Trombone: Muthspiel, Christian

Motley Mothertongue

Parts of a Shattered Love Story (Jazz Documentary)

Catalogue Number: MID1324518X

The Austrian trombonist, pianist, composer and conductor has established his reputation on the international scene as an innovator who seeks to break down the boundaries between jazz and modern classical forms. Muthspiel collaborated with lyricist Bernd Hagg on this project, bringing together a special line-up of versatile instrumentalists who embrace the duality of improvisation and the interpretation of composed contemporary music. He has added to this the contrasting voices of Gail Anderson, an Afkican American singer steeped in jazz, rhythm and blues and soul, and two artists who find their natural home on the operatic and concert stage: Cornelia Horak (soprano) and Anna Clare Hauf (alto).

The mix of styles creates a dialogue in which the sensuality and improvisational joy of jazz inflect the banter around pre-scored sounds. Time and again, the cool, atonal and compositional elements get sucked up in whirls of excitement, such as the guitar solos by trombonist Christian Muthspiel's brother, Wolfgang.