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Product Description Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel makes his ECM leader debut with Driftwood, a trio album of subtlety and depth featuring renowned US jazz players Larry Grenadier and Brian Blade. The group creates a ravishing sound, captured with fidelity at Rainbow Studio in Oslo. Lyrical, grooving and atmospheric by turns, the guitarist's compositions on this highly attractive recording include tributes to his heroes Joe Zawinul and Michael Brecker. Wolfgang Muthspiel - who made his first ECM appearance on 2013's Travel Guide as a member of a cooperative trio with fellow guitarists Ralph Towner and Slava Grigoryan - has enjoyed long, productive musical friendships live and on record with both Grenadier and Blade, leading to a sense of telepathic interplay on Driftwood. The guitarist has been praised by The Times for his "restless musical imagination".At the Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Muthspiel studied both classical and jazz guitar, subsequently winning national competitions for classical music as well as the International Guitar Competition in Mettman, Germany. Interested in improvisation from an early age, in 1986 he emigrated to the US to study at the New England Conservatory with teachers including Mick Goodrick. At The Berklee School of Music he met Gary Burton who invited him to join his quintet.While based in New York from 1995 to 2002, he participated in a great variety of musical projects with artists including Rebekka Bakken, Trilok Gurtu, Youssou N'Dour, Gary Peacock, Dave Liebman, Peter Erskine and many others. Current projects include a duo with Brian Blade, a quartet featuring pianist Jean-Paul Brodbeck, and a trio with Larry Grenadier and Chris Cheek. In addition to his jazz projects, Muthspiel writes for contemporary classical ensembles and has received commissions from the Ensemble for New Music Zurich, Kangforum Wien, The Austrian Ministry of Arts, the Boston-based Marimolin ensemble and more.Personnel: Wolfgang Muthspiel (guitar), Larry Grenadier (double bass), Brian Blade (drums) Review (4 stars) Blade is a poet of the drum set, and Grenadier a poised combination of solidity and unpredictability. Still, it is Muthspiel's range as a player and skill as a composer that define this darkly introspective work. --The Irish Times, (Cormac Larkin), June 6, 2014(4 stars) Driftwood only slowly reveals its secrets. The subtle details and reflective moods tend to mask the wide-ranging nature of Muthspiel's influences but they are all here...it's as soft-focus and elegant an ECM recording as you can get. --Jazzwise, (Selwyn Harris), July 2014(4 stars) Balancing careful understatement with intense and involved group interplay, Driftwood packs a considerable punch in the way atmosphere is built and improvisational direction unfolds. --Marlbank, (Stephen Graham), May 17, 2014Uptown, with its punchy strumming and tight Grenadier/Blade interventions, the snappy and eventually raw-toned Highline and the hymnally hip Bossa for Michael Brecker lift the intensity, and the acoustic, distantly Spanish Driftwood boldly makes a free improvisation into the title track. --The Guardian, (John Fordham), May 23, 2014Cambiata has a fine Spanish-tinged melody. Highline begins with electric guitar and arco bass - Grenadier has a great sound here reminiscent of Miroslav Vitous - then moves into an expansive guitar/drum duet over the simplest possible bass figure. Blade is unfailingly sympathetic throughout, and his attention to detail a marvel. Everything oozes quality, with the recording of the bass in particular coming across wonderfully...there is plenty to reward close listening once it gets your attention. --LondonJazzNews, (Jon Turney), June 17, 2014Grenadier's rich woody bass and Blade's gentle cymbal and tom-tom work on pieces like Cambiata and Madame Vonn is lovely. There is also some gorgeous arco work from Grenadier throughout the album. --The Jazz Breakfast, (Peter Bacon), June 18, 2014Cambiata has a fine Spanish-tinged melody. Highline begins with electric guitar and arco bass - Grenadier has a great sound here reminiscent of Miroslav Vitous - then moves into an expansive guitar/drum duet over the simplest possible bass figure. Blade is unfailingly sympathetic throughout, and his attention to detail a marvel. Everything oozes quality, with the recording of the bass in particular coming across wonderfully...there is plenty to reward close listening once it gets your attention. --LondonJazzNews, (Jon Turney), June 17, 2014 Review: EXCELLENT EUROPEAN GUITARIST RELEASES DEBUT E C M ALBUM - I RECENTLY BOUGHT THE E C M ALBUM "TRAVEL GUIDE" WITH RALPH TOWNER,SLAVA GRIGORIAN AND MUTHSPIEL , AND IT WAS AN ENJOYABLE GUITAR TRIO ALBUM WITH SOME SUPERB PLAYING FROM ALL THREE OF THEM. I WAS INTERESTED IN THE ELECTRIC GUITAR SOUND ON THE ABOVE RELEASE,WHICH WAS PROVIDED BY MUTHSPIEL, AND DECIDED TO TRY THIS LATEST ALBUM BY MUTHSPEIL AND HIS OWN TRIO ; IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT - MUTHSPIEL CREATES TENSION ON ELECTRIC GUITAR BUT HIS PLAYING IS RESTRAINED AND TASTEFUL,AND HIS NYLON-STRING CLASSICAL GUITAR PLAYING IS EQUALLY FLUENT AND MELODIC. I ENJOY LOOKING FOR AND DISCOVERING NEW GUITAR TALENT(NEW TO MYSELF AT LEAST) AND I AM VERY PLEASED WITH THIS RELEASE, WHICH CONTAINS GREAT MUSIC - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! Review: Five Stars - Great album!
| ASIN | B00JFIPTXQ |
| Best Sellers Rank | 245,496 in CDs & Vinyl ( See Top 100 in CDs & Vinyl ) 3,031 in Vocal Jazz |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Customer reviews | 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (25) |
| Item model number | 28930850 |
| Label | ECM Records |
| Manufacturer | ECM Records |
| Number of discs | 1 |
| Original Release Date | 2014 |
| Product Dimensions | 14.4 x 12.9 x 1.19 cm; 104.04 g |
R**E
EXCELLENT EUROPEAN GUITARIST RELEASES DEBUT E C M ALBUM
I RECENTLY BOUGHT THE E C M ALBUM "TRAVEL GUIDE" WITH RALPH TOWNER,SLAVA GRIGORIAN AND MUTHSPIEL , AND IT WAS AN ENJOYABLE GUITAR TRIO ALBUM WITH SOME SUPERB PLAYING FROM ALL THREE OF THEM. I WAS INTERESTED IN THE ELECTRIC GUITAR SOUND ON THE ABOVE RELEASE,WHICH WAS PROVIDED BY MUTHSPIEL, AND DECIDED TO TRY THIS LATEST ALBUM BY MUTHSPEIL AND HIS OWN TRIO ; IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT - MUTHSPIEL CREATES TENSION ON ELECTRIC GUITAR BUT HIS PLAYING IS RESTRAINED AND TASTEFUL,AND HIS NYLON-STRING CLASSICAL GUITAR PLAYING IS EQUALLY FLUENT AND MELODIC. I ENJOY LOOKING FOR AND DISCOVERING NEW GUITAR TALENT(NEW TO MYSELF AT LEAST) AND I AM VERY PLEASED WITH THIS RELEASE, WHICH CONTAINS GREAT MUSIC - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
M**Z
Five Stars
Great album!
B**N
Dynamic sound of the GREAT Martin Wieland
a tad disappointing as the disc only plays for about 42minutes and Wolfie doesn't really get a chance to develop his chops on this his debut "Solo" ECM disc.It's a typical tasteful ECM disc where Eicher doesn't get the musicians to play with a bit more passion which is only accentuated by the depressingly restrained engineering of Kongshaug.This is by far the main reason why SO MANY ECM RECORDINGS have been severely damaged in the sonic sense of the word.Just compare say"Tribute" and "Still Live" by the Keith Jarrett Trio and you"ll hear the difference between the Tasteful sound of Kongshaug and the more Meatier,Dynamic sound of the GREAT Martin Wieland.There are several other examples that show this contrast.Thank God that Kongshaug wasn't entrusted with the recording of "Survivor's Suite" or "Psalm" to take two at random.Nuff said.
G**F
This is a sublime piece of music. Though the album plays through quite cohesively from beginning to end, there is great variety to the grooves, sounds, textures, and the compositions themselves. Some are played on electric guitar with a cool, modern crunchy sound, others with delicate and lush acoustic playing, both with pick and fingerstyle. This album is unapologetically and uncompromisingly subtle. For example, on "Highline"-- which is an uptempo swinger with dense rhythmic chords eventually serving as the melody or "head"-- there is a couple of minutes of floaty playing with bowed bass, ride cymbal, and background chords which are different from the melody, before the bass begins a tight, repeated rhythmic figure, and the head is finally stated. This is unusual in jazz and in my book, refreshing. Muthspiel uses what I assume to be a loop effect which allows him to play chords or do atmospherics with the guitar, then launch into a solo on top of it. He does this with extreme precision and taste. Check out his chording on "Bossa for Michael Brecker" for an example of this. I have heard other guitarists do this on record, such as Bill Frisell, but not this well. There is a lot of emotion in the music, and heavy musicianship on display, and though all three have impeccable technique, they are clearly prioritizing presenting the music with passion, clarity, and taste without concern for flashiness. Lastly, I will say that sonically, this is one of the finer recordings I have in my collection. I have enjoyed listening to it at relatively high volume in the car-- the beautiful wood tones of the bass, the incredible dynamics of Brian Blade's drum and cymbal work (which employs great use of brushes, mallets, "hot rods" and sticks), and as mentioned above, the guitars. There is no doubt that this is an ECM album, in a good way. It may yet become one of my favorites, and that is saying a lot!
コ**レ
あなたの趣味は何ですか？ と聞かれて「ジャズを聴いたり演奏することです」と答えると、 きまって「それは、おしゃれですね！」と返ってくる。 私はひねくれ者なので、そう言われるといつもがっかりしてしまうのです。 ジャズ＝「カクテルが似合うおしゃれな音楽」とイメージする人たちが本当に多いです。 カクテル・ジャズとは対極に位置するこのムースピールの音宇宙は、 私のひねくれ心を満たしてくれることを大いに期待し、襟を正して聴くわけです。 今回の作品は、フレンドリートラベラーでおなじみの名ドラマー、ブライアン・ブレイドと ＥＣＭでの録音ということで、アコギからエレギまで効果的にエフェクトも使い、 彼等の別世界へ旅行させてもらえるなどと、かなり期待が膨らんでおりました。 通して聴いた印象は、いつもにも増して全体が寂しく孤独な内省的な音の連続で ダイナミズムや別世界へ飛び出すような斬新さやファンタジーはありません。 リズムセクションと共に、突き抜ける曲が１曲でもあればイメージは良くなるのですが・・・ とにかく終始抑制された演奏です。 それもこれも、マンフレート・アイヒャーの計算なのでしょうか？ アルコベースが聴ける＃４や＃８は３人の内に秘めたパワーを感じる好演奏ですが、 ここでは、水しぶきを上げながら煌めき、轟音と共にダイナミックに流される流木のごとく、 もっともっと豪快にはじけて欲しいところです。 私の期待が大きすぎたのでしょう！ 聴き終えると私はかなり欲求不満です。 その欲求不満を解消したいため、新たな発見を求めてまた聴いてしまうという妙に気になる音ではあります。
P**O
Un très bon disque, une musique intime, un groupe de excellents musiciens qui dévoilent des paysages avec un sens de équilibre remarquable. Merci! Le disque est bien arrivé en parfaites conditions. Mes sentiments les plus distingués. Pedro
J**R
Nothing less than brilliant, with players like Muthspiel, Grenadier and Blade. The quality of the recording is fantastic, lending itself to the subtle nuances of the performances. Overall a solid effort, with great improvisation and interaction.
J**N
I have been following Wolfgang Muthspiel for twenty years, and his latest offering is a bit more textural, ethereal, and atmospheric than some of his earlier work. This is the sign of a mature master at work, both in terms of the compositions, and his choice of musicians for this outing: Larry Gernadier and Brian Blade, both masters in their own right. While the playing is passionate and expert, the mood is nuanced, sensitive, and integrated. The level of interaction, and the sympathy these players have for each other and the material is inspiring and uplifting. A wonderful choice to accompany moonlight on the deck, or champagne brunch al fresco. Quite simply a lovely recording.
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