The Circle Bells library was recorded with a rare and unique instrument called "Blossom Bells", created by local SF Bay Area metal working artisan Pete Engelhart. This hand-welded tuned percussion instrument features six steel conical bells tuned to different keys and spread out in a fan arrangement. Each bell has a deeply rich, warm and sonorous tone with a long sustain and crystalline clarity. We recorded them with soft mallets, hard picks and viola bow with both single-strikes/staccatos and rolls/sustains for each articulation. Its distinctive sound evokes the feel of a steel Marimbaphone or Celeste when played with mallets and a glass armonica when bowed, yet its character and undulating resonance defies any direct comparison to any other instrument.