Album Notes

This disc by a trio of Torontonians defies any category, yet is so well done that anyone open to a different kind of listening experience should give it a spin. Combining recorder, flute (both played with gossamer fluidity by Alison Melville), hurdy-gurdy (Ben Grossman) and spoken voice (Kathleen Kajioka) in various permutations, the 16 tracks work like a multi-layered narrative. Each twist and turn brings a fresh surprise. This programme, collected under the loose theme of birds and birdsong, ranges from a simple Scottish folk tune to fascinating improvised sounds from Melville and Grossman. There is a haunting new piece by Linda Catlin Smith and fragments of chant by Hildegard of Bingen. There is Japanese haiku as well as Lorna Crozier's poem "If Bach Were a Bird." Turn off the lights and the phone, give yourself 52 minutes, and prepare to be enchanted.
(John Terauds, Toronto Star, September 2009)