Guitarist Samuel Mösching’s fifth studio recording as a leader,
Ethereal Kinks,
features 11 new melodic originals and his inventive playing
on nearly all of the instruments.
Mösching’s relaxed style, melodic improvising,
and thoughtful solos are both accessible and creative.
A skilled jazz guitarist with his own sound, Samuel Mösching has used the Pandemic period to record his latest solo album, Ethereal Kinks. While four fine musicians (two bassists and two drummers) make one appearance apiece (there are guests on both bass and drums on “Winnemac”), otherwise Mösching plays all of the instruments (guitar, bass, drums and synth) in addition to contributing a full set of new compositions.
Ethereal Kinks begins with the joyful “No Dancing” (with bassist Renda “Victoria” Jackson) which is a fine showcase for the leader’s bright guitar tone and laidback musical personality. “Beauty And The Beast Roleplay” is a jazz waltz that builds up effectively while “Disconnect” is a medium-slow strut that is moody while having a strong forward momentum. The complex chord changes of “Mental Illness” contrast with its relaxed tempo while “Modesta” (with Juan Pastor on drums) is quite energetic and catchy.
The second half of the program has Mösching improvising over a drone stated by his synth on “Strict Dancer,” an infectious jam with bassist Jeremiah Hunt and drummer Reuben Gingrich (“Winnemac”), the bluesy “Indigenous,” an atmospheric “Melanie,” the mysterious mood of “Better Than Me,” and “The Belief In Magic” which has the guitarist really going for it during a rocking performance that perfectly wraps up his release.
Samuel Mösching was born and raised in Switzerland where he began playing guitar when he was ten, began writing music two years later, and at 13 started doubling on electric bass and drums. While he had begun playing jazz when he was 12, after he heard John Coltrane’s Crescent album three years later, Mösching really turned his main focus towards jazz. While he studied classical music, jazz and composition in school, he became an important part of the European jazz scene, recording several live albums with the group Sonic Fusion and releasing Punta Cana with his trio Aido. In 2013 he moved to Chicago.
Since then Samuel Mösching has worked with a wide assortment of artists (including drummer Rusty Jones, Ed Wilkerson, John Stowell, Zeshan B, Mars Williams, Indian folk singer Subhi, Wanees Zarour’s The East Loop, and Reuben Gingrich’s Blue Island), performed in the Chicago area, New York City, Washington DC and Europe, and led three albums (Up, Some Other Tree, and Room 3) prior to Ethereal Kinks.
The release of Ethereal Kinks, arguably his finest recording thus far, should result in Samuel Mösching gaining much more recognition as a very original jazz guitarist and composer, one whose music has the potential to reach a very wide audience.
1. No Dancing feat. Renda “Victoria” Jackson 02:59
2. Beauty And The Beast Roleplay 03:33
3. Disconnect 05:27
4. Mental Illness 04:09
5. Modesta feat. Juan Pastor 04:06
6. Strict Dancer 01:27
7. Winnemac feat. Jeremiah Hunt & Reuben Gingrich 03:15
8. Indigenous 04:28
9. Melanie 02:06
10. Better Than Me 02:01
11. The Belief In Magic 03:42
All compositions by Samuel Mösching (SUISA)
Samuel Mösching - Guitars, Basses, Drums and Synths, except on:
“No Dancing”: Renda “Victoria” Jackson - Bass
“Modesta”: Juan Pastor - Drums
“Winnemac”: Jeremiah Hunt - Bass, Reuben Gingrich - Drums
