- Made in France, circa early 1970s
- Silver-plated mallechort
- 0.014″ tubing
- Soldered tone holes
- Open Hole
- Pointed keys
- Inline G
- C-foot
- Embouchure: 10.5 mm x 12.3 mm
- 385 g
- Sounding length: 598 mm
- Traditional scale
- A=440-442 Hz
Jacques Lefèvre, the creator of the Jack Leff flute, was the son of the last master technician at the Louis Lot company before SML (Strasser-Marigaux-Lemaire) resumed ownership in 1951. Jacques apprenticed under his father and worked for SML. In the 1960s, he left SML to make his own flutes, marketed as Jack Leff. He partnered with a friend, André Jardé, who owned an oboe workshop. André allowed Jacques to make flutes at the shop. In return, Jack would sell some of his flutes under the Jardé name. All flutes coming out of the Jardé workshop would all be made by Jacques, regardless of whether they bore the name Jack Leff or André Jardé. (We suspect Jacques kept the serial number sequential as he produced his flutes and later added the respective brand name.)
Jack designed his flute in the great tradition of master French flute makers, notably Louis Lot. The aesthetics of this flute is undeniably Lot-inspired. (Note the C-touch key, Bb shake, G# touch, and gentle corners on the embouchure.)
The sound is classically French – sweet and elegant. Its tonal colors are consistent throughout the entire range of this flute.
Some devotees of Jack Leff regard him as the “French Albert Cooper.” Despite its vintage design and sound, the scale is modern and incredibly stable among all registers. When playing the low register, you’ll find it easy to play in tune, starting with notes in the left hand and going down to the right hand. C1 is in tune with C2 with only minimal adjustments. C# in the second and third registers are also in tune with the surrounding notes. Overall, the intonation is remarkable. The flute also plays equally well at 440 Hz and 442 Hz with the proper headjoint placement.
The pads are in very good shape, and the flute plays well in its current condition. The plating on the lip plate shows some wear, but there is no pitting or wear on the mechanism or tubing. The flute comes with a wooden case (non-original).
Price: $2,000
Sold as is. Sales tax applies to purchases within California. For inquiries on purchasing, please contact Gary Lewis.
