Simple Songs Christian Muthspiel & Steve Swallow

• 1 Pas De Deux Tranquille 04:37
• 2 Monsieur Satie 05:51
• 3 Viennese Marketplace 01:50
• 4 Himmelblau 03:48
• 5 Let My Children Waltz 03:26
• 6 Lullaby for Moli 04:43
• 7 (F) All Blues 04:59
• 8 Mildred, Bim & Mohamed 07:03
• 9 Mein! Yours? 05:38
• 10 Is the Moon Still Blue 05:02
• 11 Hymn to Health 05:52
• Total Runtime 52:49

Info for Simple Songs

Simple Songs is the title of Christian Muthspiel's latest album, which was recorded in 2013 in duo with Steve Swallow.

Aside from Werner Pirchner‘s "Himmelblau", the eleven duos which Christian Muthspiel composed especially for this CD form a cycle of duets in the mood set by the first track, "Pas de deux tranquille". Muthspiel is featured on trombone, piano, e-piano, toy 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 refinement 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.

Christian Muthspiel produced the artwork for the CD cover and booklet using a special Hinterglastechnik, done with wood ash and white acrylic paint behind glass. Through the combination of text and image, this series of Muthspiel paintings entitled "Pas de deux" rounds out this important recording project which Muthspiel managed to achieve in the past year, step by step, song by song, finding his way back to composing and playing music after a pause of several months due to a condition which caused a serious loss of hearing.

Christian Muthspiel, trombone, piano, e-piano, toy piano, flutes
Steve Swallow, bass

Christian Muthspiel
Born in Judenburg, Austria, in 1962; at the age of 6 piano lessons, of 11 additional trombone lessons. Studies at the Musikhochschule Graz (Trombone classical and jazz), all studies broken off “in time”; 1987/88 scholarship at the School of Fine Arts in Banff/Canada.

As trombonist, pianist, composer, and conductor, Christian Muthspiel is internationally active in the areas both of jazz/improvised music and of new and classical music. Numerous invitations to perform, produce, and conduct in many important musical centers of the world and compositions commissioned by renowned orchestras, ensembles and soloists prove the innovative cross-over quality of his work. The field of activity and possible cooperations with interpreters of his musical inventions reaches therefore from small jazzbands to symphony orchestras and electronic multi-media operas.

Besides many guest appearances as a conductor he regularly worked in long-term cycles with the Munich Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra “recreation” Graz, Camerata Salzburg, Festival Orchestra Ludwigsburg and ensemble “die reihe”,

In addition to numerous compositions for his jazz ensembles and bands Muthspiel´s long list of commissioned works includes several concerts for solo instruments and orchestra as well as ensemble pieces, works for voices, choir, music theatre and ballet. Amongst many others, he received commissions from ARD, Musikverein Vienna, Staatsoper Hannover, Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, the Siemens Arts Program, Philharmonie Essen, Ruhrtriennale Festival, Kurt-Weill-Foundation, Klangforum Vienna and Brucknerhaus Linz.

Muthspiel´s compositions where performed by soloists such as Angelika Kirchschlager, Gautier Capuçon, Håkan Hardenberger, Benjamin Schmid and Clemens Hagen.

Since 2017 all signations and jingles of Radio Ö1 are composed and produced by Christian Muthspiel.

In 2019 he founded ORJAZZTRA VIENNA, a 18 piece jazz orchestra, which is his current and major jazz project he conducts and composes for.

Amongst the jazz bands he led are: Duo with Steve Swallow, quartet with Swallow, Matthieu Michel and Franck Tortiller, „Yodel Group“, amongst others with Bobby Previte and Jerome Harris, and large jazz ensembles like „Motley Mothertongue“ and „Octet Ost“, with Tomasz Stanko and Wladimir Tarasov.

Muthspiel was a regular member of the “Vienna Art Orchestra” from 1994 to 2004.

So far, he has recorded 20 Jazz CDs under his own name and in collaboration with his brother and guitar player Wolfgang for the labels Universal Music, ACT and material records.

In 2007 Christian Muthspiel was awarded the Hans Koller Preis as „Musician of the Year”, in 2006 the Austrian Award for Outstanding Achievements in Music as well as the Award for Outstanding Achievements in Music in Lower Austria and, together with Wolfgang Muthspiel, the prestigious German Jazz award “Jazzpott”.

Having started in 2006, a series of up to now 20 exhibitions presenting Muthspiel’s work as a painter, which he kept concealed for a long time, has been taking place at several galleries and museums.

This album contains no booklet.