Kurt Rosenwinkel: Berlin Baritone

Born in 1970, in Philadelphia, Kurt Rosenwinkel began playing guitar at a young age and quickly demonstrated a remarkable talent and an innovative playing style. Later, he studied music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. It was during this time that he began to attract attention within the jazz community for his unique approach to improvisation and his advanced harmonic concepts.

Rosenwinkel left Berklee in his third year to tour with Gary Burton (the dean of the school at the time). Rosenwinkel then moved to Brooklyn, where he quickly established himself as a sought-after sideman, performing and recording with notable musicians such as Brad Mehldau, Paul Motian, and Brian Blade. His first album as a leader was East Coast Love Affair (Fresh Sound, 1996), and has put out at least fifteen more since.

His first solo guitar effort, Berlin Baritone, is a very intimate, personal affair. It is almost as if one is in the recording studio with him and the lights are down. He has explained how it all came about. "When I was at NAMM in 2019 I was at the Collings booth and played their baritone prototype. I fell into the sound and lost myself. When I looked up minutes later, a crowd was around me. There was something magic about this guitar and I felt blissful playing it. I kept thinking about it and how I wanted to make an album of that feeling."

There is an obvious comparison to the solo baritone guitar album by Pat Metheny, One Quiet Night (Warner Bros., 2003). Unlike the Metheny album, Rosenwinkel's is almost all freely improvised (only "Under It All" was pre-written). This release allows a deeper glimpse into his heart and soul and shows several aspects of his style. There is an emphasis on melodic expressiveness, harmonic exploration, rhythmic complexity, and astounding improvisational ability.

The nine tracks on the record each seem to be a snapshot of a side of Rosenwinkel's personality. The album opens with "Peace Please." It is a beautiful song, only 1:28 in length, but serves to welcome the listener into his mindset. "Feelin The Blues" is the longest track (8:30) on the album. It has a lovely intro where he wanders around deciding what he's feeling, before segueing into a sweet, jazzy blues jam.

The record's overall feel is one of quiet beauty, tempered by Rosenwinkel's harmonic understanding and ability to express themes in a unique manner. "Just Chillin'" is another song where the title expresses a feeling. He plays in a laid-back, comfortable manner. It is as if he has only playing for himself and enjoying what he's hearing. "First Impression" shows the harmonic complexity for which Rosenwinkel is renowned. Similarly, "Life Of A Flower" is the most experimental track on the record, reminding us of how multi-faceted he is. It is filled with chordings that somehow come together, flowing fearlessly to further the improvisation.

Talking about the record, Rosenwinkel said, "When the instrument provides such a deep world of sound and beauty I find it is easy to lose myself in the music. I find the deeper range of the baritone to be more satisfying on its own than a normal guitar. It is a bit harder to play compared to a regular guitar. But that just leads to different musical things."

This is an incredibly layered album. It is one which, on repeated listening, offers a greater appreciation of Rosenwinkel's technical virtuosity and creative spirit. A unique release by a singularly talented artist.