An album that will, as the last notes fade away, have you reaching for the repeat button.
ECM 2772 / 557 1798
Wolfgang Muthspiel (guitars); Scott Colley (double bass); Brian Blade (drums)
Recorded February 2022
The guitarist’s tenure with ECM has yielded some magnificent albums, all very different yet without doubt the music of a dedicated individual who is set on a path of self discovery and artistic growth.
Muthspiel is fulsome in his praise for Manfred Eicher and how the producer’s vision has helped focus the music on each of his recordings for the label, but also for how the association has impacted on his playing and concept over the last few years.
From the quintet heard on Where The River Goes and Rising Grace in which the guitarist almost had to reinvent his role within the music to the outstanding trio records, Driftwood and the most recent Angular Bluesit has been a pleasure to hear Muthspiel’s progress.
The work began with this trio with Colley and Blade builds on the previous album for the label and takes a more detailed look at the quieter aspects of the music that can be conjured up.
This statement of intent and exploratory nature of the trio is evident in the long opening track, ‘Invocation’ that explores atmosphere, texture and delicacy in a tune that goes quietly about its business.
That the music is able to draw in the listener into the conversation between the three musicians not as outsiders but as guests encouraged to share the story as it unfolds.
The spaciousness in the music is a joy to behold as each musician contributes to the collective sound. Colley’s bass on ‘Invocation’ is a strong response to the delicacy of Muthspiel’s electric guitar.
This relationship between guitar and bass is again brought to the fore on the thoughtful ‘Liebeslied’ by Kurt Weill which benefits greatly from Blade’s sensitive playing, and bebop inflected lines from the guitarist
In a trio such as this the blues is never far away, but keen also to pursue other avenues Muthspiel also allows his folk influence to be heard as well as his interest in classical music. Therefore, in addition to his electric guitar Muthspiel also feature his playing on classical guitar on the spontaneously conceived ‘Prelude to Bach’.
Improvised on the studio, again the empathy and trust between the musicians. With Muthspiel’s carefully developed melody and Colley’s arco bass the piece develops into something quite special with the added delight that towards the end Muthspiel plays a solo reading of Bach’s chorale ‘O Sacred Head, Now Wounded’.
‘Folksong’ is a wonderfully relaxed performance. The guitar picking out riffs and melodies anchored by Scott Colley’s double bass and this time out the commentary comes from Brian Blade’s subtle drums patterns, and this excellent set from the trio concludes with a gentle and tender rendition of Joni Mitchell’s ‘Amelia’.
A lovely way to bring the album to a close that will, as the last notes fade away, have you reaching for the repeat button.
