An orchestra of up to 16 elephants who perform at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, Northern Thailand, the Thai Elephant Orchestra was cofounded in 2000 by composer Dave Soldier and Richard Lair, a conservationist who lives in Lampang who is the world's foremost specialist in the care, upkeep, and status of the Asian elephant. The TEO recording sessions bring public awareness to the first center devoted to elephant conservation and give the elephants a pleasant activity to enjoy - and as you will hear, to make some wonderful music. The full orchestra very rarely performs in public, but four of the same elephants perform music for a few minutes a day at the Conservation Center, including a bit of solo free improvisation on a giant marimba. This compilation, SMASH HITS, are some favorites from their 3 CDs. Most pieces are simply the elephants playing with no edits or overdubs. One piece has Dave Soldier playing violin live with the orchestra (Little Elephant Saddle), one has a local string local band who work at the Center playing Thai country music with the elephants (Floating Down the Pin River). The piece Invocation features Boonyang, a master elephant trainer and shamanistic Buddhist priest, performing a traditional prayer with live with the orchestra. Finally, Phong's solo, which was improvised by the great elephant virtuoso, is repeated in a transcription for a human pianist played by Steven Beck.