ECM Records VASSILIS TSABROPOULOS, ANJA LECHNER, U.T. GANDHI: MELOS CD

“Melos” is the eagerly-awaited sequel to Anja Lechner’s and Vassilis Tsabropoulos’ album „Chants, Hymns and Dances“, issued in autumn 2004 to much critical and public acclaim. The focus there was on traditional Greek-Byzantine hymns and on melodies by the legendary spiritual mentor Georges Ivanovitch Gurdjieff, newly arranged by Lechner and Tsabropoulos. Gurdjieff is also included on “Melos” but the emphasis has shifted to compositions by Tsabropoulos which recreate the traditional spirit in a modern albeit still highly melodious way. 

Their gentle musical flow is most varied, especially when the melodies open up in large improvisational sections. The two musicians, both of them accomplished soloists in classical music, are joined now by Italian jazz drummer and percussionist U.T. Gandhi who adds new colours and subtle pulsations.