Kit Downes, an exceptional young talent from Great Britain, was featured as pianist on ECM's 2015 debut release, "Time Is A Blind Guide." His latest album, however, bears little resemblance to traditional jazz, even though only a sensitive improviser with a refined ear could have created such a work. Downes initially gained his musical experience as an organist in churches and has returned to the instrument intensively in recent years, exploring both melodic and sonic aspects in his improvisations. Together with producer Sun Chung, Downes traveled to three different English churches in November 2016: Snape Church of John the Baptist and Bromeswell St Edmund Church, both located in Suffolk, and Union Chapel Church in Islington, London. These acoustically very different spaces house organs, each with its own distinct character, which Downes explores in a creative way. He usually plays solo, but in the piece "Modern Gods" he is supported by his long-time improvisation partner Tom Challenger on tenor saxophone.
