Quercus is the trio formed by legendary folksinger June Tabor (making her ECM debut here), Welsh jazz pianist and composer Huw Warren, and English saxophonist Iain Ballamy, well-known to ECM listeners as co-leader of the band Food. This is the first Quercus album but the trio, very much a collaborative band, has existed for several years, patiently developing its unique idiomatic blend. 'Quercus' means 'oak' in Latin and the roots of this particular tree dig deep into British folk music, while leaves and branches reach upward to embrace jazz-inspired lyrical improvising. English singer June Tabor's dark voice has an uncanny ability to underscore the emotional essence of a ballad: "As I get older, I understand more the depths of sorrow and joy that made the song", she has said. Together they deliver profound and moving interpretations of traditional and non-traditional song, approaching the heart of the material by unorthodox routes.
