Chicago composer and cornetist Ben Lamar Gay makes music that transcends phyical borders and conceptual boundaries. Today, he shared “Aunt Lola and the Quail," the fourth single from his sophomore album, Open Arms to Open Us, out November 19 on International Anthem and Nonesuch Records.
The new track comes with a cryptic video directed by Chris Strong. "Aunt Lola and the Quail" places a sturdy tuba beat under polyrhythmic percussion, glitchy synths, and a medley of strings, horns and woodwinds.
This interplay recalls the summers Gay spent on his Aunt Lola's land in Alabama as a child. "Aunt Lola and I would stand still and listen together," Gay said in a statement describing the song's inspiration.