The Dowland Project: more pros than cons

One of the tenors with the Hilliard Ensemble, John Potter, is behind the series of CDs known as the Dowland Project

Composer: Dowland et al.
Repertoire: Renaissance blended with Jazz
Artists: John Potter
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Instrumental
Label: ECM 1803 

Both discs are deeply beautiful and a bit frustrating. No sooner has the listener heard the deep beauty of Monteverdi’s Amor dov’e la fe with fabulous plunking bass notes of the archlute, than saxophonist John Surman plays lines of improvised, although not inauthentic, melody. Not that I’m an immoveable purist, it just seems such a shame to destroy the original in this way.