Christian Muthspiel & Steve Swallow - Simple Songs

Cat. no: IOR771201
Format: LP
Barcode: 798747712019
Release Date: 16 Sep 2022
Genre: Jazz

On the occasion of Christian Muthspiel's 60th birthday, In+Out Records is releasing the album 'Simple Songs' for the frst time on vinyl - limited to 999 copies worldwide and personally hand-signed by the jubilarian

Aside from Werner Pirchner's "Himmelblau", the nine duos which Christian Muthspiel composed especially for this album form a cycle of duets in the mood set by the frst track, "Pas de deux tranquille". Muthspiel is featured on trombone, piano, e-piano and once even on the recorder, alongside Steve Swallow, whose distinctive sound on the bass guitar is perfectly suited for this project.

Overdubs, loops and other electronic effects were intentionally avoided in order to focus on the pure quality of the playing. The underlying principle for all of the compositions on this album was to keep it simple, both in terms of composition and sound; to seek refnement in simplicity and to follow the natural, consistent development of one small musical cell per song. The progression of keys, modes and tempos from one piece to another also played an important role.

The liner notes to this album are by the Austrian writer Christoph Ransmayr, who writes very pictorially: "When I hear the Simple Songs that Christian Muthspiel has composed and then he and his companion Steve Swallow have made twirl and soar and foat, I am sometimes transported to a riverbank in summer, where the branches of a wild elder tree, stones and grasses become the neck and body of a bass guitar or the tuning slide and bell of a trombone played with thrilling ease." 

Tracks: Pas De Deux Tranquille / (F)all Blues / Himmelblau / Viennese Marketplace / Hymn To Health / Monsieur Satie / Lullaby For Moli / Mein! Yours? / Is The Moon Still Blue?

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