Flute player, flute maker and Native American musician Robert Mirabal grew up in one of the oldest dwellings and most beautiful places in the United States, in the mountains of northern New Mexico in the Taos Pueblo.(People have been living in those buildings for over 1,000 years.)
Mirabal might have reason to stay put, but he is an active collaborator. Since releasing his “Nomad” record in 1994, he’s worked with rock musicians, West African drummers, classical composers and masters of other Native American traditions.
Mirabal began collaborating with the risk-taking contemporary string ensemble ETHEL at festivals over 10 years ago. ETHEL and Mirabal released “The River,” in 2016, an album that blends storytelling, dancing rhythms, heartbeat pulses, the sounds of nature, rituals and haunting string textures. The music and songs are about running, flying, connecting with our source, taking in the heavens and measuring our place in cosmos. It’s stark and bluesy in a few spots. The record is atmospheric and emotional, a powerful musical communion with the sky and the spirits.
ETHEL with Robert Mirabal performs at Crowell Concert Hall at the Wesleyan University Center for the Arts, Middletown, on Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $28. 860-685-3355