ProJazz.net

“After a few years in Pat Metheny’s wake in the 1980s, Austria’s Wolfgang Muthspiel became an excellent jazz guitarist with his own take on the intersections between postbop, world music and swing. His trio includes Brad Mehldau bassist Larry Grenadier and Swiss saxophonist Andy Scherrer. They exhibit something of a lounge-jazz purr at first, but then their real story emerges, featuring the empathetic and anticipatory partnership of Muthspiel and Grenadier, an encounter comparable in purity of sound, ideas and clarity of expression to that of Metheny and bass legend Charlie Haden. The music touches some iconic jazz bases, sometimes hinting at the skimming runs of Django Reinhardt, or Charlie Byrd’s graceful swirls on the famous jazz-samba sessions. But if orthodox jazz is its essence, Drum Free ranges way beyond it, into heated flamenco references, elegant contemporary-classical sketches and a finale for rippling finger-style melody over cello-like bowed bass that sidelines all preoccupations with genre or category.” – John Fordham/The Guardian.

“Drumfree contains some of the most stimulating three-way counterpoint written and played in a long time. All of the compositional credit goes to Wolfgang Muthspiel, the composer; but making it all come alive is Muthspiel, the guitarist, and his chosen partners for this date: saxophonist Andy Scherrer and bassist Larry Grenadier. Muthspiel leads from the front with the warmth and splendor of his authoritative voice. The guitarist is deeply rooted in the harmonic ideas of European music, with phrases fully formed and informed by the contrapuntal ideas that spring from the tradition of Bach.

Muthspiel is also a sublime melodist, taking leave from Mozart as much as he does some of his contemporaries spread across the landscape of modern music. He has certainly heard the ancestors of his chosen instrument, from Charlie Christian and Freddie Green to Wes Montgomery. But he has also listened carefully to pianists Bill Evans and the magical Abdullah Ibrahim. ” READ MORE >>> 

Track listing:
1 Ibrahim 6:31
2 Tribal Games 5:05
3 Sunspot 6:52
4 Double Blues 7:12
5 This Over That 6:08
6 Ralphone 5:11
7 The Palace (To Wena) 6:42
8 Looking For Elba 5:49
9 Raumzeit 5:17

Personnel:
Larry Grenadier – bass
Wolfgang Muthspiel – guitar, composer
Andy Scherrer – saxophone

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Label: Material Records ‎– MRE 033-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: Austria
Released: 2011