Show me the honey

When Inara George and Greg Kurstin – aka The Bird And The Bee – initially began making music together, they had no serious thoughts of recording albums or going on tours. Not together, at least, as both were already busy with their own respective careers.

The LA duo first met four years back, when Greg – a talented jazz pianist and jobbing multi-instrumentalist – was drafted in to tinkle the ivories on Irana’s solo album All Rise.
The pair clicked immediately – bonding over a love of old jazz standards, but quickly graduating to writing their own originals. Over the next three years, they recorded together sporadically on Greg’s home studio in Echo Park, California.
The music they made was an odd mix of indie, electo-pop, psychedelic jazz, bossa nova, Gallic-pop and surf. Think Stereolab fronted by Julie Feeney and you’ve got some idea.
All Rise was released in 2006 to largely positive reviews, but it’s their eponymous debut as The Bird And The Bee that’s earning them critical plaudits at the moment. Although there was no musical masterplan, they‘re not especially surprised that it’s being so well received.
“We knew we’d made an interesting record, but we made it with such a light attitude,” Inara says. “We weren’t fixed in any particular style, and that made it more fun to do.”
Greg: “It wasn’t until we were halfway through that we realised we could have an album. Even then we were like, ‘Let’s just finish it and see what we have.’ So there was zero pressure.”
Both have serious musical pedigrees. Inara is the daughter of the late Lowell George – frontman of eclectic ‘70s Southern rockers Little Feat.
“My father died when I was five so I never really knew him,” she says. “And I think my mom was always very supportive, but she would ask me, ‘Are you sure you wanna do this? Do you really like touring?’ ‘cos she went through it with my dad. But she’d always be supportive of anything I wanna do. You know, we’re from LA. Ha, ha!”
While there are no other musicians in his family, multi-instrumentalist Greg was a jazz prodigy by his early teens. Having studied with the legendary Jaki Byard in New York, he returned to his native LA and became one of the city’s most respected session musicians – working with Beck, Flaming Lips, Peaches and Lily Allen, amongst others.
“My folks gave all of us piano lessons when we were kids, but I was the only one to choose music as a career. When I got the jazz bug in high school, I became totally obsessed with Mingus. So when I discovered that [Mingus’ pianist] Jaki Byard was teaching in New York, I convinced them to let me go study with him for a few years. It was great.”
More jobbing musicians than precious artists, they say they wouldn’t have a problem if their smooth sounding debut did a Moby and was widely used in advertising.
“Right now, we’re just kind of going with it, and I hadn’t even thought about advertising,” says Greg. “But, now that you mention it, I’m totally up for it. Unless it was for something really offensive!”
“Yeah – like adult diapers or something,” Inara chips in.
“Actually, our song ‘Again & Again’ could work really well for advertising diapers,” he laughs. “At least, if they were re-useable!”
The Bird And The Bee is out on Metro Blue [EMI].