Birds of Australia

This recording is inspired by the natural sounds of Australia, especially its wonderful birds. The musicians perform in duos, playing off samples taken from Bird Calls from Australia, a 1975 LP of field recordings by Newton Hobbs. The field recordings add an imaginative/reflective component, asking performers and listeners to consider the nature of improvised music within the broader context of the forms of non-verbal communication that characterize both human and non-human life. The project also explores musical collaboration with unusual instrumentation - recorder, cello, drum kit and percussion. This instrumental context prompts a rethinking of the timbral and dynamic possibilities of the individual instruments.