GERMAN-BORN saxophonist Gratkowski is one of the leading figures of the free improvisation scene in Europe, with a string a distinguished collaborations under his belt. Here he takes on a duet with one of the undoubted masters of this genre, the Ukrainian pianist Misha Mengelberg. Rather than purely free, this music might better be termed 'instant composition' (a term coined by the pianist) such is the sense of coherence and direction that the two create together. Indeed, two is the perfect number for this kind of free music.

No, not for the faint-hearted.

Cormac Larkin