In recent years a number of musicians have become interested in combining jazz and improvisation with the music of other cultures. Sandy Evens‘ long term fascination with Indian music is one example and Joseph Tawadros playing his ud with jazz players is another, to name just two. And now I have Paolo Angeli with his modified 18th strings Sardinian guitar playing with an assemble of jazz players.

This is, once again, a project of the School of Music at Monash University in Victoria. Rob Burke the coordinator of the Monash music school initiated and led a project to combine Paolo with three Australian jazz musicians and an Italian rhythm section, all of whom share a passion for creativity and pushing at boundaries. The recording that resulted from this combination is ‘Sardinian Liturgy’ and I will open this week’s program with Paolo’s composition ‘Northern Light’.