Coyote Oldman

Coyote Oldman mixes technology, music, and culture in a unique, timeless blend. Flutists Michael Graham Allen and Barry Stramp combine their experience with the flute's history in the cultures of the world with a modern outlook and studio approach that gives their albums an innovative depth. The duo -- named after the trickster of Native American mythology and Allen's own flute company -- met at a 1981 Oklahoma City crafts fair where Allen sold his hand-made flutes. Their shared interest in what was at the time a relatively obscure part of music history sparked a friendship and creative partnership. Allen's deep background in researching, making, and playing flutes complements Stramp's classical training in concert flute and recording skills; in Coyote Oldman's music, Japanese and Indian flutes, Incan pan-pipes, ocarinas, and Native American pipes meet in innovative electronic settings. With Allen's compositions and playing and Stramp's studio wizardry, virtual ensembles of traditional and hybrid flutes join keyboards and guitar in modern compositions of echoing beauty. ~ Heather Phares