Bird Songs brings together an international quartet to play the music of Charlie Parker. Led by Ronan Guilfoyle (bass guitar), the other musicians are Julian Arguelles (saxophone), Rick Peckham (guitar), and Tom Rainey (drums). They are in the midst of a nationwide tour, promoted by Music Network/ ESB and the Improvised Music Company. The quartet work well together, and their imaginative performance in Whelans on Sunday included many of Parker's less familiar compositions. On the opening tune Segment, Arguelles's linear improvisation contrasted nicely with Peckham's disjointed, dramatic guitar solo. Ah-Leu-Cha, built on an offbeat bass guitar riff, was given a lively, jazz-rock treatment and featured a remarkable guitar solo - Peckham creating dense textures through clever use of a reverb pedal. Guilfoyle and Rainey played Air Conditioning as a duet, featuring an impressive bass solo and some sensitive drumming (indeed, Rainey was outstanding throughout, always understated). Arguelles gave My Old Flame a warm, romantic treatment and the set closed with a driving version of Little Willie Leaps.

The second set featured some adventurous music, opening with a free rendition of Ornette Coleman's Bird Food. Embraceable You was given a complete reworking, with a clipped version of the melody played aggressively over an irregular metre - it seemed to lose its way at times, but was certainly novel. They concluded with Guilfoyle's From the Apple, based on Parker's Scrapple from the Apple. This featured dramatic guitar and saxophone interchanges and wild improvisations. An enjoyable evening.

Continues on tour. Further information from Music Net- work: 01-6719429.