Foot percussion, a frisky fiddler, a frantic accordion and the sweet sound of a mandolin herald the arrival of New England band Nightingale - wherever the trio might flock.

Composing the diverse trio are Becky Tracy on fiddle, Keith Murphy on mandolin, and Jeremiah McLane on the accordion. The performance is part of the Zabriskie Folk Series at the Morgan Opera House.

According to Murphy, selections for the performance will come from a wide range of traditional music genres.

The group performs many of its tunes from eastern and French Canada, blending them with the influence of northern Europe, France, Scotland and Ireland. It also performs original music, which is a fusion of most of those styles.

The set list will include both traditional songs and instrumentals. Because of the long history of talent amongst the trio, and the varied influences that each brings to the band, it prefers to define itself as more than a dance band.

“We've struggled. We're sort of one of these hyphenated bands, a lot of different genres, people know our sound and readily identify it,” Murphy said.

Although it reaches out beyond the boundaries of tradition, Murphy identifies Nightingale's music as being strongly rooted in traditional dance form.

As a band, it spends a great deal of time arranging that traditional music in new ways, playing with the rhythms and the structure of the tunes, fusing dance melodies into a new creation.

“We're trying to take that music and those elements and create something new but also respect the integrity of those traditions,” Murphy said.

Although none of the band members dance during performances, Murphy uses a French Canadian-style of foot percussion as a strong part of their sound.

It is a frequent part of the band's arrangement, giving its tunes a driving rhythm that is impossible to miss.

If you go

What: New England trio Nightingale

Where: Morgan Opera House, Route 90, Aurora

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Cost: Adults $12, students and

seniors $10, children $8

For details: Call 364-5437