Deadsplinter Up! All Night: Flute For President

28/4/20 Jonee 20

Mario Battaini was an Italian musician, composer, arranger, and producer who apparently hated the limelight. He could play just about anything and recorded a pretty sprawling body of work over five decades starting in the 1950’s. He used at least 8 pseudonyms when he recorded and played live infrequently. He was known as Anoub and Lumni (as a composer), Alleroif (as lyricist), Batman (for his accordion swing albums), Beppe Miliardo, The Duke of Burlington (funky instrumentals), Gigi Botto (his most famous pseudonym), and Early Freeman und sein Orchester (used for the German market). What a weirdo. His biggest hit was Flash, a cover of the instrumental track by Kinks manager Robert Wace and producer Mike Leander who called themselves The Marquis of Kensington. I guess Battaini liked that naming convention because this is where his Duke of Burlington alter ego began. “The Duke” played every instrument on his albums making them showcases for Battaini’s talents. This is one of my favorite Duke tracks. I’d take a flute as president at this point. Any instrument in the orchestra, really. Even a glockenspiel.

The Duke of Burlington – Flute For President

Thank you for your continued support of Deadsplinter!

avataravataravataravataravataravataravatar

20 Comments

  1. Here’s some old school Tull with a flute solo.

  2. You don’t often hear flute this sweet in a funk band! Breakestra – Burgundy Blues

    • and we have come full circle on this Metal Wednesday Steel (Tuesday edition). Heavy Metal Polka!

  7. Let’s Impeach The President by Neil Young:

  8. I know everyone thinks of The Exorsist when they hear this, but it has merit outside of that, right? When you said glockenspeil it’s what I instantly thought of, though upon further reflection I don’t KNOW that there’s a glockenspeil in here. I guess there’s a flute, though, so WIN!!
    Anyway, as an aside, I would just like to say that I would deeply prefer a big kettle drum as president, if we get to choose what instrument we’d like at the helm.
    I got a song to appear here, and then when I went to edit my comment in celebration, it dissappeared!! I have no idea what’s going on, but I guess I’ll try again and maybe it will show up? Maybe not?

  12. Donald Trump – America’s African President [10/3/15]:

    Presidential hopeful Donald Trump may not seem like commander-in-chief material to Americans, but in certain African countries, he fits the bill.

Leave a Reply