Special Podcast: Unexpected Instruments (originally aired 8/31/09)

Listen to some recent recordings that feature a strange assortment of music-making devices. From music boxes, a choir that whistles, and the Chinese double-reed woodwind instrument called the suona, we'll hear from Bill Frisell, John Hollenbeck's Large Ensemble, Beat Circus, and more. Not to be outdone, there's something from Gordon Grdina’s East Van Strings which showcases the oud, Arabic lute, paired with Western strings.