The hurdy-gurdy is a musical instrument that is kind of like a mix between a guitar and a violin. It has a long, narrow wooden body with strings on it, and you turn a crank on the side to make the strings vibrate and play music. When you play it, it sounds like a bunch of different notes playing at the same time, kind of like a big, complex chord.
Recordings featuring the hurdy-gurdy are just recordings of people playing music on this instrument. Sometimes it's just the hurdy-gurdy playing by itself, and other times it might be accompanied by other instruments or singers. These recordings can be very old (like hundreds of years old), or they can be more recent. People like to listen to hurdy-gurdy music because it sounds very unique and interesting, and it's not a very common instrument these days. So if you want to listen to some really cool old-fashioned music, look up some recordings featuring the hurdy-gurdy!