Germany / South Korea, 2022, third stream

Potsa Lotsa XL & 성유진 (Youjin Sung) – 가야 (Gaya): This is basically big band jazz with a Korean twist, for the playful sound of the gayageum is undeniable every time it plucks its way forward, opening up new spaces in which to frolic, inviting the other instruments into its steep, un-level playground. There’s something cartoonish about this album—in a good way! Like the zither is doing its own thing, running away, too, and when the other instruments catch up, they play a while, before the zither runs off again, creating a sense of duality in the form of the music.