Wolfgang Muthspiel/MartinTaylor/Ralph Towner,28/11/07@Festival Theatre

Mon 3rd Dec, 2007 in Gig Reviews

Among the many and varied treats on offer to axe aficionados at the first edition of the Adelaide International Guitar Festival, the two and a half hours shared by three of the finer exponents of solo guitar in the world, in the aurally pristine setting of the Festival Theatre, was one of the richest. Though they declined what must have been a strong temptation to collaborate on stage, Wolfgang Muthspiel, Martin Taylor and Ralph Towner nonetheless made for a pleasing mix, as Muthspiel, the youngest of the trio, squeezed two sets in between longer stints by the other two.

An Austrian of modest good humour and bookish appearance – on a dark night he could pass for ER stalwart Anthony Edwards – Muthspiel’s place in the guitar spectrum sits somewhere between his contemporary in Kurt Rosenwinkel and his forerunner Pat Metheny. He began with a piece of desolate beauty, emphasising his trademark use of a loop pedal to build a world of sound from the one instrument. Bearing more than a passing resemblance to the work of Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood, it was a pleasingly challenging beginning, and Muthspiel acknowledged the influence when he revealed the song’s title: Radiohead. His second set was notable for a bewitching and individualised take on - œRound Midnight, and through each piece Muthspiel’s commitment to song as well as style and tune as much as technique made him a pleasure to hear.

In between Muthspiel’s bookends was the space reserved for 51-year-old Englishman Taylor, who was able to relate the happy experience of being a rare jazz guitarist wealthy enough to afford two houses. Taylor’s success, with a sound built on the examples of Joe Pass and Tuck Andress, has seen him described as the finest guitarist in Europe, and also earned him an MBE from the Queen. Playing busily on an arch top acoustic jazz guitar, Taylor offered something closer to the archetypal sound expected of jazz players, but his well-travelled approach, while gimmicky at times, produced some moments of real warmth. One was an enjoyably upbeat take on Don’t Know Why, which situated itself some distance away from the meandering version popularised by Norah Jones. Towards the end of his time, Taylor provided real pathos with a wistful piece entitled One Day, which he wrote after the death of his 21-year-old son, Stewart, in 2005.

Finally, the stage was left clear for Towner, unquestionably the most senior, and perhaps most masterly, performer on the night. In a lengthy and varied career Towner has cast his net wide, becoming known as one of the pioneers of world music via his membership of the group Oregon, while also enchanting many with his powers of tone and composition when alone with his acoustic. Interchanging between a six and a 12-string, Towner played with a care and control that was etched on his face, as few passages went by without his mouth falling open. A shock of white hair gives Towner the tempestuous look of a great romantic composer, and there was something of the master conductor in the way he coaxed a gorgeous, powerful tone from his guitars. If anything Towner excelled most when using the 12-string, his intricate, detailed work offering much to those listeners who remained focused throughout. Irritatingly for Towner and some of the audience, not everyone was able to fulfil this task, and the distraction of handfuls of patrons leaving interrupted the flow of the final few songs, including a fine rendition of Green And Golden. The departures left Towner to finish by saying – œthank you so much, you’ve been a good audience’, but with a facial expression that betrayed puzzlement at the early exits.