Fifty-year-old Wolfgang Muthspiel is one of the most influential guitarists of his generation. The 30-odd albums he has released to date contain largely his own compositions, making him a well-established composer to boot. Having begun his studies on classical guitar, Muthspiel is able to express his musical ideas on acoustic guitar with as much ease as he improvises on an electric instrument. As a scholarship-holder at Boston's Berklee College of Music, and under the mentorship of Mick Goodrick, the doors to the thick of New York's jazz scene soon opened up before him, leading to the opportunity to tour with Gary Burton for two years. Later, he worked with, among others, Rebekka Bakken, Trilok Gurtu, Dhafer Youssef, Dave Liebman, Peter Erskine, Paul Motian, Gary Peacock, John Patitucci and the Vienna Art Orchestra. Entering the new millennium, Muthspiel started his own record label, toured in a highly acclaimed, high-energy duo with drummer Brian Blade, in a guitar trio with Slava Grigoryan and Ralph Towner, was commissioned to write as a contemporary composer in his native Austria, and taught at the City of Basel Music Academy. For a number of years, he has also performed and recorded as a singer, and was listed among the world's top ten guitarists by Musician Magazine. One of the Hans Koller Prize-winning Muthspiel's most exciting projects - leading to sell-out concerts worldwide - is the trio he performs in with bassist Larry Grenadier and either Blade or Jeff Ballard on drums. Grenadier - a favoured associate of Brad Mehldau, John Scofield, Pat Metheny and the late Michael Brecker - got to know Muthspiel during his years with Gary Burton, while Jeff Ballard - who has accompanied Ray Charles, Chick Corea, Mehldau and Joshua Redman - is an ideal partner on drums.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest