Wolfgang Muthspiel,
Where The River Goes Review
Wolfgang Muthspiel is a guitarist and composer living in Vienna who is considered to be one of the most forward-thinking guitarists of his generation. Developing a love for music at an early age, leading him to study with Mick Goodrick at the New England Conservatory and later at Berklee College of Music in Boston and then touring with the Gary Burton quintet for two years. For his third album as a leader with ECM Records titled, Where The River Goes, Muthspiel continues to evolve his fast playing style and the genre. The personnel on the date is noteworthy: Brad Mehldau on piano, Eric Harland on drums, Ambrose Akinmusire on trumpet, and Larry Grenadier on bass. Muthspiel composed all but two of the eight tunes on the date. The music is largely atmospheric and grows organically from the band’s listening ability and interaction skills. As a result, each player has room to delve into their own expression within Muthspiel’s musical context. This is jazz that is deep in both its history, listening and performance. For these reasons, Where The River Goes is not to be missed. That’s the short of it!
Where The River Goes
Where The River Goes
For Django
Descendants
Clearing
Buenos Aires
One Day My Prince Was Gone
Blueshead
Panorama
Release Date: October 5, 2018
ECM Records
48 minutes
The personnel on this date is exemplary and they communicate at a level you would expect from such a line-up. Muthspiel spends time on both the electric and nylon-strung guitar. Nice variety of material, from group improvisations to a straight-ahead swing selections composed by Mehldau.