Scott's Song by Song # 85: Markus Reuter (featuring Fabio Trentini and Asaf Sirkis) - Truce (Live at Cruise to the Edge 2026)
Welcome to issue #85 of Scott’s Song By Song (#scottssongbysong).For more information about this series, click here:
Today I have the pleasure of checking out Markus Reuter’s recent live EP, “Truce–Live at Cruise to the Edge 2026”. German musician Markus Reuter is known for his “Touch Guitar” and synth stylings with Stick Men, Crimson ProjeKCt, Andy Toomey and others. He is joined by bassist Fabio Trentini (Moonbound) and drummer Asaf Sirkis (Soft Machine) . As the title suggests, the album was recorded during their performance on 2026’s Cruise to the Edge (the annual progressive rock concert festival cruise). The album comes courtesy of iapetus Media and Bernhard Wöstheinrich, who co-owns the label with Markus Reuter as I understand it. As always, this is a cold listen, I receive no additional compensation, and I call it like I hear it. In fact, I haven’t even heard the studio versions of these tunes.
Let’s get started!
Track 1 - The Truce (8:35)
The rhythm section lays down a funky groove while the synth provides some fill. Markus joins in on the guitar after around one minute has passed. This is in a jazz fusion vein. The playing, as one might expect, is top notch. The phrasing at 3:08 or so is out of this world. The drum fills at 4:30 are amazing. This all seems highly improvisational. The tempo slows down at around 7 minutes. But the opening bass riff returns before the ending. Very cool track with great playing.
Track 2 - Not Alone (7:08)
This begins with volume swells, where the notes kind of fade in using the volume knob or a volume pedal. The bass & drums then join with an odd-metered riff at a moderately slow tempo. Markus, of course, then takes the spotlight again. This rhythm section is formidable as well! I like the section around 4:30. This one really builds up to some insane playing before they lock back into the main riff. Well done!
Track 3 - Swoonage (6:08)
This begins with sustained bass notes and light cymbal work A synth swells its way in as well. The main melody has a lot of effects and has a distant sound initially. Then the guitar takes the lead in a more melodic way this time. This one has a slower tempo. There are some very cool reverse-harmonized effects at around 3:15, which I don’t know how he does in a live setting. The main bass part sort of reminds me of “Shoot High, Aim Low” from Yes’ “Big Generator” album. Nice track!
Track 4 - Bogeyman (7:00)
The opening bass line on this has an octave effect, and is backed with sustained synth. The drums join in and we get a nice mid-tempo, syncopated groove happening. It’s a full two minutes before the guitar part starts. The melody brings a lot of dissonance. There is a drum feature for Sirkis about mid-way through. Wow! The guitar at 4:50 is amazing! The ending just sort of winds down with no clear final punctuation, but the playing on that was stunning.
Track 5 - Crooked (5:46)
Synth effects and a staccato bass line set things in motion here. The drums enter with a polyrhythmic groove. As we have come to expect, Markus rips all over the top and the drums and bass keep a tight groove, but with lots of drum fills. They double-time it at around 3:45. They end to enthusiastic applause.
OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:
I’ll call this a public jam session with masterful musicians. I’m sure they had some planned structures to play around, but it mostly felt improvised. These guys have the skill and musical vocabulary to pull it off though! If you are into fusion and improvisational playing you are sure to love this. As for me, I tend to prefer more structured arrangements, but I know great musicianship when I hear it! I’ll give this a 4.25 out of 5 stars (85%), but I know some folks will rate it much higher!
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Prog On!
Scott
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LINKS FOR LISTENING/PURCHASING:
The full album is available on YouTube:
It can be purchased on Bandcamp:
https://markusreuter.bandcamp.com/album/truce-live-at-cruise-to-the-edge-2026
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