Noted Jazz Musician Anthony Braxton, Syrinx Ensemble, Perform Concert with the Birds

Noted jazz musician Anthony Braxton, together with Michael Pestel and the Syrinx Ensemble, will mingle music with bird song in a memorable concert event Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, 10 am at the National Aviary. The concert is sponsored by WDUQ 90.5 FM.
(Anthony Braxton, left)

Braxton, a prolific American musician and composer, has released more than 100 albums since the 1960s and is the recipient of the 1994 MacArthur Fellowship. Braxton will perform at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild while in Pittsburgh, but his performances at the National Aviary come at the invitation of musician and composer Michael Pestel, whose Syrinx Ensemble has presented annual concerts with the birds in the Aviary's free-flight exhibits.

"When I first approached Mr. Braxton over a year ago about coming to the National Aviary, he was immediately delighted by the idea of interspecies music and of exploring something totally new at this point in his career," says Pestel. "Though he has guided and inspired several generations of musicians throughout the world, Mr. Braxton is always open to learning from his students and colleagues – and now from the birds as well!

"The opportunity for Syrinx Ensemble now to work with Anthony Braxton, one of America's most important avant-garde composers and instrumentalists, not only represents a culmination of our musical activities at the National Aviary, but brings to Pittsburgh a truly unique musical event. "

Pestel's work was celebrated in David Rothenberg's internationally recognized book and CD "Why Birds Sing." He has made annual visits to the Aviary since the early 1990s. During his first performance there, he discovered that the birds not only were responding to his music, but also that some were replicating the riffs perfectly.

"Several times during the performance, birds in the Tropical Room echoed the basic elements of my playing," says Pestel. "It inspired me to come back to the aviary time and again in the following years to explore what seemed more than an accidental dialogue. When we play, we seek to join in with the vast array of avian sounds and, without stylistic imposition or overt mimicry, become a bird among birds."

Braxton, Pestel and Syrinx Ensemble musicians Ben Opie, Eden McNutt and Tracy Mortimore will perform May 31 and June 1 at 10 am in the National Aviary's free-flight rooms. The concerts are included in general National Aviary admission: $9 adults; $8 seniors; $7.50 children two and older; under two admitted free. More information by calling 412.323.7235 or online at www.aviary.org. The concert is sponsored by WDUQ 90.5 FM.
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Anthony Braxton Speaks on Interspecies Music… (Anthony Braxton, April 2008)

"One of the challenges of the third millennium is holistic unity and respect for all living things as well as respect for the composite environment. More and more humanity will have to learn new way to live that fit within the fabric of perceived existence rather than in opposition to the laws of nature. Within this challenge is the weight of sonic reception and the ability to seek harmony between one another as well as the greater synergies of the living universe.

Eric Dolphy was the first musician I encountered who spoke of the music and magic of the bird world. I remember being quite surprised to learn of this interest. Later I would discover the great music of Oliver Messiean and learn of his connection to trans-species creativity. His composition "Catalogue of the Birds" remains a point of definition breakthrough that directly transcribed the language of birds into a human musical syntax. And finally, the great work of multi-instrumentalist/composer Michael Pestel has extended the research into trans-species holistic experiences in the most dynamic way yet. When the mature history of this subject is documented, Mr. Pestel's work will come to be viewed as the most important work in this area of explorative creativity.

This project at the Pittsburgh aviary would not be possible without Mr. Pestel's guidance and experience, and I thank him for helping me to learn about the breakthroughs of the last thirty years in this area.

Finally, I would like to thank multi instrumentalist/composer Ben Opie for the opportunity to come to the great city of Pittsburgh to perform my music. Mr Opie is a member of the underground American creative family (movement) that lies at the heart of cultural radiance and community vision. The success of the American experience is directly related to the dedication and work of artists like Mr. Opie. Having an opportunity to do projects with Mr. Pestel and Mr. Opie is what keeps me hopeful about the wonder of creativity and the challenge of evolution."


Michael Pestel talks about music at the National Aviary …. (Michael Pestel, 2008)

"Birds are undoubtedly the greatest natural musicians on the planet. As soloists, in pairs, in small groups, huge flocks or in the dense combinations of species which one experiences in tropical rain forests and in aviaries, birds are unexcelled in terms of their diversity of sound, rhythmical combinations and sheer exuberance.

My first significant musical encounter with birds happened at an art exhibit in the National Aviary during the Spring of 1992. I was invited to perform and ended up reciting the red list of extinct birds as a litany in Latin along with their approximate dates of extinction. I interspersed this list with short, improvised riffs on the flute – one for each of almost 100 bird species on the list. Several times during the performance, birds in the Tropical Room echoed the basic elements of my playing and inspired me to come back to the aviary time and again in the following years to explore what seemed more than an accidental dialogue.

Throughout these years, I have been able to introduce many musicians and listeners to the complex and exuberant musicality of bird sound. In 2005, I founded Syrinx Ensemble, an acoustic new music improv quartet dedicated to performing live with birds in aviaries and in the wild. Taking the idea of interspecies communication as a given, and music as the ideal language in which to communicate, the members of Syrinx Ensemble regard birds as brilliant musicians perfectly untainted by human musical structures.

The ensemble, comprises of Ben Opie on reeds, Eden McNutt exploring voice and sound poetry, Tracy Mortimore on string bass, and myself on flutes and birdmachine, seeks to join in with the vast array of avian sounds and, without stylistic imposition or overt mimicry, become a bird among birds. The opportunity for Syrinx Ensemble now to work with Anthony Braxton, one of America's most important avant-garde composers and instrumentalists, not only represents a culmination of our musical activities at the National Aviary, but brings to Pittsburgh a truly unique musical event.

When I first approached Mr. Braxton over a year ago about coming to the National Aviary, he was immediately delighted by the idea of interspecies music and of exploring something totally new at this point in his career. Though he has guided and inspired several generations of musicians throughout the world, Mr. Braxton is always open to learning from his students and colleagues – and now from the birds as well!"