Songs for Leena: Improvisations on the Hopi Long Flute

The cloud of mystery around the Hopi long flute has been an inspiration for veteran flautist Gary Stroutsos for a while. Unlike the Hopi flutes heard today on the mesas of northern Arizona, the Hopi long flute almost disappeared, buried in the sands of time. Its sound would have been lost and forgotten if it wasn’t for a rare discovery of a few specimens in a cave in 1931. The leena is a very old instrument (at least 1,400 years old) and quite difficult to play. Hopi people often call a flute player a maahu (a cicada) because to the Hopi ear, the distinctive buzzing sound produced by male cicadas to attract females is reminiscent of the Hopi leena. Here, Stroutsos continues his explorations initiated on his previous album Öngtupqa, delving into the plaintive ranges of the leena through long solo improvisations. He succeeds in bringing back an almost lost sound through his skills as a contemporary jazz flautist, honouring Hopi culture and music through the instrument and following inspiration from cloud patterns. Sonic caretaking at its best.