Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Wolfgang Muthspiel / Mick Goodrick: Live at the Jazz Standard
Wolfgang Muthspiel / Mick Goodrick: Live at the Jazz Standard
Wolfgang Muthspiel
guitarb.1965
Mick Goodrick
guitar1945 - 2022
Goodrick's playing is legendary and his teaching influential. His 40-plus-year career has found him partnering with the likes of 
Gary Burton
vibraphone
b.1943
Pat Metheny
guitar
b.1954
Charlie Haden
bass, acoustic
1937 - 2014
John Scofield
guitar
b.1951
John Abercrombie
guitar
1944 - 2017
It would be easy, then, for Goodrick's guitar to dominate, but Muthspiel is on equal footing here. This is truly a duo performance as both guitars launch into a give-and-take of support and improvisation that creates a melodic richness throughout.
The album contains a mix of standards and originals, and shifts between more straightforward arrangements and extended explorations. The playing of each artist is precise but fluid and neither loses his melodic edge. Some of these tunes have been played thousands of times and yet each track sounds fresh and innovative.
In addition to the creative arrangements, what stands out is the way the tunes seem to build naturally from the improvisations of each guitarist. That tension adds to the groove instead of overwhelming it.
For a live album, the recording quality is excellent, but also leads to the album's only disappointment. Although billed as a live performance, there is no crowd noise or room vibe. While this is great for the technical quality of the sound, it is a bit of a letdown for the overall feel. It would have been interesting to hear how the crowd reacted to the musical tension these two were creating.
While Live at the Jazz Standard shows both Muthspiel and Goodrick as endlessly creative improvisers and technically brilliant guitarists, it is the combined musical coherence of the duo that really lifts this album up. Establishing an improvisational trust and musical unity is a hard-won combination but Live at the Jazz Standard shows the richness it can create.
">Track Listing
Throughout; Introduction to All the Things; All the Things You Are; Liebslied; Minimal; Falling Grace; Zen; R.E.M.; Darn That Dream; Stella By Starlight.
Personnel
Wolfgang Muthspiel
guitarWolfgang Muthspiel: guitar; Mick Goodrick: guitar.
Album information
Title: Live At The Jazz Standard | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Material Records
Tags
Comments
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Support All About Jazz
All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.
Buy Now
