Blue Notes: Ulf Wakenius and Nah Youn-sun

The musical dialogue between Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius and South Korean singer Nah Youn-sun - first recorded on her 2009 album, Voyage - continues on Lento, her latest release for the ACT label.

Nah, who performed with Wakenius at Backstage Live in Central in 2009, has two gigs on the mainland this month: she appears on Friday at T-Union in Guangzhou, and on April 21 at the Beishan World Music Festival in Zhuhai.

Wakenius, who will accompany the singer on both engagements, will stay on in the region to perform at Youth Square Y-Theatre in Chai Wan on April 29 as part of the Jazz World Live series of concerts.

He will be joined by his son, Eric, a collaborator on Wakenius' most recent release for ACT, Vagabond, which also features Nah as a guest vocalist. They are billed as the New Guitars Unlimited Duo.

There's a considerable degree of continuity between Nah's and Wakenius' recording projects, with some songs turning up on albums by both, with different instrumental and vocal interpretations. Then there's continuity of personnel. The core line-up of Nah's band for Lento is the same as for Vagabond: Wakenius on guitar, Lars Danielsson on bass and cello, and Vincent Peirani on accordion, augmented here by percussionist Xavier Desandre Navarre.

Wakenius, Danielsson and Peirani all contribute compositions, either independently or in collaboration with the singer.

Nah has a hand in composing six of the 11 songs, the first of which, the title track, is adapted from Alexander Scriabin's Prelude Opus 16 No4 in E minor, and takes its name from the composer's tempo instruction.