Primal Orbit was originally formed around 1990 as an improvisational rhythm-section trio, with tony wilson guitar, Stan Taylor drums and Brad Muirhead playing the bass role on sousaphone. Inspired by the sounds of the Gateway Trio (Holland, Abercrombie, DeJohnette), the band incorporated some of their compositions as a launching pad to find their own musical direction. Though the unit played some well-received gigs and developed a very distinctive, intuitive, and intense group sound, for most of the 90s the trio remained on the backburner as all three players concentrated on other improvising ensembles. The chain of events that lead to the development of the current group were interesting and unexpected. Says Brad Muirhead, "While writing for Brass Roots (a New Orleans style marching band he leads) over the years, I found i really liked arranging for four horns, and as I started coming up with more and more adventurous material, it turned out not to be very appropriate for the funky street thing. That was when I first started thinking seriously about adding horns to primal - to get some of those new arrangements played." There is actually one recorded early example of primal with horns out there. On the second Bras Roots album, Laconda Rift (1994) the final track, "Wallowin" is the first four horn arrangement of a tune that Wilson, Taylor, and Muirhead co-wrote for Primal orbit years ago. The new Primal Orbit is Brad Muirhead, trombone, Saul Berson alto sax, Bill Clark trumpet Tony Wilsonguitar, Paul Blaney bass, and Stan Taylor drums. The current material they are working up is quite a bit more refined than the early trio stuff but retains much of the feeling of its original musical direction, and definitely some of its take no prisoners over-the-top all out blowing aspects, as well as some quiet, introspective improv.

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