Jazz Articles about Wolfgang Muthspiel

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Wolfgang Muthspiel: ATLAS

by Tyran Grillo
June 18, 2026

There is a special kind of intimacy that can arise when a trio dispenses with the obvious rhythmic anchor of drums. In the right hands, that absence makes every gesture structurally important. On Atlas, guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, trumpeter Mario Rom, and pianist Colin Vallon make precisely that kind of space. Their music is chamber-like in its balance and jazz-rooted in its freedom, with several traditions moving easily through the frame. The album's title is apt not because these pieces try to ...

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Wolfgang Muthspiel Sextet: Dance (4 Prince)

by Mike Jacobs
October 28, 2025

As an avid mixtaper from way back, I subjected (read: introduced) my younger drummer brother to many an unsolicited, 90-minute collection of artists and tunes. Happily, these reportedly did turn him on to a lot of new musical avenues and expanded his horizons. But alas, to reciprocate, I fear he had the much more daunting task of finding music his older brother was unfamiliar with (and was impressed by). This Wolfgang Muthspiel burner from 1992 was a memorable “mission accomplished." ...

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Wolfgang Muthspiel: Tokyo

by Doug Collette
September 26, 2025

Even a mere cursory perusal of Wolfgang Muthspiel's discography reveals how his playing has evolved over the years, populating a body of work that is roundly eclectic, but nonetheless focused. That very summary might well also apply to this third outing with the aforementioned high-profile rhythm section of bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade (ECM, 2023) because on Tokyo, the Austrian guitarist sounds as liberated as in this combo context as on Angular Blues (ECM Records, 2020) and Dance ...

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Wolfgang Muthspiel: Etudes / Quietudes

by Mario Calvitti
March 12, 2025

Per il suo nuovo CD il chitarrista austriaco Wolfgang Muthspiel lascia la label tedesca ECM, che ha ospitato la maggior parte dei suoi album più recenti, per affidarsi a una piccola ma ambiziosa etichetta indipendente svizzera, la Clap Your Hands. Il lavoro, realizzato in completa solitudine, è una raccolta di studi per chitarra classica composti dallo stesso Muthspiel, che mette in mostra il suo lato più classico di cui aveva già occasionalmente dato prova in altre incisioni. Per ...

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Jazz & Wine of Peace 2024 - Part 2

by Luca A. d'Agostino
November 9, 2024

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Wolfgang Muthspiel / Benjamin Koppel / Scott Colley / Brian Blade: Complements Incarnate

by Doug Collette
September 30, 2023

The inveterate musiclover knows all too well how the attraction(s) of certain musician(s) names invariably leads to the satisfaction of hearing them, live or on record, as leaders or accompanists. Bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade are two such musicians whose listing in the credits of any album or showbill invariably invites observation: appearing together and separately on stage and in the studio with saxophonist/composer Benjamin Koppel on Mulberry Street Symphony (Unit Records, 2022) or touring with Julian Lage ...

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Carlo Mombelli: Lullaby for Planet Earth

by Dan Bilawsky
November 4, 2022

Carlo Mombelli's patience is profound. Long a believer in allowing music to unfold at its own pace, the veteran South African bassist/composer demonstrates incredible composure in his every pursuit. Always unforced and forever bound to both the natural and spiritual realms, his art reflects a purity linking the concepts of self- command and surrender. In that respect, in using his own unique voice, he speaks to universal hope and possibilities. There's already plenty of evidence to support ...