There are dozens of Native American-flute groups out there, but there's no one like Coyote Oldman. That's a group, not a person, named for the Native American mythological figure Oldman Coyote. But these coyotes aren't tricksters; they're sonic magicians. Michael Graham Allen and Barry Stramp play Native American flutes, Incan panpipes, and classical bass flute with melodies that ebb, flow, and morph through each other. Stramp adds electronic effects, creating shadow echoes and subliminal melodies like a pipe organ blowing across an infinite canyon. With their limited range, barely an octave, panpipes and Native American flutes aren't given to virtuoso displays. Coyote Oldman know that, so instead they explore the inner workings of their flutes' textured sound, putting a magnifying glass over resonances and shadings, building an abstract melodic architecture that vaporizes in this deep-space music for acoustic winds. --John Diliberto
