One of my favorite contemporary artists on guitar is the overlooked Austrian Wolfgang Muthspiel. Usually associated with ECM, this time around he’s on a different label, but the style is similar in that he’s playing acoustic guitar in a gorgeously classical fashion. He mixes originals with some classical themes, all ranging between 1-4 minutes, and feeling like a Baroque festival. He shows rich ideas on Bach’s “Saraband” as well as taking some ideas from Brahms on “Etude NR 7”, Paul Motian on “Abacus” and a dedication to Bill Evans. His fingerwork is well tempered, with most of the pieces even describing what to expect, with “Etude NR 6” spotlighting triples, “NR 13” arpeggios and so on. The music itself becomes a rich Raphael tapestry of strings, woven together richly. Look for this one!