Flute extraordinaire JJim Walker and his band Free Flight blew Johnny Carson's mind on the Tonight Show back in 1982 with their melding of jazz and classical.
Walker has had a stellar career playing his beloved instrument, but was also a world class educator who retired a few years ago as a professor of practice in USC Thornton’s Winds and Percussion department.
Two years in a row, he received the Most Valuable Player Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Academy itself famous for its GRAMMY Awards. The National Flute Association, which awarded Walker the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award, calls him “a living legend.”
Free Flight performed two selections for Carson on this Youtube. The first was a blistering rendition of Bach's Groove (Badinerie From Orchestral Suite #12.)
They came back later and played Blue Rondo A La Turk.
I was incredibly fortunate to have studied with Jim Walker in the early 2000's and he proved to be as good a teacher as he is as a performer. Mr. Walker was an inspirational figure in my life. He encouraged me to put together a solo band featuring flute months before I received the call to play shows with Duran Duran via my friend John Taylor.
As a person dedicated to helping others in the field of music, Jim takes a backseat to no one.
