Thomas' imagination for Bebop Riddle IV - Hummingbird Jamboree was inspired by the vibrant, dazzling technique, flair, spirit for adventure, and musicality of the Akropolis Reed Quintet. When composing, playing, and hearing Bebop Riddle IV, the virtuosity, flexibility, and energy of superstar jazz artists leaps to ear and mind. These forces, when intersected with other specific musical perfumes, formulate a unique sonic palette. A working image for this composition is that of a hummingbird jamboree-animated, sprightly, energized hummingbirds zipping around in all directions. Hummingbirds hover at rapid wing-flapping rates, which are signified by the trills in the composition. Hummingbirds are the only vertebrates capable of sustained hovering and can fly backwards and upside-down, which inspired the music's whimsical and dexterous turns of flight.
