For their debut release on Impulse! Records, David Murray and his Quartet—pianist Marta Sanchez, bassist Luke Stewart, and drummer Russell Carter—took inspiration from a music older than humanity: birdsong. Murray found inspiration for the songs during a retreat amid the lakes, forests, and endless skies of the Adirondack Mountains in North America. The lyrics of three poems by Francesca Cinelli, about nature and what it means to be human, informed the writing process. The album was recorded at the renowned Van Gelder Studio.