Jazz Articles about Wolfgang Muthspiel

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Wolfgang Muthspiel and Brian Blade: Friendly Travelers

by Jeff Dayton-Johnson
April 13, 2007

Friendly Travelers is an attractive set of guitar and drums duets by two widely-traveled (and apparently friendly) musicians. Guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel's ample use of overdubs, loops and other effects is endlessly entertaining and certainly prevents any ennui. This proliferation of guitar voices nevertheless also prevents the listener from focusing carefully on Muthspiel's musical personality. Though capable of classical precision ("Gnadenwald," “Andrej Rublijow"), his soloing on the more explicitly rock-derived numbers is appealingly rough around the edges and expressive.For ...

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Wolfgang Muthspiel and Brian Blade: Friendly Travelers

by Mark F. Turner
March 15, 2007

A confluence of two creative minds merges into an inspiring work on Friendly Travelers. From Austria comes guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, who has garnered international praise in both classical and jazz music including his critically acclaimed Bright Side (2006 Material Records.) Joining him is Brian Blade, who is among jazz's top drummers: leader of Brian Blade Fellowship, member of the recent Wayne Shorter Quartet, and diverse credits with Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and many others. The two have performed together in ...

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Mike Holober: Wish List

by Michael P. Gladstone
November 2, 2006

Wish List is pianist/composer/bandleader Mike Holober's third album, in addition to appearances in the piano chair for the Pete McGuiness Jazz Orchestra, the Jason Rigby Quartet, the Pete McCann Quintet and the Anita Brown Jazz Orchestra. Holober is a New York-based pianist who previously had worked with Nick Brignola's group and whose style has been influenced by such modal pianists as Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock.His first album, Canyon (Sons of Sound, 2003), was produced by another modal ...

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Mike Holober: Wish List

by David Miller
November 1, 2006

The great thing about jazz is that you may think you know a lot about a lot, but in reality you don't know jack. It seems every time I pop in a new record, I learn about a new artist I've never heard before. In listening to Mike Holober's Wish List, I was lucky enough to learn about three: Holober, Tim Ries, and Wolfgang Muthspiel. Wish List is simple enough. It's a straight-ahead recording, with a track ...

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Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio: Bright Side

by Chris May
March 6, 2006

Like the earlier guitar master Johnny Smith, whose extraordinary melodicism and dazzling technique he shares, Wolfgang Muthspiel offers a rare combination of accessibility and sophistication. And with Bright Side he's created an album as lyrical, elegant and poised as Smith's 1953 masterpiece, Moonlight In Vermont (reissued by Roulette, 2004). It's heart-stoppingly beautiful music, and I haven't heard anything as gorgeous, luscious, joyous, shimmering, subtle and divine since Hendrik Meurkens' Amazon River (Blue Toucan, 2005) last summer.

Though he's won numerous ...

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Mike Holober: Canyon

by John Kelman
December 10, 2003

With a strong supporting cast, New York pianist Mike Holober's Canyon delivers a fine first effort of modern post-bop material. Producer Fred Hersch takes Holober, a busy sideman on the New York scene, and places him in the spotlight, garnering the artist broader recognition.

Holober is a lyrical pianist coming from the Evans/Jarrett/Jamal tradition, but while his playing on Canyon is strong and confident, his compositions are the real highlight of the release. The seven originals run the ...

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Mike Holober: Canyon

by Michael P. Gladstone
December 4, 2003

Mike Holober, pianist and composer of most of these songs, is the nominal leader of this combo. However, the bulk of the melody chores are handed to saxophonist Tim Ries. Herein lies the difference. Ries, a veteran New York session player and recording artist with three releases under his own name, plays both soprano and tenor sax. On soprano, he plays with a more metallic sound that takes away from the melody; his approach on tenor is much in the ...