Kristen Noguès & John Surman - Diriaou

Kristen Noguès & John Surman – Diriaou
Label: SouffleContinu Records
Format: 180g LP
Edition: First-time vinyl release, restored & remastered

A rare and radiant artifact of cross-cultural improvisation, Diriaou captures the singular duo of Breton harpist Kristen Noguès and British saxophonist John Surman in concert at the 1998 Dre Ar Wenojenn festival. The two had long shared an affinity for weaving traditional folk idioms into contemporary forms—Noguès through her exploration of Breton music and the Celtic harp, Surman through his expansive ECM recordings that fused jazz with ambient and classical modes.

On Diriaou (Breton for “Thursday,” and the title of their first piece together in 1991), they conjure a sound that’s impossible to pin down—part free folk, part modal fest-noz, part atmospheric jazz. Their interplay is intimate and transportive, moving from the stormy drama of “Maro Pontkalek” to the celestial exchanges of “Baz Valan,” to the misty unraveling of “Kernow.” Surman lends his voice to “Kleier,” while Noguès sings on the haunting “Berceuse.”

Lovingly restored by Ben Surman and remastered by Gilles Laujol, this first-ever vinyl edition features heavyweight 180g pressing, UV spot-finished outer jacket, printed inner sleeve, and Nagaoka antistatic liner. A stunning document of two visionary artists expanding traditional vocabularies into uncharted sonic landscapes.

Highly recommended for fans of ECM, Alan Stivell, folk minimalism, and improvised music of any stripe.