Life Of

One-of-a-kind guitarist and record-maker Steve Tibbetts has body of work on ECM that reflects that of an artist who follows his own winding, questing path. The BBC has described his music as “an atmospheric brew… brilliant, individual.” The sounds of Tibbetts’ expeditions to Southeast Asia over the years and the spirits of those places are woven into his musical DNA. Life Of has a contemplative shimmer like a reflecting pool, with most of the album’s pieces titled after friends and family.

Life Of, his ninth album for the label, serves as something of a sequel to his 2010 ECM release, Natural Causes, which Jazz Times called "music to get lost in". Like the earlier album, Life Of showcases the richness of his Martin 12-string acoustic guitar, along with his gamelan-like piano and artfully deployed field samples of Balinese gongs; the sonic picture also incorporates the sensitive percussion of long-time musical partner Marc Anderson and the almost subliminal cello drones of Michelle Kinney.

Tibbetts, though rooted in the American Midwest, has made multiple expeditions to Southeast Asia, including Bali and Nepal; not only the sounds but the spirits of those places are woven into his musical DNA as much as the expressive inspiration of artists from guitarist Bill Connors to sarangi master Sultan Khan. Life Of has a contemplative shimmer like a reflecting pool, with most of the album's pieces titled after friends and family, living and past.