Between the TimesACT ****

Contemporary jazz meets medieval and early Arab music in this lovely blend under the inspired stewardship of Knut Rössler (soprano) and Johannes Vogt (lute/synth/guitar), with Günter Lenz (bass), Werner Goos (percussion/synth/guitar) and the stunning voice of Ute Kreidler. Rössler brings a strong jazz sensibility to the table, a remarkable sensitivity to the source material – movingly sung by the pitch-perfect Kreidler – and his obbligatos and antiphon-like exchanges with Kreidler are memorable.

With Vogt's arrangements, to which Rössler and Goos also contribute, they do much to determine the music's success and reflective character. Standouts on a haunting album are a Spanish religious piece, Santa Maria, troubadour love songs A vous Tristran and Ce fut en mai, and Safi-al-Din and Misura, Vogt/Rössler originals based on early Arab music principles.

See actmusic.com