Although country and rock music are among Plant City’s most popular genres, there is one group of musicians who play to the beat of a different drum. These musicians consider one another as close as family, and they gather to play and listen to the sounds of soothing Native American-style flute music at Bruton Memorial Library each month.
Utah Farris lives in Lake Wales but comes to Plant City to join the other flutists. He also gives lessons in Plant City, with no charge to his students.
“When somebody just wants to learn, I’m always happy to help them,” he said.
But, compared with the age of the ancient art of Native-American music, Farris is relatively new to the trade. He was walking through a flea market one day in 2001, when he came across a vendor selling bamboo flutes.
“I bought a flute, and I’d never played one before, and I thought it sounded terrible,” Farris said.
The sound he made with the flute was not the flowing, airy tone he heard in his head. Farris bought a more expensive flute. But, he could not make beautiful sounds with this one, either. He thought it was the fault of the instruments’ construction, so he obtained instruction guides and set out to teach himself how to make flutes.
Even that first flute created by Farris, an experienced wood carver, did not sound any bette. But, when Farris took the flutes to the only flute player he knew and asked for guidance, he discovered that the beautiful sound he craved could be produced with skilled technique.
Farris will play a half-hour set with Joyce Bagaskai Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Silverhawk Native American Flute Gathering. The two-day event at Withlacoochee River Park in Dade City, organized by Plant City flutist Dock Green Silverhawk, will feature performances by Native-American flute players and more.
“I’ve given people who are really talented but never had the opportunity to perform, a chance to perform,” Silverhawk said. “These people are not professionals, but they’re mighty good flute players.”
There also will be vendors selling food and traditional crafts, and workshops on various topics such as technical flute skill and how to adapt Western music for the Native-American flute. Farris will teach a workshop on river-cane flutes. The park offers hiking, camping and an 1800s-themed settlement to explore.
SACRED FRIENDSHIPS
Farris met Silverhawk at a flute gathering in Fort Walton Beach years ago.
“He was a judge in a flute-making contest, and I didn’t win, so I went over to pick on him,” Farris said.
But, the acquaintance turned into a friendship. Now, Silverhawk refers to to Farris as his “right arm.”
Silverhawk and Farris lead the monthly flute circle at Bruton Memorial Library each first Tuesday of the month. Some attendees are Plant City natives, but others come from as far as Leesburg and St. Petersburg.
One at a time, players step up to the mic to share a piece music while everyone else listens. Each player at the circle owns the flute that he or she plays, and many of them were Utah’s creations. Farris’ flutes feature various types of wood, animal carvings and sizes. He has sold them for as little as $75, and as much as more than $1,000.
“I do a lot of really fancy stuff, and those take a good bit of time,” Farris said. “But, just a standard common flute, I could probably average making one in a day if I work at it all day long.”
At one flute circle, Farris presented a student with a flute he had custom-made for her, with holes smaller than the standard, to fit her small fingers. He declared her “Most Improved Flute Player of the Year.”
This student was Betty Jones, a Plant City artist who makes unique, imaginative hats.
In return, Jones made a top hat with a feathered band and depictions of the Native-American flute on one side. She presented it to Farris at the flute circle Oct. 7. Jones rarely gives her hats away. This hat is for display only, but she also plans to embellish one of the top hats he frequently wears.
IF YOU GO
Silverhawk Native American Flute Gathering
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19
WHERE: Withlacoochee River Park, 12449 With-lacoochee Blvd., Dade City
COST: $2 parking fee per vehicle. Additional fees for camping.
CONTACT: Dock Green Silverhawk, (813) 763-2118
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.