Travel Guide is an album by guitarists Ralph Towner, Wolfgang Muthspiel, and Slava Grigoryan recorded in Switzerland in August 2012 and released on ECM September the following year.[1][2][3]
The trio first performed as a group in 2005, and previously appeared together on the album From a Dream.[3]
In a review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek wrote: "These compositions weren't written for these players to showcase their solo chops, but rather as songs with limited but impeccable improvisation... Travel Guide is an understated, uncluttered gem of virtuosity and composition. The unselfish sense of deference between these players reveals not only their comfort with one another, but the collective confidence of a uniquely voiced, developing group."[1]
John Kelman of All About Jazz stated: "as genre lines continue to blur and, in some cases, dissolve entirely, recordings like the rigorous yet open-minded Travel Guide demonstrate there are plenty of meeting points for those unconstrained by false definitions of style or approach."[4]The Guardian'sJohn Fordham called the album "a guitar fan's delight, but also a warmly inviting collection of song-shaped pieces," and commented: "The sonics of all-guitar bands can turn to a blur, but these three phrase in their own ways... though the songs are mostly patiently thoughtful, their differences emerge the deeper in you get."[5]
Writing for Jazz Times, Thomas Conrad remarked: "The classical mindset is apparent in the formality, orderliness and technical sophistication of this music. But the elegant structural frameworks support individual and collective improvisation... The diversity of alluring sonorities is extraordinary. It is hard to think of a recent jazz recording prettier than Travel Guide."[6]
In an article for Something Else!, S. Victor Aaron wrote: "Mellow is what you get from an ECM disc involving Ralph Towner, and Travel Guide is no exception. You get the fine craftsmanship, pristine production and a solid batch of songs, too. Thus, this is how mellow with a trio of guitarists is done right."[7]
George W. Harris of Jazz Weekly stated: "What brings it all together is a tremendous amount of lyricism, sensitive listening, inherent melody and kindred souls to create one of the most sublime sessions in recent memory... Delicate without being fragile, this is music for a lifetime of listening pleasures."[8]
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