Contra-alto flute repertoire for bass flute and contrabass flute see: Peter van Munster, "Repertoire Catalogue for Piccolo, Alto Flute and Bass Flute", Roma: Riverberi Sonori, 2004. More and more flute ensemble repertoire is incorporating the contra-alto flute. Typically, it is doubled with the contrabass (and/or bass) flutes, however, in recent years, composers and arrangers such as Alexandra Molnar-Suhajda and Judy Nishimura have been pushing the boundaries of lowness by writing independent parts for the instrument. Contra-alto flute The contra alto flute is in the key of G (or sometimes F), pitched one octave below the alto flute - which is a fourth
Jazz flute call for it. The timbre and the limited dynamic range of the instrument and its associations with classical music caused it to be perceived as unsuitable to big band ensembles and unable to swing convincingly. Before the use of amplification became common practice in the 1930s, jazz flute players were restricted to the upper range of the instrument to be audible. Among the earliest jazz flute recordings is "Shootin' the Pistol," performed by the Cuban clarinettist and bandleader Alberto Socarras with the Clarence Williams band in 1927. The first jazzman to make extensive use of the flute was Wayman Carver,