Promising Intuitions: Wolfgang Muthspiel Speaks
Photo by Laura Pleifer, courtesy of the artist.
by Henry Mermer
This week, guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel brings his trio—featuring Scott Colley and Brian Blade—to The Jazz Gallery to perform music from their recent ECM release Angular Blues, as well as new music written for an upcoming record. Recently, we caught up with Wolfgang by email to talk about the balancing act of being a composer-performer, playing standards with Paul Motian, and his long-lasting relationship with Scott and Brian.
The Jazz Gallery: What is the pandemic situation like in Vienna right now? Have you been able to perform, or are you mostly at home practicing these days?
Wolfgang Muthspiel: The cultural spaces are open in Austria. There was only one longer and one brief lockdown period. I have been performing, but a few tours had to be cancelled. I am also teaching at the JazzCampus of the Music University of Basel, Switzerland, and luckily this has been going on almost without interruptions. So, the pandemic has hit me less hard than many other musicians.
TJG: How do you see practicing in relation to composing? Does one feed the other? Do you have to put yourself in different headspaces for each?
WM: I try to start my daily music time with a stream-of-consciousness type of free playing, without any rules or expectations. Out of this zone usually emerges either some kind of specific musical scenario which I want to practice or a musical cell that is promising, in terms of a new composition. So yes, the two are related. In a way it’s all the same, looked at from different perspectives.
TJG: One of my favorite albums of yours is Perspective (1996) with Marc Johnson and Paul Motian. Can you tell me about this record date? I’ve always been curious about the opening track, "Gang of 5." It's a Motian composition, and he has this incredible solo to start, and then you play violin! How did all of these choices come together in your preparation and in the studio?
WM: Thank you for that comment. This is one of those magical Motian tunes which creates a strong atmosphere right away, while being completely open in terms of what you do with it. Violin was my first instrument, and Motian liked it when I played violin on the gigs. So this theme of his seemed inviting for the instrument and for the kind of orchestral loop I am creating there. There is nothing like playing free with Paul Motian.
TJG: Not only did Paul play in your group, but you also joined his Electric Bebop Band in the mid-90s and recorded on the album “Reincarnation of a Love Bird.” What did you learn from spending time and making music with Paul? How did you fit in playing with multiple guitarists at once, like Kurt Rosenwinkel?
WM: I am deeply thankful for having had those experiences. I did some periods with the Electric Bebop Band, with different guitarist partners—Kurt Rosenwinkel, Steve Cardenas and Ben Monder. So, that was inspiring in itself, since those three are heavy musicians with strong individual voices. But just the fact that I played all those bebop standards with Paul was priceless. The bassists in that band—Steve Swallow and Jerome Harris—played pretty much only quarter notes, and Paul pushed everything in such an amazing way. And then we had these two great and very different saxophone players—Chris Potter and Chris Cheek. Paul liked it when two people were soloing at the same time; he invited a collective sound and that made the whole thing unique.
TJG: You’re playing with Scott & Brian at the Gallery this week, and you've all played together in different configurations. What excites you about them as a rhythm section?
WM: I feel fortunate to play with them. These are also long musical relationships, with many albums and tours, so there is a huge level of trust. I feel like they really welcome my songs and I feel that they are musicians who play in the moment without any agenda other than their own intuition. They simply react to what they hear and they constantly shape the material.
TJG: How have you composed for this group recently? Are there new types of playing together that you're experimenting with? Where are you hoping the compositions lead you as a trio?
WM: I wrote most of the last album Angular Blues with them in mind. And now, I composed a whole set of new music for our next album. I am very curious how the new tunes will sound with them. The songs get more concrete, and I think the playing gets more free; but we will see how it actually turns out. One of the beauties of our music is that you only know how it sounds once you actually play it in concert.
Wolfgang Muthspiel plays The Jazz Gallery on Thursday, January 27, and Friday, January 28, 2022. Mr. Muthspiel, guitar, will be joined by Scott Colley on bass and Brian Blade on drums. Sets are at 7:30 and 9:30 P.M. E.S.T. each night. $25 general admission ($10 for members), $35 reserved table seating ($20 for members) for each set. The Friday shows will be livestreamed; $20 per set ($5 for members). Purchase tickets here.