An international summit meeting, “Travel Guide” features US guitarist Ralph Towner, Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, and Kazakhstan-born and Australia-raised guitarist Slava Grigoryan. The three musicians first came together in 2005, initially for concerts in Australia, and have since toured widely. A 2009 recording on Muthspiel’s Material Records label documented the group’s early progress. Ralph Towner subsequently brought the project to ECM and the trio recorded this album in Lugano in August 2012, with Manfred Eicher as producer. Towner has been a key ECM recording artist for more than 40 years, while Muthspiel and Grigoryan make label debuts here. Grigoryan is well known as the preeminent Australian classical guitarist of his generation, and Muthspiel’s been an important figure on the transatlantic jazz scene for two decades, with his own bands and as a contributor to groups of Gary Burton, Paul Motian and many others. What all three guitarists share is a strong feeling for structure, a sense for lyrical improvisation and a feeling for space, harnessing instrumental technique to very graceful musical ends. Repertoire features five compositions by Towner, and five by Muthspiel.
Travel Guide
Ralph Towner, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Slava Grigoryan
Ein internationales Gipfeltreffen der Gitarristen: Auf Travel Guide treffen der US-Amerikaner Ralph Towner, der Österreicher Wolfgang Muthspiel und der in Kasachstan geborene, aber in Australien aufgewachsene Slava Grigoryan aufeinander. Die drei Musiker hatten sich erstmals 2005, ursprünglich für Konzerte in Australien, zusammengetan und waren seitdem ausgiebig zusammen auf Tour. Eine 2009 auf Muthspiels Label Material Records veröffentlichte Aufnahme dokumentierte die frühen Arbeiten der Gruppe. Ralph Towner brachte das Projekt dann zu ECM. Das vorliegende Album nahm das Trio mit Manfred Eicher als Produzent im August 2012 in Lugano auf. Towner gehört seit mehr als 40 Jahren zu den Schlüsselfiguren unter den für ECM aufnehmenden Musikern, während Muthspiel und Grigoryan hier ihre ECM-Debüts geben. Grigoryan gilt als der herausragende Klassikgitarrist seiner Generation in Australien. Muthspiel ist seit mehr als zwanzig Jahren eine wichtige Figur in der internationalen Jazzszene, sowohl mit seinen eigenen Bands als auch durch seine Mitwirkung in den Gruppen von Gary Burton, Paul Motian und vielen anderen. Allen drei Gitarristen gemeinsam ist ein waches Gefühl für musikalische Strukturen, für lyrische Improvisation und ein besonderes Gespür den Raum. Das Repertoire auf diesem Album umfasst jeweils fünf Kompositionen von Towner und von Muthspiel.
- 1The Henrysons
07:04 - 2Father Time
04:37 - 3Windsong
06:43 - 4Duende
04:29 - 5Amarone Trio
05:42 - 6Travel Guide
06:34 - 7Die blaue Stunde
05:19 - 8Nico und Mithra
03:44 - 9Tarry
01:03 - 10Museum of Light
05:17
Wenn drei Meistergitarristen aufeinander stoßen, ist das Ergebnis meist ein virtuoses Formel-1-Rennen: Man denke an die Aufnahmen von John McLaughlin mit Paco de Lucía und Al Di Meola. Hier geht es anders zu, obwohl ebenfalls drei Meister am Werk sind: Der 73-jährige Amerikaner Ralph Towner, der 48-jährige Österreicher Wolfgang Muthspiel und der 37-jährige Kasache Slava Grigoryan, der seit Kindertagen in Australien lebt, finden zu innigem Musizieren zusammen. Towner und Grigoryan spielen klassische sowie zwölfsaitige bzw. Baritongitarre, Muthspiels dezentes Spiel auf der elektrischen Gitarre ist da kein Fremdkörper. Alle sind sowohl mit der klassischen Tradition wie mit dem Jazz vertraut. Seit acht Jahren treten sie zusammen auf, Travel Guide ist ihr zweites Album. Die 2012 entstandene Aufnahme bringt je fünf Kompositionen von Towner und Muthspiel. Der Klangteppich ist fein gewoben, keiner der drei Solisten spielt sich in den Vordergrund. Vielmehr herrscht ein Geist der lyrischen Versenkung und der Formstrenge; die Technik bleibt stets dem musikalischen Geschehen untergeordnet. Eile mit Weile. Nichts für unruhige Geister, aber ein gelöstes, reifes Album.
Manfred Papst, NZZ am Sonntag
The classical and 12-string guitars of Towner, electric guitar of Muthspiel, and Grigoryan's classical/baritone guitars weave a delicious spell here. With five of the compositions by a confident-sounding Muthspiel and five too by the masterful Towner, it's an album that while gentle at times has a subtle power all of its own and some sumptuous melodies intricately arranged off-set only by brittle textures and that faraway atmosphere Towner has made his own. [...] All three are giving directions rather than taking them on this particular travel guide, it has that optimism and life force.
MB, Marlbank
Since they first made festival appearances together in 2005 and recorded ‘From a Dream’ in 2009, the guitar trio of American Ralph Towner, Austrian Wolfgang Muthspiel, and Kazhak Slava Grigoryan, has shown a remarkable sense of discipline, subtlety, and balance. ‘Travel Guide’ is the occasional group's debut for ECM. Its ten tunes were written by either Muthspiel or Towner. The tonal qualities on all of these tracks are beautifully nuanced: Muthspiel plays electric guitar, Towner classical and 12-string, and Grigoryan classical and baritone guitars. These compositions weren't written for these players to showcase their solo chops, but rather as songs with limited but impeccable improvisation. [...]. ‘Travel Guide’ is an understated, uncluttered gem of virtuosity and composition. The unselfish sense of deference between these players reveals not only their comfort with one another, but the collective confidence of a uniquely voiced, developing group.
Thom Jurek, All Music.Com
Filigrane, funkelnde, teils kontrapunktische Stücke von Towner und Muthspiel. Für Gitarrengourmets.
Berthold Klostermann, Fono Forum
Alle drei sind Kapazitäten ohne Profilierungsnöte. Ihr zweites Album ‚Travel Guide’ wird daher zu einer kammerjazzigen Mischung auf überwiegend gitarristisch akustischer Basis, melodisch feinsinnig, kommunikativ, schwelgend. Es ist eine Verknüpfung der stilistischen Eigenheiten zum gemeinsamen Saitenfest und vor allem: schön zu hören.
Ralf Dombrowski, Audio
Es ist zuweilen schon auch ganz schön, wenn eine Musik den Mut zur Schönheit aufbringt. Sie braucht deshalb nicht spannungslos zu sein, im Gegenteil: den Zuhörer einladen und die Spannung hochhalten ist die Quadratur des Zirkels. Dem Gitarrentrio Ralph Towner (klassische und zwölfsaitige Gitarre), Wolfgang Muthspiel (elektrische Gitarre) und Slava Grigoryan (klassische und Baritongitarre) gelingt genau dies. In zehn Stücken (fünf stammen von Towner, fünf von Muthspiel) breiten sie wechselnd beleuchtete, winddurchwehte Klanglandschaften aus, in denen wir uns frei zu bewegen meinen, und am Ende merken wir allemal, dass wir einer logischen Erzählung vom Anfang an ihr Ende gefolgt sind. Das Gegenteil von kompetitiv ist dieses Trio noch in anderem Sinn: Im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Gitarrentrios hauen sich hier nicht drei Konkurrenten ihre Schnellfingerkünste um die Ohren, alle drei sind Raum-Künstler, die miteinander und nicht gegeneinander spielen, große Melodiker alle drei, alle um einen Sound bemüht (auch Muthspiels elektrisches Instrument ist fabelhaft in den Gesamtklang integriert).
Peter Rüedi, Die Weltwoche
What brings it all together is a tremendous amound of lyricism, sensitive listening, inherent melody and kindred souls to create one of the most sublime sessions in recent memory. Start with ‘The Henrysons’ and just dig into the beautiful interplay and gracious support that each artists submits to the other. The melding of classical strings and electric jazz on ‘Duende’ and ‘Father Time’ is like two generations playing backgammon together, examining each other’s moves. Delicate without being fragile, this is music for a lifetime of listening pleasures.
George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
Three guitarists from three different continents with three very different disciplines unite for this breathtakingly beautiful trio outing, which is Towner’s 24th for the ECM label since 1972 and both Muthspiel’s and Grigoryan’s first on ECM. American Towner (now residing in Italy) brings his personalized fingerstyle approach to the table, while Austrian Muthspiel adds his deft touch on electric guitar and Kazakhstan-born Grigoryan (who was raised in Melbourne) provides a classical sensibility on pieces like Muthspiels delicate and lyrical ‘The Henrysons’ and Towner’s sparse and dramatic ‘Museum Of Light’. [...] Sparks fly on Muthspiel’s kinetic ‘Nico and Mithra’. He and Grigoryan engage in some bristling unison lines on the challenging head before breaking off individually for some stunning solos. The two also combine for some tight, cascading harmony lines on Towner’s invigorating title track, which is one of the high-water marks of this brilliant six-string summit meeting.
Bill Mikowski, Downbeat
This story of three guitar players – from the US, Austria and Kazakhstan – begins in Australia. Ralph Towner and Wolfgang Muthspiel were on tour there, as solo performers, when they crossed paths with Slava Grigoryan. Grigoryan, aware that both Towner’s and Muthspiel’s improvising was influenced by classical playing experience as well as jazz suggested a three-way collaboration. A first tour, in 2005, presented the three of them as soloists, then in duets and finally in trio. After the first few concerts, Muthspiel has reported, they felt very much like a band, and they have continued to play together each year, further developing the group concept. In 2009, the group’s early progress was documented on the album From A Dream, released by Muthspiel’s own Material Records label.
Ralph Towner subsequently brought the project to ECM, and the trio recorded this album in Lugano in August 2012, with Manfred Eicher as producer. Towner has been a key ECM recording artist for more than 40 years, while Muthspiel and Grigoryan, distinguished musicians both, make their label debuts here. Grigoryan is well known as the preeminent Australian classical guitarist of his generation, and Muthspiel’s been an important figure on the transatlantic jazz scene for two decades, with his own bands and as a contributor to groups of Gary Burton, Paul Motian and many others. What all three guitarists share is a strong feeling for structure, a sense for lyrical improvisation and also for space. There is none of the competitive display common to instrumental summit meetings: at all moments the players harness instrumental technique to very graceful musical ends. The repertoire of Travel Guide features five compositions by Towner, and five by Muthspiel.
Ralph Towner subsequently brought the project to ECM, and the trio recorded this album in Lugano in August 2012, with Manfred Eicher as producer. Towner has been a key ECM recording artist for more than 40 years, while Muthspiel and Grigoryan, distinguished musicians both, make their label debuts here. Grigoryan is well known as the preeminent Australian classical guitarist of his generation, and Muthspiel’s been an important figure on the transatlantic jazz scene for two decades, with his own bands and as a contributor to groups of Gary Burton, Paul Motian and many others. What all three guitarists share is a strong feeling for structure, a sense for lyrical improvisation and also for space. There is none of the competitive display common to instrumental summit meetings: at all moments the players harness instrumental technique to very graceful musical ends. The repertoire of Travel Guide features five compositions by Towner, and five by Muthspiel.
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