Gregorian chant and jazz piano may not sound like natural companions, yet German pianist and composer Tim Allhoff has united both genres in this enchanting new album, surprising in its inventive breadth and spiritual depth. Meditations – Chants & Piano wraps ancient plainsong melodies, some with roots that reach back to the early centuries of Christianity, with strikingly apt piano sounds. Allhoff’s harmonies meld with spotless singing from the half-dozen male voices of Cantatorium under the charismatic direction of Father Robert Mehlhart, a Munich-based Dominican friar and musician. The idea for Meditations was simple—Allhoff wished to combine the oldest existing repertoire of western vocal music with modern piano accompaniments. “This was quite challenging, as I wanted to keep the size and freedom of the original music while embedding it in some sort of song-like structure,” he recalls. His immediate challenge, though, was to choose chants from the 3000 or so codified during the reign of Pope Gregory the Great (c.540-604 CE), not to mention those written since. How did he select 13 tracks from the heavyweight plainsong pack? “Choosing chants came pretty naturally, as some were more suitable than others because of their rhythmic structure and melody,” notes Allhoff. “I must have listened to 100 different chants to end up with the selection of about 20 that I worked on and then reduced to the final tracklist.” The creative process, he adds, involved listening to the chants while improvising at the piano. “This is how I slowly developed the harmonies and song structures for the individual pieces. The finished piano parts are completely composed and notated.” Tim Allhoff’s subtle harmonies and gentle rhythmic riffs open fresh perspectives on each chant without disturbing the stillness and concentration of Cantatorium’s sublime unison singing. He names “Agnus Dei II” and “Ave Maris Stella,” ancient prayers to Jesus, Lamb of God, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, as his favorite tracks. “As so often with music, I can’t tell you exactly why they are. They’re just the two pieces that touch me personally the most—there’s a certain energy in them that goes directly into my heart.”