Prokofiev with a Beat

Judging by the number of views of his YouTube videos, just about everyone knows about beatboxing flutist Greg Pattillo by now. In case you were in the dark as I was, he is a classically trained flutist (M.M., Cleveland Institute of Music) with jazz and pop leanings. Mrs. Ionarts, who plays and teaches flute, passed along his name from one of her students (you know, the kids these days and the YouTube). He lives in Brooklyn now and is one of the officially sanctioned performers in the New York subway system. The best of his YouTube videos is this adaptation of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, which begins with Pattillo displaying his chops on the solo of the Bird and then moves into his signature beatboxing style. His takes on the music of American popular culture -- the themes from Inspector Gadget and Super Mario Bros., which have gotten the most hits on YouTube -- interest me less, but there you go.