Guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel's fourth leader date for ECM Records—and his second trio outing for that storied imprint, following Driftwood (ECM Records, 2014)—is a marvel of ingenious interplay, musical sensitivity and absolute sincerity. Joining forces with drummer Brian Blade, a longtime band mate, and bassist Scott Colley, a playing partner from the '90s, Muthspiel delves into the deepest recesses of his mind and sound, delivering a program which is as absorbing as it is refreshing. […] Calling this Muthspiel's strongest set for Manfred Eicher's lauded label may downplay the strengths of its forerunners, but that doesn't make it any less true. Angular Blues, both aligned with and apart from that which precedes it, is a winner through and through.
Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz
There is so much to commend Wolfgang Muthspiel latest recording ‘Angular Blues’: the beautiful textures created by its guitar, bass and drums sonority; the outstanding quality of the musicianship on display; the interesting original compositions which bring forth reflective and introspective improvisations; the unique musical personalities of Wolfgang, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade, all of whom are respectful of the Jazz tradition while, at the same time, bringing forth their own unique, individual voices, and, last but not least, the immediate presence given to the music by ECM’s sterling audio engineering led by Shinya Matsushita. It’s rare that a recording comes fully formed in terms of the excellence of its music, the musicians who perform it and the audio aura that captures it. Angular Blues is one of these singular occasions and Manfred Eicher should be rightfully pleased and proud of his production.
Steven Cerra, Jazz Profiles
Es ist ein Genuss, einem Trio wie diesem zuzuhören. Der Gitarrist Wolfgang Muthspiel, der Bassist Scott Colley und der Schlagzeuger Brian Blade gehören nicht nur zu den Weltmeistern ihres Fachs, sondern kennen sich bereits so lange, das sein Album wie ‘Angular Blues’ klingt, als hätten sich drei Freunde einfach zum intellektuell kammerjazzenden Stelldichein getroffen. Natürlich steckt reichlich Vorbereitung dahinter, bis hin zum perfekt im Tokioer Studio Dede austarierten Sound, dessen Durchsichtigkeit bei gleichzeitiger Präsenz vorbildlich klingt, egal, Muthspiel in Nylon- oder Stahlsaiten greift.
Ralf Dombrowski, Stereoplay
Muthspiel opens the set on classical guitar, which he stays on for the first three tracks. ‘Wondering’ begins with a double bass showcase for Colley, who plays the theme, followed by a guitar solo. The whole piece is a beautiful acoustic statement, strong enough to set the tone for the whole album. […] The electric guitar part of the set is varied. But high points certainly include ‘Ride,’ a fast bebop tune with the whole band in synch. The two ‘Kanon’ pieces both feature Muthspiel with digital delay, creating the canon effects of the title. ‘Kanon in 6/8’ initially employs a single delay, with the trio filling in—as well as a bit of over-driven guitar. ‘Solo Kanon in 5/4’ also uses delay, but here Muthspiel actively interacts with it to create a polyphonic texture all by himself. […] The acoustic and electric selections are equally satisfying; one could easily imagine an entire trio album with classical guitar. But whatever Muthspiel does next will be worth waiting for.
Mark Sullivan, All About Jazz
Die Band mit dem Bassisten Scott Colley und dem Drummer Brian Blade (einem alten Weggefährten von Muthspiel, im übrigen auch seit 2000 der Schlagzeuger von Wayne Shorter) fährt zwar gelegentlich enge Kurven entlang schroffen Brüchen (das meint auch der Titel der CD: ‘Angular Blues’), aber sie schafft, anderseits, weite Räume und zeichnet sich, abgesehen von schnellem und dichtem Interplay (‘no nonsense’), durch eines aus: Grosszügigkeit. Muthspiel, der auf drei Titeln ein akustisches, auf sechs weiteren eine ebenso warm klingendes elektrische Instrument spielt, ist ein starker Lyriker; er liebt das Lapidare ebenso wie das Vieldeutige. […] Freilich gelingen Muthspiel und seinen kongenialen Partnern nicht nur solche Quadraturen des Kreises, will sagen: die Verbindung von Sperrigem mit der flüssigen Verfertigung der Gedanken beim Spielen, sondern auch geradezu herzergreifend Balladeskes wie das Stück ‘Hüttengriffe’, eine Art säkularer Alpsegen, oder das nachdenkliche ‘Camino’. Zwei Etüden über die barocke Form des Kanons, eine im Trio, eine auf der Solo-Gitarre, sind zaubervolle ‘Spiegelfechtereien’. Ebenso verspielt wie powerful.
Peter Rüedi, Weltwoche
Lately, under the seal of the ECM Records, he has been exploring mostly original compositions in the quintet and trio formats. And it was exactly in the latter configuration that ‘Angular Blues’ was shaped, a sonically pleasant recording that relies on the rhythmic elegance of bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade. If the drummer is a regular partner, the bassist replaces Larry Grenadier and gives his first contribution to a project by Muthspiel. But let me tell you, he reacts with the intimacy of a family member. […] My favorite piece on the album is ‘Kanon in 6/8’, which puts the triumvirate’s quick-witted communication on display. They go full steam ahead, applying cascading designs and a pliant rhythmic control, in a piece that also highlights the bandleader’s superb harmonic qualities and soloing dexterity, here with a modest tendency for rock. There’s also a solo classical-like version of this piece in 5/4, expressed with an improvisatory flair and where a sense of calm pervades. Muthspiel’s new trio effort is simultaneously refreshing and comforting.
Felipe Freitas, Jazztrail
Muthspiel made his first ECM appearance on ‘Travel Guide’ as a member of a cooperative trio with fellow guitarists Ralph Towner and Slava Grigoryan. This is a return to the trio setting – telepathic interplay as rendered on ‘Driftwood’ with Grenadier and Blade. Like so many of the ECM artists, much of the beauty of Muthspiel’s playing lies somewhere between lyrical and atmospheric. This one, excepting ‘Ride,’ which has its own swinging attributes, often falls into dreamy, trance-like fare that reflects musical acuity upon close listening. It’s almost as if space, that he refers to above, is used so judiciously that it becomes the fourth member of the group.
Jim Hynes, Glide Magazine
None of these three players are what you’d call flashy, but together this trio makes powerful and moving music. Impressively, the whole thing was laid down live in a studio in Tokyo in just a few hours, two takes per song, after they spent a couple of nights woodshedding the tunes at the Cotton Club in that city. Everything they do is in service to the music and takes place in close relationship with each other as players. ‘Scott and Brian share my love of song,’ Muthspiel says, ‘while at the same time there is constant musical conversation about these songs.’ That sums it up pretty well.
Gary Whitehouse, Green Man Review
Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel is well-served in his collaboration with bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade by ECM’s characteristically sensitive, transparent sonic style. His latest dispatch for the label displays to full advantage his fingerpicking precision, attractively beady tone, melodic abilities and attention to group dynamics that gives his repertoire drama, color and shape.
Howard Mandel, Downbeat
Despite its relaxed feel, ‘Angular Blues’ offers intense musical sensitivity, keen, active interplay and improvisatory flair. With crystalline production and canny collaboration by three jazz masters, ‘Angular Blues’ adds not only depth and breadth to Muthspiel's ECM catalog, it's weighty enough to own a chapter in the history book of jazz guitar trios.
Thom Jurek, All Music
Over his over 30-year career, Muthspiel is no stranger to exploring all the possibilities of what a trio can accomplish. On ‘Angular Blues’ his explorations include peaceful meditations such as the soulful, contemplative ‘Hüttengriffe’ on acoustic and the hushed, subtle, electric chord voicings of the sprawling ‘Camino’. The trio lands in bebop territory on the fleet-fingered and energetic ‘Ride’, a welcome change from most of the album's languid pace, and Muthspiel's impressive first foray into the style makes you wish he would venture into this side of the pool more often. Another departure is the relentless ‘Kanon in 6/8’, where around the mid-way point, fierce interplay morphs into a sort of classic Allman Brothers Band-style jazz-rock exploration as Blade's drumming drives Muthspiel's guitar into all-too-brief but glorious overdrive. That's followed by the album's only solo piece, the appropriately-titled ‘Solo Kanon in 5/4’, which makes creative use of electronic delay, somewhat recalling prime solo Stanley Jordan. […] Throughout ‘Angular Blues’, Scott Colley reaches back to his many years of experience holding down the bass chair with the likes of Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny to give just the right amount of virtuosic talent without overwhelming the necessary space to allow these arrangements to captivate fully. Blade displays his usual awe-inspiring fills and unparalleled creativity behind the kit. On top, Muthspiel displays equal parts attack and restraint as he offers example after example of impressive inventiveness on both electric and acoustic guitar. […] The most beautiful moments here stay with you long after the album ends, and you'll find yourself returning to them many times, each time finding something new to explore.
Michael Elliott, Pop Matters
This is clearly the music that is individual, inspired, original and daring. With it these musicians enrich the library of recorded music with repertoire that is highly imaginative performed with distinctive style and ornamentation by musicians who are both inspired and inspirational. The adventurous impressionism of Mr Muthspiel, Mr Colley and Mr Blade will delight with each new listening of the music of ‘Angular Blues’.
Raul Da Gama, Jazzdagama.com
Famos schön, grandios vertrackt, überwältigend komplex.
Ralf Dombrowski, Jazzthing
Muthspiel, der zwischen akustischer und elektrischer Gitarre wechselt, hat dabei zumeist den Hut auf und zeigt einmal mehr, warum er aktuell als einer der wichtigsten Jazz-Gitarristen der Welt gilt. Sein Ton ist weich und warm, seine Dynamik beachtlich. Seine Rhythmusgruppe swingt mal verspielt wie in ‘Ride’, mal akzentuiert sie sparsam die Melodiebögen ihres Leaders wie in ‘Hüttengriffe’. Beide – Blade und Colley – halten sich weitgehend im Hintergrund, glänzen aber mit Kreativität und Spielfreude. Colley tritt mit seinen gefühlvollen Soli immer wieder mal in die Bühnenmitte, bleibt aber stets songdienlich. Die beiden Coverversionen ‘Everything I Love’ (Cole Porter) und ‘I’ll Remember April’ (Gene de Paul/Don Ray) werden respektvoll und mutig zugleich intoniert. Man kann die Freude der Musiker aus jedem Ton hören. Zum heimlichen Höhepunkt gerät ‘Camino’, eine getragene Nummer, in der sich das Trio Takt für Takt enger aufeinander zubewegt und am Ende wie mit einer Stimme spricht. Mit der Rückkehr in die Trio-Formation hat sich Wolfgang Muthspiel ein Stück Freiheit zurückerobert. ‘Angular Blues“ klingt intensiver und fokussierter als der Vorgänger und wächst mit jedem weiteren Durchgang.
Sebastian Meißner, Sounds and Books
Innervé par une esthétique de la sobriété intense et un positionnement historique flottant (voir par exemple le ‘folk-médiéval’ de ‘Hüttengriffe’). ‘Angular Blues’ suscite l’adhésion.
Ludovic Florin, Jazz Magazine
Man kann hören, wie gut sich die drei Musiker verstanden haben. Die Improvisationen und Soli greifen perfekt ineinander. Es entsteht ein dichtes Melodie- und Rhythmusgeflecht. Dank der Ecken und Kanten gibt es immer wieder musikalische Überraschungen, so dass einem die Musik nie langweilig wird und man sie gerne immer wieder hört. Ein klangschönes, herzerwärmendes Trio-Album für dunkle Zeiten.
Johannes Kaiser, Südwestrundfunk
Dieses Trio hat alle Qualitäten, die im Jazz zwischen Bill Evans und Jim Hall möglich sind – und Wolfgang Muthspiels Art Gitarre zu spielen ist einzigartig. Zurückhaltend und berührend zugleich.
Lothar Trampert, Gitarre & Bass
Accompanied by the powerhouse rhythm section of bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade, he delivers one of the most rewarding and satisfying jazz albums I’ve heard so far this year. His tone is soft in the middle but crisp around the edges, and without seeming to show off at all he manages to show off a tremendous stylistic range: […] a 6/8 canon that manages somehow to be funky (‘Kanon in 6/8’), which is followed by a gorgeous solo canon in 5/4, played by guitar alone with a digital delay. ‘Ride’ is a wonderfully cool, smooth piece of harmonically angular bebop, while ‘Hüttengriffe’ is simple, subdued, and beautiful, like something Bill Frisell might have written. There is not a single weak track on this marvelous album.
Rick Anderson, CD Hotlist
Bis auf die beiden Standards ‘Everything I Love’ und ‘I’ll Remember April’ sind sämtliche Kompositionen von Muthspiel. Dabei setzt sich das Repertoire aus neun Stücken zusammen, von denen drei auf der akustischen Gitarre vorgestellt warden. Ein schönes Beispiel dafür ist ‘Wondering’. Nach kurzem Drum-Intro skizziert der Leader das Thema, dessen Melodie durch die markanten Figuren des Bassisten intensiviert wird. Das ebenfalls auf der akustischen Gitarre vorgetragene Stück ‘Hüttengriffe’ klingt wie eine in zarten Tönen vollzogene meditative Wanderung. Einen Kontrast dazu stellt ‘Ride’ dar: Hier greift Muthspiel zur E-Gitarre und lässt mit schnellen Improvisationen die virtuose Power des Bebop aufleben.
Gerd Filtgen, Fono Forum
Der geometrisch dekonstruierte Titeltrack verrät seine blues-basierte Konsistenz nur mit viel Gegenwehr und rückt das Zusammenspiel dreier gleichberechtigter Stimmen in den Fokus. Vier Akkorde und ein melodisches Motiv charakterisieren die verträumt minimalistischen ‘Hüttengriffe’, während die maximale Verzögerung des Delay-Pedals auf einem Kanon im solistischen Vortrag und einem zweiten in tutti zu tragen kommt. Zwei Standards wurden in das gelungene Set ebenfalls eingestreut und runden eine sehr stimmige Trioaffäre elegant ab.
Friedrich Kunzmann, Concerto
Never a grandstander, Muthspiel highlights a fluidly melodic playing style on his fourth album for ECM. Angular Blues is a trio album with two regular associates, the great Brian Blade on drums and Scott Colley playing warm-toned double bass. The first third of the album features acoustic guitar as moods shift from sunny and pastoral through the sharper edges of the title track before the lovely folk ballad ‘Hüttengriffe’. The three play with a relaxed precision that comes from long hours at the bandstand together. When Muthspiel turns to electric guitar the tempo increases with the darting semiquavers of the bop-like Ride. The band play a couple of standards, ‘Everything I Love’ and ‘I’ll Remember April’, in respectful fashion. More remarkable are two tracks where Muthspiel uses a delay box to accompany himself. The guitar-only ‘Solo Kanon in 5/4’, an exercise in fine-spun lyricism with echoes of Scarlatti and Bach, is a high point of a quietly impressive album.
John Bungey, The Times
Rich and pastoral interplay is created by guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel as he leads a symbiotic trio with Scott Colley on bass and deft drummer Brian Blade. Except for his acoustic work on the elliptical title track, he sticks to electrical, with his friends sitting out on the rich droplets of ‘Solo Kanon in 5/4’ to let the leader show his lyrical talents. Together, the three get funky on the bluesy ‘Kanon in 6/8’ with Colley in hip lead form here, as well as on the post bop read of ‘I’ll Remember April’ with Muthspiel supplying deft framework. Blade’s brushes sashay under the leader’s rich melody of ‘Everything I Live’ and gives relaxed cymbal work after Muthspiel provides a lovely solo intro to the relaxed ‘Camino’. The three show how to bop on the supple ‘Ride’ and the interplay throughout is almost telepathic.
George W. Harris Jazz weekly
Ein Album, das den wunderbaren Spagat zwischen melancholisch Bittersüßem und konzentriert bodenständiger Verspieltheit beherrscht. Egal ob er sich dabei der subtilen Stimmungslage seiner akustischen Gitarre widmet, oder, wie im zweiten Teil des Albums, auf seinem elektrischen Instrument brilliert. Muthspiel verbindet auf seinem Instrument Kraft und Freiheit, Poesie und Ästhetik, Wachheit und Innigkeit. Er gestaltet auf ‘Angular Blues’ erstmals als Leader Standards des Jazz nach ganz individuellen Mustern, macht aus Cole Porters ‘Everything I Love’ und dem Dauerbrenner ‘I'll Remember April’ eigene Stücke, lässt diese in einem vorurteilsfreien, selbstbewussten und respektvollem Glanz erstrahlen. Dabei immer klar in der Aussage und spannend in der Dramaturgie.
Jörg Konrad, Kultkomplott
Muthspiel’s ‘Angular Blues’ proves that gifted improvisers can hit their stride in their autumn years. He doesn’t let his agile fingers do all the thinking for him: his lines breathe rather than pant, particularly on the first three tracks, which feature acoustic guitar. Partnered with two receptive players—the drummer Brian Blade and the bassist Scott Colley—Muthspiel demonstrates his artistic maturity, but he still finds moments to loosen the reins, as on the aptly titled ‘Ride.’
Steve Futterman, The New Yorker
With a career verging on three decades, Wolfgang Muthspiel has steadily and quietly made his mark on jazz, eschewing flash for exquisite taste and controlled fire. With nimble grace on his instrument and a chamber music sensibility, the Austrian guitarist tends to sidestep jazz tradition for a more deliberately ephemeral sound, one that fits in well at his current home ECM. However, on ‘Angular Blues’, his fourth album for the German label, he revisits that tradition, bending its forms to his own will. […] For the first time in years, the six-stringer adds a pair of classics – the much-covered Patti Page standard ‘I Remember April,’ given a jaunty reading here, and an smoothly swinging ‘Everything I Love,’ from the catalog of the immortal Cole Porter. […] The record achieves its highest flight on ‘Kanon in 6/8,’ a successful fusion of classical training and jazz tradition. This original tune isn’t an adaptation of a classical piece, but it’s a true fusion that uses the technique of one to further the goals of the other. It swings, it burns, and it melds these musicians into a masterful ensemble. Its companion ‘Solo Kanon in 5/4’ is also a highlight, mostly eschewing overt jazz tradition for an almost pure classical piece that gets more ethereal as it goes along. If there were a chamber recital in space, this song would be a lock for the repertoire. […] Muthspiel keeps to his strengths: a keen touch for melody and a simmering energy that keeps his performances compelling even at their most mellow. He expertly balances these instincts on ‘Angular Blues’, making it one of his best albums so far.
Michael Toland, Rock & Roll Globe (5 out of 5 stars)
The dialogue and interplay is never less than thrilling – Wolfgang nimble-fingered on the acoustic for the title track as Blade shades in and around the moans from Colley’s bass. Elsewhere, the guitar is left alone to make the main statement in the opening (‘Camino’) with the rhythm section so subtle in support. But Blade’s dynamic approach is felt across fast brushwork one minute (‘Ride’) and in Max Roach-like swing waltzes the next (‘Everything I Love’). The connection of these players – their trio skills that they bring from separate engagements as well as in this work together – is felt on ‘Kanon in 6/8’, before Muthspiel is left on his own for ‘Solo Kanon in 5/4’. […] The way this trio tosses the ball around is a joy, but this is never a Harlem Globetrotters-styled showcase. They all take turns offering perfect assists, they are a team and this is tight, invigorating modern jazz.
Simon Sweetman, Off the Tracks
In den ersten drei Stücken erleben wir Wolfgang Muthspiel an der akustischen Gitarre, die Interaktion mit seinen beiden Kollegen ist traumhaft. Ein Geniestreich ist das dritte Stück ‘Hüttengriffe’, das sehr schlicht, aber gleichzeitig weihevoll anfängt und in das Colley und Blade ganz sanft und vorsichtig einsteigen. Die einfache Melodie entwickelt schnell Suchtpotenzial, und Blades simpler Country-Beat, nur von vereinzeltem Beckenrauschen unterbrochen, ist genau das, was dieser Song braucht. […] mit ‘Angular Blues’ hat sich der Österreicher noch einmal selbst übertroffen. Das Album ist eine seltene Sternstunde, die schon jetzt zu den besten Aufnahmen des noch jungen Jahres zählt.
Rolf Thomas, Jazzthetik
Interestingly, the first three compositions feature Muthspiel on acoustic guitar, and all are very different. The opener, 'Wondering' does just that, capturing that floating feeling that Wolfgang and Brian Blade exploit so well, with Colley providing the anchor. 'Angular Blues' is aptly titled with the guitarist advising that Chick Corea's ‘Three Quartets’ album and Thelonious Monk were in his mind when writing the piece. The third and final piece for the acoustic instrument is on the hauntingly lyrical 'Hüttengriffe' which sums up neatly the first part of the album. The switch to electric guitar continues the preceding tunes but with the Muthspiel seemingly able to suspend time and motion and heard on 'Camino' before displaying his jazz chops on the bebop rhythm changes on 'Ride', his first ever composition in this style on record. Another first is the inclusion of a couple of standards on one of his ECM recordings. […] Another solid and enjoyable album from the guitarist, who with each new recording continues to constantly evolve and consolidate lessons learned and taking his playing to another level.
Nick Lea, Jazz Views
Brian Blades Basstrommel legt einen unbestimmten Puls auf, zur rasselnden Snare spielt die Akustikgitarre ein skeptisches Akkordmuster, dann singt Scott Colleys kerniger Bass die Melodie von ‘Wondering’: Das vierte Album des 55-jährigen Wolfgang Muthspiel […] beim Label ECM eröffnet fragend und zeigt auch in Cole Porters ‘Everything I Love’, was ein freigeistiges Trio in Hochform aus musikalischem Material herauskitzeln kann.
Renée Zipperlen, Badische Zeitung
Wolfgang Muthspiel’s compositions deceptively hide their complexity and nuance at first glance. Yet each additional listening uncovers a new level of joy. All the players are given room to stretch and feed off of each other. Muthspiel’s tone and textures are hypnotic, and bassist Scott Colley provides a rhythmic tension with his interactions with Blade. Another favorite from the album is ‘Camino,’ but you can’t go wrong with any of the songs on ‘Angular Blues’.
Preston Frazier, Something Else
Wolfgang Muthspiel führt seine Gitarre in einsame Trio-Höhen.
Rolf Thomas, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Auf der einen Seite sind es die erfreulich individuellen, ganz auf Melodien und deren Entwicklung fokussierten Kompositionen zwischen elegischen Balladen, Kanons und geschäftigen Bebop-Stücken, auf der anderen ist es das erdige, unaufgeregte, immer leidenschafltiche Zusammenspiel der drei Musiker, die dieses Album so bemerkenswert machen. Kurz, dieses Trio hat wie wenige andere seinen eigenen Sound. Muthspiel schafft es immer wieder, die Musik in unerwartete Richtungen zu lenken, ohne sie konstruiert klingen zu lassen. Blades schon sprichtwörtlich luftiges, oft nur getupftes und eben doch unglaublich intensives Schlagzeugspiel sowie Colleys weiche, organisch fließende Basslinien umrahmen die akustische und elektrische Gitarrenarbeit kongenial.
Ingo Baron, Mint
Woven in close intimacy in a Tokyo recording studio and mixed in the South of France, Muthspiel's latest CD for ECM insinuates itself on the patient listener and leaves a lasting impression. In here are variety of guitar-led tunes, three played on acoustic and the other six on electric guitar. […] ‘Angular Blues’ is a grower, an album rich in moody secrets.
Paddy Kehoe, RTE
Wolfgang Muthspiel bedient sich auf dieser CD sowohl der akustischen als auch der elektrischen Gitarre und lässt dabei all seiner filigran-schwebenden Gelassenheit freien Lauf. Er legt weite Landschaften auf, durchmisst sie mit melodischer Leichtfüßigkeit, raut sie mit kurzen, kantigen Riffs rhytmisch auf und teilt sie energetisch im präzis sich immer wiederfindenden, wogenden Dreierreigen des eng verwobenen Gespanns. […] Mit ‘Everything I Love’ und ‘I’ll Remember April’ präsentiert Wolfgang Muthspiel erste Standards seiner ECM-Zeit in einem sich neu erfindenden Da capo, womit er neben seiner lichten Vielseitigkeit und aufgeräumten Spielfreude zeigt, dass seine in steter Wachsamkeit wache, kreative Phantasie vollends Einklang gefunden hat mit dem Kosmos seines Instruments.
Klaus-Martin Bresgott, Zeitzeichen
