The NYTimes:
In case you are doubtful about all this I can assure you: whales do really sing, but not always the way you might imagine. There’s much more than high, plaintive cries — there are grunts, squeaks, beats, cool noises that can sound more electronic than melodic, a full range of the kinds of crazy sounds that humans can call music today. Although we think we are always pushing the boundaries of what counts as music, humpback whales have been doing it for millions of years.Most times when I drop my microphone and speaker underwater to play with the whales, I feel awfully lonely. There I am, making a strange sound and sending it out underwater, just hoping a whale might connect what he sings to what I’m playing. Often they just ignore me, but in the best of moments, and such a moment is just as rare as playing along with human musicians, some real contact may happen. Here’s an example of one of my favorite such moments, from my CD “Whale Music” and my book “Thousand Mile Song”:
You'll have to go to the Times to listen. (BTW, Rothenberg plays clarinet.)
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