Wolfgang Muthspiel / Mick Goodrick: Live at the Jazz Standard

Guitarists Wolfgang Muthspiel and Mick Goodrick are two like-minded explorers of fretboard possibilities. Goodrick, the elder, has been a renowned performer and educator for over forty years, working with the likes of Gary Burton, Jack DeJohnette and Steve Swallow. Muthspiel, Goodrick's former student at Berklee College of Music has performed with Peter Erskine, Paul Motian and Norwegian jazz singer Rebekka Bakken, among others.

On Live at the Jazz Standard, an intimate duo recording from 2008, both guitarists generate a crystal clear tone with deep sustained lows and rounded highs. Aside from the shared sonic attributes, however, the two play with uncanny stylistic similarities; approaching chord voicings and single-note lines with a pianistic elegance. Muthspiel picks a little heavier and his soloing is slightly more aggressive. This type of exuberance is a harmonious fit to Goodrick's patient unraveling of ideas with no wasted notes.

The set list includes guitarist Bill Frisell's meditative "Throughout," Swallow's "Falling Grace" and a handful of free-form improvised pieces. The two really settle into a communicative groove on the standards "All the Things You Are," "Darn That Dream" and "Stella By Starlight."

More than a disc for guitar enthusiasts, the pairing of Muthspiel and Goodrick results in a thoughtful CD, accessible and full of high-end musical expression.

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