The Austrian Muthspiel (guitar) is on his third discographic musical offering with the Americans Scott Colley (bass) and Brian Blade (drums), legends in their own right. This album, aptly named in honour of the city where it was recorded, includes ten tracks, eight of which are original compositions. The two covers bookend the program, a breezy opening Lisbon Stomp by Keith Jarrett, here stripped down to highlight all the details of a fleeting counterpoint, delivered with extreme clarity by the three artists. Colley and Blade seem to play cat and mouse with a guilty pleasure.
Then, at the end of the program, it’s Paul Motian’s Abacus (from the album Misterioso, 1987) whose melody is first teased by Muthspiel before being opened up more freely. The guitarist gives it a more confidential personality, overall, than in the version (also ECM) by Chris Potter and Jason Moran. Then, alongside the original, more fully orchestrated (Frisell, Lovano/Pepper, Schuller) and more harmonically adventurous (almost free at times), Muthspiel induces into it a repose that we did not suspect, but greatly appreciate.
For the rest, Muthspiel weaves rich sound tapestries where he more or less explicitly evokes giants like Weill (Weill You Wait), and Metheny (Strumming) or transports us to seductive soundscapes, such as Flight where the guitarist lightly glides on the enticing breeze blown by Colley and Blade. A bit of virtuoso folk (Roll), introspective dreaminess (Christa’s Dream), and modernism reminiscent of classics like Mompou or Brouwer (Traversia) add a layer of eclectic, yet coherent, depth to the program.
Everywhere, Muthspiel’s nimble and assured fingering, as well as Blade and Colley’s superior artistry, transform complex lines oscillating between clarity and abstraction into nourishing musical constructions, as much for specialists as for novices.
