For the Birds [LP]

Patrick Lysaght - For the Birds [LP]

Edition of 250 copies, embossed cover. 1984. Inside the Rainforest Birdhouse at the Rio Grande Zoo, Patrick Lysaght played flute, strings, and percussion among 150 birds of 42 species. Not recording them. Playing with them. For 18 months the scientist (and artist) has been playing music (flute, strings and percussion) in the Rainforest Birdhouse at the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque. This interactive environment, populated by 150 birds representing 42 species, has provided more than an interesting background for music; rather, the birds have contributed to the resulting compositions on an equal level with the musician. Complex clouds of point notes build to a rich density, as mutual interspecies stimulation assumes a path based on the excitement of chance and the probability of experience. The material on this record has been selected with emphasis on bird responsiveness and instrument variety within the aesthetic parameters of blending with and enhancing this unique sonic atmosphere. Mastered from the original tapes by Giuseppe Ielasi. A1. Zooed Out A2. Diminishing Habitat A3. Light Sensitive B1. Rio B2. Downstream B3. Mourning Music