Doves, Woodpeckers, & Sparrows

Join Sean Ono Lennon, Bootsy Collins

& Members of Talking Heads and B-52’s

on Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse

Field Recordings of Birds

Mixed with the Pioneering Keyboard Sounds

Of the Late Bernie Worrell Give Insight Into the Late Artist

“Bernie would sit in silence observing, analyzing,

and recording birds while eating cherries and drinking espresso.”

— Evan Taylor on Bernie Worrell

Musical Director and Producer Evan Taylor

Dives Into the Story Behind the Song

On “Intro (Reflections on a Bird),”

From the Parliament/Funkadelic and Talking Head Funk Legend’s

Posthumous Double-Album 

Album Now Available Digitally

And on CD and Vinyl, HERE

LOS ANGELES — When you think of the late, great Bernie Worrell, you think of his pioneering use of synthesizers like the Moog, the clavinet, and the Hammond B-3 organ. You think of his work with Parliament/Funkadelic, the Talking Heads, and his own Bernie Worrell Orchestra. You think of the man who believed he was from out of this world and whose mix of funk and hip-hop landed him in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

What you don’t typically think of is a man loves to watch birds, let alone analyze and record them. “Intro (Reflections on a Bird)” featuring Nick Montoya (of the Santa Barbara, California-based band, the Volt per Octaves) is the first track on the Wizard of WOO’s posthumous double album, Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse, and it gives a little peek at a different side to this musical legend.

“One of the many fond memories I have of working with Bernie was our usual routine we’d have before leaving for tour. We’d sit in silence observing, analyzing, and recording birds while eating cherries and drinking espresso,” explains the album’s musical director and producer, Taylor, who unearthed hidden gems in the late artist’s archives to produce the 13 songs on the album. “This song, and the use of bird recordings, is a way to honor this side other of this multi-faceted man. He was really in touch with nature, was grounded, and found pleasure in the quiet moments in life.”

“Intro (Reflections on a Bird)” features field recordings by Janet LaBelle (Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter and avid bird enthusiast) of a variety of birds, such as the Mourning Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Robin, White-Throated Sparrow, and House Sparrow.

“The introduction was originally a field recording of Bernie playing upright piano, and I’d witnessed these types of moments many times,” explains Taylor, who began working with Worrell in 2009, toured with Worrell in the Bernie Worrell Orchestra, and co-produced three of his records — Standards and two EPs, Prequel and BWO Is Landing. “They were all very special. It was almost like an out-of-body experience hearing it documented sonically. Sometimes, Bernie would play a beat-up piano in an open door or outside venue, and someone would capture it. I don’t know where this recording is from, but the resolution seemed so grainy that we just called it a field recording.”

The birds were added afterward to create the effect of a field recording. “Bernie liked to record birds and analyze their calls, so I thought this would be a great song to add the bird songs too,” says Taylor. “He didn’t have a pet bird. But he had many bird acquaintances. He’d be like, ‘That one brotha showed up in the backyard again. He bad; does all sorts of polyrhythms.’ Bernie just loved animals. More than people, I think. I think also he has a set of Moog recordings meant to communicate with whales.”

Unfortunately, they couldn’t find Worrell’s actual bird recordings, so they enlisted the help of LaBelle. “Janet knew Bernie, and they had a really sweet relationship,” adds Taylor. “She plays many roles on this album. She’s also on  ‘The Big WOO’ and ‘Wave from the WOOniverse.’ If I remember correctly, Janet recorded the birds during springtime in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York. I kept making her do it again because, sometimes I thought, the birds weren’t good enough or a dominant bird sounded arrogant… yes, birds can sound arrogant,” laughs Taylor.     As for Montoya’s part in the song, Taylor says, “Bernie played with Nick Montoya’s band, Volt per Octaves, and he was really close with Nick’s family. Nick was the modular production manager at Moog, so I thought it would make sense for him to do a modular performance. He explained it to me once, and I barely understood what he was talking about, but I guess he did it entirely with some sort of knob (laughs). I would have to verify the mechanics of the knob, but this seems to be the first documented collaboration of Bernie with a modular synthesizer.”

Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse was released on Org Music initially on vinyl on Record Store Day (April 20, 2024) and then digitally and on CD in August 2024 at all DSPs (linktr.ee/bernieworrell). The lineup includes Bootsy Collins (James Brown, P-Funk), Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), Fred Schneider (the B-52s), Mike Watt (The Minutemen, The Stooges), Leo Nocentelli (The Meters) and Sean Ono-Lennon, Leo Nocentelli, Miho Hatori, Steve Scales, Marc Ribot, Fred Wesley, Marco Benevento, Stanton Moore, Steven Bernstein, Daru Jones, Will Calhoun, Buckethead, Norwood Fisher, Eric McFadden (P-Funk All Stars) and many more.

“Intro (Reflections on a Bird)” Production Credits: Bernie Worrell: Piano Nick Montoya: Modular synthesis Janet LaBelle: Field recordings Synthesis recorded by Nick Montoya at Earworm Studios in Goleta, CA Mixed by Evan Taylor Mastered by Steven Berson at Total Sonic Media, Cedar Park, Texas (digital tracks) and Dave Gardner (vinyl tracks)

In addition to the new album, fans can catch Evan Taylor on April 16 at Nublu in New York City as the Bernie Worrell Orchestra reunites for a performance in honor of Bernie’s birthday at a party sponsored by Black Rock Coalition.

   

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Bernie Worrell: Wave from the WOOniverse track listing:

1. Intro (Reflections on a Bird) – Feat. Nick Montoya
2. Distant Star – Feat. Jerry Harrison, Paul Dooley, Alecia Chakour, Invisible Familiars
3. What Have They Done To My Funk – Feat. Bootsy Collins, Michael Moon Reuben, Ouiwey Collins, Buckethead
4. Heapin’; Bowl Of Gumbo – Feat. Leo Nocentelli, Fred Wesley, Stanton Moore, Lonnie Marshall
5. Re-Enter Black Light (Phase II) – Feat. Sean Ono Lennon
6. The Big WOO – Feat. Fred Schneider, Binky Griptite, Marco Benevento, Jaleel Bunton, Kyp Malone, Ana Becker
7. Greenpoint – Feat. Steve Bernstein, Mauro Refosco, Smokey Hormel, Scott Hogan, Michael Jerome Moore
8. Soldiers Of The Stars – Feat. Daru Jones, Eric McFadden
9. When The Rain Subsides – Feat. Will Calhoun
10. Pedro WOO – Feat. Mike Watt
11. Contusion – Funkadelic
12. Transcendence – Feat. Marc Ribot, Norwood Fisher
13. Wave From The WOOniverse – Feat. Miho Hatori, Sarah La Puerta, Invisible Familiars
 

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