Dialogues IV

The story of this record is so compelling that it comes as a relief that the content is equal to the concept. Each track is a finely crafted duet between Finnish saxophonist Joakim Berghäll and a different immigrant musician who has settled in his country. The project began when Berghäll discovered master kora player Malang Cissokho driving a taxi. A search to find others like him led to the likes of Nepalese sarangi player Kishan Gaine and Turkish saz player Irfan Özbek, who were working as an industrial cleaner and pizza restaurateur respectively. Over five years Berghäll studied each partner's instrument and music, then composed a piece to highlight their talents.

The results are stunning. Berghäll always places his partner at the centre of the compositions, but ‘Whangamomona’ - a duet with New Zealand bassist Nathan Riki Thomson - highlights Berghäll's big breathy tone on a melody as nourishing as the spirit of the album. Listening to Dialogues IV you will want to offer the same thanks that Berghäll does in the sleeve notes, proclaiming ‘my universe just got eight times larger’.