With most contemporary European offshoots of jazz it's impossible to tell where composition leaves off and improvisation begins. That's certainly the case with this duo of an Austrian accordionist and Croatian cellist. The instruments blend so elegantly, and the 11 pieces evolve with such vigour and clarity, that the music sounds like the product of one mind rather than two. If it reminds me of anything, it's the work of Astor Piazzolla, with its tangos and waltzes, especially when Paier switches from accordion to bandoneón – but really its charm is all its own.
