and

James Newton

flute
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">James Newton. She possesses an extensive classical solo repertoire and was a member of the school's orchestra whilst at Berkeley.

From 1975 to 1976 she served as musical director of the Berkeley Shakespeare Festival, and she has performed in orchestras for over half a dozen musical theater productions. From 1977 to 1980 she was on the faculty at Berkeley as a flute teacher in the jazz department and taught at the Manchester Music Festival in Vermont from 1993 to 1996. While at Berkeley, Ms. Pyle was the principal flutist in the University Jazz Ensemble. This group appeared at the Pacific Coast Jazz Festival where they played with major artists like

Sonny Rollins

saxophone
b.1930

" data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Rollins,

George Duke

piano
1946 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">George Duke,

Freddie Hubbard

trumpet
1938 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Freddie Hubbard,

Hubert Laws

woodwinds
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Hubert Laws, and

Joe Henderson

saxophone
1937 - 2001

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Henderson. They also performed at the 1976 Concord Jazz Festival.

After graduation, she performed extensively in the San Francisco area, where she was a performing member of the Loft Jazz Association. She played with many notable Bay area musicians, including Bishop Norman Williams, Susan Muscarella, Bruce Forman, and

Jessica Williams

piano
1948 - 2022

" data-original-title="" title="">Jessica Williams.

Since moving to New York in the fall of 1980, Ms. Pyle has been heard in a variety of settings. She has appeared at jazz clubs such as the Blue Note, Jazz Forum, Seventh Avenue South, Angry Squire, Kave Haz, The Garage, Cornelia Street Cafe, CBGB's Art Gallery, St. Peter's Church, Amazonas, Fat Baby's, Bar on A, Abc no Rio, Brecht Forum, Sycamore, Zirzamin, Frost Gallery, and Birdland. She was also heard at the Annual Women's Jazz Festival as well as the Mount Vernon Jazz Festival in New York. She is a member of the World Flute Orchestra and NY Jazz Flutet. Her jazz composition, "Dalle Alle," was awarded in 1989 by the Billboard Song Contest, and her lyrics have received numerous poetry awards like the Gold Poet Award in 1989 and 1990. Singers like

Janis Siegel

vocals
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Janis Siegel,

Roseanna Vitro

vocals
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Roseanna Vitro,

Jeri Brown

vocals
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Jeri Brown,

Judi Silvano

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Judi Silvano,

Gloria Cooper

" data-original-title="" title="">Gloria Cooper, and

Sheila Jordan

vocals
1928 - 2025

" data-original-title="" title="">Sheila Jordan have all recorded her lyrics. Her lyrics have been recorded on Atlantic, Justin Time, Muse, and Concord records. She has performed her solo flute compositions at Kitty Brazelton's Real Music Festival in 1993 and continues to compose works for jazz flute. In 1996, she performed in the opera premier of The Other Wiseman by Stephanie de Kennessey with the Golden Fleece Opera Company in New York. Her first classical recording was the Frostiana song cycle with composer, Randall Thompson conducting and Pyle as flute soloist.

Pyle has performed and played with such fine musicians as

Joe Lovano

drums
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Lovano,

Andy LaVerne

piano
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Andy LaVerne,

Fred Hersch

piano
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Fred Hersch,

Tom Harrell

trumpet
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Harrell,

Mark Soskin

piano
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Soskin,

Billy Bang

violin
1947 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Bang,

Danilo Pérez

piano
b.1966

" data-original-title="" title="">Danilo P��rez,

Mike Holober

piano
b.1957

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Holober,

Nick Gianni

saxophone, baritone

" data-original-title="" title="">Nick Gianni, David Phelps,

Chuck Loeb

guitar
1955 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">Chuck Loeb, Mark Cohen,

Steve LaSpina

bass
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Steve LaSpina,

Michael Cochrane

piano
b.1948

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Cochrane,

Ron McClure

bass
b.1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Ron McClure,

Billy Hart

drums
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Billy Hart,

Ben Monder

guitar
b.1962

" data-original-title="" title="">Ben Monder,

Sergio Brandao

bass, electric

" data-original-title="" title="">Sergio Brandao, Max Ridgway, Randall Colbourne,

Adam Nussbaum

drums
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Adam Nussbaum,

Duduka Da Fonseca

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Duduka Da Fonseca,

Charlie Haden

bass, acoustic
1937 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Haden,

Arthur Kell

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Arthur Kell,

Lucy Galliher

piano
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Lucy Galliher,

Bele Beledo

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Bele Beledo,

Premik Russell Tubbs

saxophone
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Premik Russell Tubbs, Frank Burrows,

Neil Nail Alexander

keyboards
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Neil Nail Alexander,

Danny Gottlieb

drums
b.1953

" data-original-title="" title="">Danny Gottlieb,

James Williams

piano
1951 - 2004

" data-original-title="" title="">James Williams,

John Abercrombie

guitar
1944 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">John Abercrombie,

Paul Motian

drums
1931 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Motian,

Peter Washington

bass
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Washington, Joop Wolters,

Stephan Crump

bass, acoustic
b.1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Stephan Crump, Rez Abassi, Stomu Takeshi, Newman Taylor Baker,Nick Gianni,

Daniel Carter

saxophone
b.1996

" data-original-title="" title="">Daniel Carter,

Gerry Gibbs

drums
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Gerry Gibbs,

Max Johnson

bass
b.1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Max Johnson, Atma Anur, and others

She has recorded on Contemporary and Chesky Records with Tom Harrell, Joe Lovano, Danilo Perez, Charlie Haden, and Paul Motian.

Instrument(s):

Flute.

Teachers and/or influences?

Every kind of great music that moves and reaches the heart.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...

I heard

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis' Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970), Freddie Hubbard's Red Clay (Epic, 1970),

Wayne Shorter

saxophone
1933 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Wayne Shorter's Schizophrenia (Blue Note, 1967), and

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker's Charlie Parker With Strings (1950, Mercury).

Your sound and approach to music:

Freedom within a structure—kind of incorporating all elements and knowledge then forgetting about it to improvise and play music.

Your teaching approach:

Built on fundamentals. Practice everyday, play music that moves your heart, learn from musicians that you like, listen a lot, stay open, and work hard.

Your dream band:

I have put together some of my dream bands and I feel very luck to play music with so many amazing musicians. My first New York gig was with Fred Hersch, Ron McClure and Billy Hart. I played on a sextet that included Tom Harrell, Carmen Cuesta, Andy Laverne, Steve LaSpina, and Danny Gottlieb. I've also played in a wonderful flute trio with pianist Robert Piket and percussionist Newman Taylor Baker.

Road story: Your best or worst experience:

Once at Cornelia Street, my flute B-flat key froze and died. So I went to the kitchen for olive oil and fixed it to play the rest of my gig.

Favorite venue:

My favorite place to play when I first moved to New York was this club called Jazz Forum on Broadway and Detour on 13th Street. There were lots of musicians listening and a really great vibe in both clubs. Recently, the long running ABC NO RIO free-jazz Sunday gigs have had some wonderful free music and many of my birthday gigs are spent playing on the Lower East Side.

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?

Surreal (11th Street, 2010) is a favorite for me. It was ecorded right before the skin cancer surgery to my lip in June 2010. Inside Dialogue (11th Street, 2011), recorded right after my surgery—with stitches in my lip—is a definite highlight for me and I feel so grateful to still be able to play flute. It's hard to choose, but the international CDs, Wonderful Times (Dewey, 2012) and Flow (Intrinsic, 2012) were amazing for me to record with so many great musicians from all over the world.

The first Jazz album I bought was:

Herbie Hancock

piano
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Herbie Hancock, The Prisoner (Blue Note, 1969) or Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (Columbia, 1959)—I can't remember.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?

Freedom, melody, more flute compositions, and building on the flute legacy from

Eric Dolphy

woodwinds
1928 - 1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Dolphy,

Sam Most

flute
1930 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Sam Most,

Joe Farrell

saxophone
1937 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Farrell,

Hubert Laws

woodwinds
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Hubert Laws, and other great flutists in jazz.

Did you know...

I started playing flute when I was 19.

CDs you are listening to now:

Everyday its different, but mostly Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard,

Woody Shaw

trumpet
1944 - 1989

" data-original-title="" title="">Woody Shaw, Eric Dolphy, Chick Corea, Charlie Parker,

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie, and

Bill Evans

piano
1929 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Evans.

Desert Island picks:

Weather Report

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Weather Report, Heavy Weather (Columbia, 1977)

Wayne Shorter, Speak no Evil (Blue Note, 1965)

Horace Silver

piano
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Silver, Cape Verdean Blues (Blue Note, 1965)

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman, Change of the Century (Altantic, 1960)
Miles Davis, Jack Johnson (Columbia, 1971).

How would you describe the state of jazz today?

Music is in our hearts. I try to play and compose as much music as I can. There are many great musicians who are trying to do the same.

What are some of the essential requirements to keep jazz alive and growing?

Play, compose, jam, think, feel, wonder, appreciate, collaborate, include, introduce, peace, love, and music.

What is in the near future?

A new record from Dewey Records called Post Fiction and several other CD projects.

What's your greatest fear when you perform?

No fear. Just play music.

By Day:

Anything part time to keep playing music and pay bills; some more paying gigs would certainly help us all.

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:

Poet and writer.

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