Travel Guide

The members of this distinguished international and intergenerational guitar trio—Ralph Towner (the U.S.), Wolfgang Muthspiel (Austria), and Slava Grigoryan (Kazakhstan/Australia)—are all well traveled. Instead of writing a book, however, they've assemble an evocative second album together that moves between Western classical and modern jazz, with touches of European folk forms like flamenco providing some spice. Released by ECM—a label that's famous for its austere production values—this album sounds as crisp as a sunny winter day, with each guitarist easily recognizable in the mix. This is partly by design: Muthspiel is on a hollow-body electric while the other two alternate between classical, 12-string, and baritone acoustic guitars—but there's also a group chemistry born out of their individual styles. “Windsong” is a perfect example of that dynamic. While the overall tone here is contemplative, things heat up nicely on the melodic “Die Blaue Stunde” and particularly on “Nico and Mithra,” which has a John McLaughlin–esque ferocity to it. It all adds up to a fine addition to the canon of guitar-summit recordings.