Anna Maria Jopek and Branford Marsalis’s musical relationship stretches all the way back to Jopek’s 2002 album ID, but Ulotne explores the interplay between voice and soprano sax in a much deeper way. Given that both of her parents performed in the legendary Polish folk group, Mazowsze, it’s perhaps not surprising that the soundworld of Polish folk music is woven deeply into Jopek’s music. It’s also no surprise that the trio of traditional folk songs included in this beautifully produced 2CD set are all standouts, not least for the way in which Marsalis’s soprano sax comments on and intertwines with the vocal line. Featuring outstanding arrangements by Krzysztof Herdzin, ‘W Polu Lipe¥ka/The Lime Tree in a Field’ exudes a kind of filmic grandeur, with its extended string introduction opening up a vast sonic space into which Jopek pours her pure-toned, soul-stirring voice, singing a melodic line of crystalline beauty which is later developed by Marsalis in one of several beguiling solos. The understated bucolic charm of ‘W Kadzidla¥skim Boru/ In the Kadzidło Forest’ provides a strong contrast to the almost violent choral outbursts of ‘To i hola/ Hola Hola La’, while the propulsive groove of ‘Patrz I Słuchaj/Look and Listen’, penned by Jopek and Marcin Kydry¥ski, and Jopek’s own folk-like ‘Czekanie/Waiting’, both illustrate how voice and sax at times subtly fuse to become almost a single entity. Herdzin’s entirely instrumental ‘Opowie /A Story’ provides a welcome feature for Marsalis and the rapt playing of the Atom String Quartet, and a loving take on ‘Po‘egnanie z Marią/A Farewell to Maria’ provides a touching ‘in memoriam’ to the late trumpeter and composer, Tomasz Stańko.