Bellbird Announces Album ‘The Call’ Due via Constellation Records

Montreal-based avant-garde jazz quartet Bellbird returns with The Call, their second album and first release on Constellation Records, out February 6, 2026. Named after the white bellbird—whose cry is the loudest recorded in the animal kingdom—the album explores interconnectedness between musicians, the natural world, and broader social realities. The bellbird’s distinctive call is analyzed and woven directly into the explosively expressive title track, serving as both sonic material and conceptual anchor.

Following their acclaimed 2023 debut Root in Tandem, Bellbird deepens its collective approach on The Call. All eight compositions emerged through improvisation, musical cues, and shared reflection during residencies, resulting in a unified statement shaped equally by all four members. The quartet subverts traditional jazz roles, with saxophones functioning as rhythmic and textural voices while bass and drums drive form and momentum, reinforcing the band’s egalitarian ethos.

Recorded at Montreal’s legendary Hotel2Tango with engineer Sylvaine Arnaud, The Call captures the raw intensity of Bellbird’s live sound. The production favours power, immediacy, and adventurous textures—embracing multiphonics, bowed bass, and metallic timbres—while balancing muscular energy with moments of vulnerability on pieces like “Soft Animal” and “Phthalo Green.” Socially and politically engaged, the album reflects the group’s response to the climate crisis and global solidarity, including the track “Blowing on Embers,” dedicated to a free Palestine.

In support of the release, Bellbird will tour Western Canada in January 2026, with performances across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.

Bellbird ‘The Call’ album artwork