Last winter, at the Brand Festival in the quaint Belgian city of Mechelen, guitarist and improviser Ruben Machtelinckx and three close collaborators performed in near darkness, conjuring a gauzy lattice of sound imbued by fragile, haunting melodies. Some of the all-acoustic pieces—played by Machtelinckx, fellow guitarist Bert Cools, reedist Joachim Badenhorst and percussionist Toma Gouband—were composed by the leader; others were improvised on th

Musical improvisation is the art of perpetual transformation. That permanent shedding of ideas and sounds can assume various forms and is roughly divisible into two ‘schools’: while one aims for bold(er) statements with a loudly resounding energy and restless urgency, the other seeks refuge in more restrained and shadowy, but no less intriguing, elaborations.

Ruben Machtelinckx (guitar, banjo) and Thomas Jillings (reeds, synthesiser) are consumm

For the second album by this quartet Machtelinckx (still providing all of the compositions) plays guitar, baritone guitar (now a permanent addition to his arsenal) and adds banjo to the mix. The title tune makes a lovely opener in a program full of striking compositions: Machtelinckx really came into his own as a composer on this date.

'McMurd' shows the range possible with this instrumentation, as minimalist banjo patterns are punctuated by big