In this reworking of the compositions of 16th century English Renaissance composer John Dowland, the 50-year-old Austrian trombonist Christian Muthspiel artfully draws connections between the worlds of classical music, alpine folk-dance, European cool and earlier bluesy jazz types among others. The Welsh pianist Huw Warren, part of new ECM signing Quercus, is another notable classical and folk-influenced musician who has also been in the business of resetting Dowland's works. All compositions on the new CD are based on the composer's ‘Lachrimae’ or ‘Seven Teares’ cycle, and Muthspiel's open approach to interpretation of the notated music is not out of keeping with that of composers such as Dowland in an era in which improvisation was surprisingly considered as do-able as the notes written on the page. The quartet is a very good one: the Miles-ish Swiss trumpeter Matthieu Michel, the French vibraphonist Franck Tortiller who is an impressively assertive soloist here, and the unique veteran electric bassist Steve Swallow. Muthspiel also appears on recorder and electric piano and a highlight of the set is the elegantly shifting palette of instrumental colours out of which Swallow's hallmark guitar-like bass solos plays its part. Retaining the outline of Dowland's thematic and harmonic structures, the group's biting jazz-based rhythmic vitality avoids what could have been a polite chamber jazz session and Swallow's buzzy, singing electric bass grooves are its very centre.