A flexible project that can accommodate different players, Happy Whistlings had its debut in New York City in October 2008 with alto saxophonist Matana Roberts, electric guitarist Mary Halvorson and drummer Harris Eisenstadt.

Made up of 12 parts, the work is inspired by and based on Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano’s 1982 book, Memory of Fire Triology: Genesis, the text includes myths of indigenous people and accounts of early European visitors. Sections of text and notated music intermingle with improvised settings for solo, duo, trio and quartet.