The two Mattias – Swedish guitarist Mattias Windemo and pianist Mattias Risberg – are experienced improvisers who like to experiment and cross musical borders. Both happen to live in the countryside, inspired by the nature sounds and silences. Their «Mattias, Guitar and Piano» is a free-improvised conversation, with no cuts or edits, as it was captured in a visit of Windemo to Risberg’s new home, released on Windemo independent label.

Windemo plays a custom-made double-neck guitar that can be tuned in quarters with scalloped fingerboards, allowing him to play with one hand on each guitar neck, as if this guitar was a keyboard instrument.Windemo often works in such intimate formats and collaborates with drummer Raymond Strid in a like-minded, free improvised duo. Risberg, known from his solo work and collaborations with reeds player Fredrik Ljungkvist, often plays inside the piano, employing the piano strings as an exotic instruments.

Windemo and Risberg enjoy at first the resonant qualities of their string instruments and patiently establish their totally intuitive and adventurous dynamics. Slowly these dynamics transform into more coherent shapes as on the second piece «Carnatica» that adopts a delicate, lyrical ideas. The following «Spinnweben» and «Procidens» turn their dynamics to more confrontational and frantic one, takes more risks as both Windemo and Risberg explore counterpoint ideas. The last improvisation «Expiration» evolves from an enigmatic, cinematic soundscapes where the guitar of Windemo and the piano strings of Risberg sound as part of the surrounding nature, with distinct, personal voices and calls, later morphed into an intense and wild collision of such voices and calls, before the two Mattias agree on a peaceful pact.

Eyal Hareuveni

Mattias Windemo (g), Mattias Risberg (p)

https://mattiaswindemorisberg.bandcamp.com/releases