new release of note: Michael Peters - 'field recordings from Barbados'

Field Recordings from Barbados Michael Peters Gr 063 (gruenrekorder)

1. Whistling Tree Frogs (25:23)

Recorded in Bathsheba on the wild east coast of Barbados. Every nightfall is celebrated by a chorus of a million whistling tree frogs (Eleutherodactylus johnstonei), singing over a background of palm trees rustling in the wind, and the distant drone of the Atlantic Ocean. These tree frogs are tiny - on one night, I crawled around on a field with a flashlight, trying to find the frog that I heard whistling directly in front of me, but without success. The incessant, almost static, quite loud sound tapestry woven from ocean, wind, cicadas, and the pointillist tone cluster of the whistling frogs, going on for hours every night, conveyed to me a strong sense of timelessness.

2. Giant Bamboo (25:21)

Very large specimen of these magnificent bamboo trees can be found in many places on Barbados. Even on a moderately windy day, such a bamboo produces a wide range of sounds, from piano (leaving space for the occasional birdsong or frog whistling) to a sudden fortissimo, turning the bamboo stems into a clattering, rustling, squeaking percussion orchestra. This one was recorded in a magical tropical garden called “Flower Forest”. During the recording, I was drinking coffee while watching green monkeys having lunch in the top branches of a giant breadfruit tree.