The Imani Winds String Quintet opened its concert at the Lied Center on Friday night with a “call to play” as Jeff Scott took the stage alone with his French horn and summoned up his fellow players – Valerie Coleman on flute, Toyin Spellman on oboe, Mariam Adam on clarinet and Monica Ellis on bassoon – with “Afro Blue” by Mongo Santamaria. Those hauntingly sweet tones of the horn heralded the arrival of a unique and talented quintet dedicated not only to beautiful playing but also to the promotion of the wind quintet repertoire. For Imani Winds – the name is Swahili for “faith” – inspiration comes from African, Latin American and folk music from around the world. In addition, Scott and Coleman compose and arrange music for the group, experimenting with new techniques and sounds for the repertoire.

The concert completed Imani Winds’ residency at Kansas University, where they were conducting master classes. The teaching continued through the concert as each member of the group introduced and spoke about one of the selections on the program.

After “Afro Blue” was “Four Spanish Pieces” by Manuel de Falla, written for the piano but transcribed for winds by Wayne Peterson. This lively and complicated four-song cycle was inspired by various regions of Spain. In “Aragonesa,” “Cubana,” “Montanesa” and “Andulaza” one is transported from the eerie, mist-covered mountains down through the plains accompanied by the sounds like pounding horses’ hooves.

An arrangement by Coleman of the spiritual “Steal Away” was an emotional highlight of the first half. Featuring the sonorous tones of the bassoon, the song fell away from the simple melody in complicated variations in each instrument that had the audience gasping with pleasure.

Another fascinating composition was “La Nouvelle Orleans” by Lalo Schifrin. Inspired by the Jazz traditions in a New Orleans funeral march that celebrates the life of the dead, Schifrin’s composition features the slow dirge march typical of what is played on the way to the cemetery, accompanied by the frantic wailing of mourners. The return from the burial, however, is a more joyful celebration with reveling that Schifrin captures in this unusual number.

After intermission, the quintet charmed the audience with “Opus Number Zoo,” by Luciano Berio. Think “Peter and the Wolf” but quirkier. Each little story narrated and played by all of the performers featured the sounds of each wind instrument.

Another nod to their unusual sources of inspiration was “Oblivion” by Astor Piazzolla and arranged by Scott. An Argentinean “Tango Nuevo,” it features a strong, insistent bass line accompanying a passionate top line that evokes the feel of the tango.

Finishing out their performance with the “master work” for wind quintet, John Harbison’s “Quintet for Winds,” Imani Winds ended an evening that revealed their versatility as individuals as well as a group. These musicians are consummate performers of their art and a joy to experience because they build a relationship with their audience that goes beyond their instrumental skill.

– Sarah Young is a lecturer in Kansas University’s English department. She can be reached at youngsl@ku.edu.