Octagon

Visible from afar, an impressive and curious building rises up from a hill in Apulia, Italy - the Castel del Monte, an octagon built during the time of Frederick II (1194-1250). It was here, at this mystical place, that the Heidelberg saxophonist Knut Rössler and lute player Johannes Vogt met the classical singer Ute Kreidler for some highly unusual night-time recording sessions. The magic and atmosphere of this place has inspired some musical encounters of a very special kind, and Octagon continues the idea behind the ACT debut Between The Times: To unite jazz and early music to a meditative chamber music full of clear and flowing melodies. The result is 16 artistic pieces held together by an almost meditative mood, in a unique span of opposites between musical worlds between the medieval and the modern age, between composition and improvisation, between respectful preservation and careful renewal.