It is observable that “crossover” only works when the participants are genuinely prepared to engage completely with the crossing, and this happens here: the combination of jazz saxophonist John Surman with the improvisational capacities of early musicians Milos Valent, Stephen Stubbs and John Potter has the spontaneity of a good jazz group. Listen, for example, to the way Surman’s saxophone and Valent’s fiddle so perfectly set the scene for Potter in Veris dulcis from Carmina Burana, or the wholly remarkable deconstruction of Josquin’s Sanctus/Tu solus qui facis mirabilia, like some vast extra-terrestrial intabulation, or the medieval blues that is Ein Iberisch Postambel. (“Extra-terrestrial” might, by the way, be an apt description of Potter’s pronunciation of Portuguese in the folksongs included here…)

Of course, the “victims” here are the composers, whether named or unknown, so whether your response to this recording is positive or negative will very largely depend upon your views on the sanctity of the author. But this recording achieves something that the Hilliard Ensemble’s Officium, say, was a very long way from achieving: I urge anyone with an open mind to try it. IVAN MOODY

Romaria
The Dowland Project
JOHN POTTER
ECM New Series 1970 476 5780
2007 · 77:03’