Stewart Copeland album fuses music with sounds of hyenas, monkeys, owls

Stewart Copeland, the legendary drummer of The Police, has embarked on a unique musical journey with his latest album, "Wild Concerto." This pioneering project sees Copeland collaborating not with fellow musicians, but with the animal kingdom, featuring sounds from hyenas, owls, and howler monkeys.

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Martyn in the flesh, at last. So great to see you. We've been so deep into our mission here.

The album is built upon the extensive life's work of naturalist Martyn Stewart, who has spent decades collecting nearly 100,000 recordings of the world's wild inhabitants. Some of these recordings capture sounds from now-extinct or endangered species, making "Wild Concerto" a significant manifesto as much as a musical release.

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I hope you have fun with this music.

Copeland immersed himself in Stewart's archive, wading through 30,000 hours of field recordings to select the animal sounds that would take center stage. He found inspiration in the raw vocalizations of creatures like the screaming piha and arctic wolves. Copeland explained that the animals' natural sounds dictated his choice of instruments, describing how adding a trombone to the wolves' howls transformed them into something akin to a vocal performance.

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Unbelievable, the history in here is just-

Recorded in the iconic Abbey Road studios, the album masterfully blends these field recordings with Copeland's orchestral compositions. He noted that while the animal sounds aren't traditional notes, pairing them with instruments elevates them, making the animals sound like "Pavarotti." The process involved musicians listening to the animal recordings in their headsets, allowing for a seamless integration of wildlife sounds and musical performance.

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Imagine McCartney running up and down those stairs.