Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bill Frisell: East/West

364

Bill Frisell: East/West

By

Sign in to view read count
Bill Frisell: East/West
Good music is where you find it. Sometimes it's clear as day because the original is so great that there's simply no doubt; other times it can be obscured by poor interpretation—but dig deep enough and unmistakable qualities are revealed. Over the past 25 years, guitarist Bill Frisell has built a reputation as a significant composer on albums like '94's This Land and '01's Blues Dream. But he's equally known as an astute interpreter of others' music, as on '93's Have a Little Faith—where he covered everyone from Copland to Madonna—and in performance, where he's as likely to cover Dylan as Monk.

Frisell's recent anti-solo approach—and his penchant for everything from the bluegrass of The Willies to the world music of The Intercontinentals—has garnered him fans who relate to his strange skewed lyricism. However, it has also alienated those who wish he'd return to a more clear-cut jazz-centricity. East/West will appeal to both. Nothing less than the best of what Frisell is all about, these two discs—culled from a 2004 stint at Yoshi's in Oakland and a 2003 run at the Village Vanguard in New York—are as comprehensive a view of Frisell as any one (admittedly double) release is apt to provide.

Few artists can comfortably combine Gershwin and Mancini with Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, but one of Frisell's greatest strengths is that he can get to the crux of a song—any song. In a trio setting he can create a rich universe that's as much about implication as the obvious. The Yoshi's take on "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" finds Frisell grabbing the defining essentials of the song and gradually evolving them over eight minutes. His control of an array of effects—so well-integrated that they're like an additional appendage—allows him to create a full sound. Yet what makes even his most oblique phrasing so appealing and eminently approachable is his sense of space. He may be capable of the formidable displays of technique that go a long way to impressing guitar-o-philes, but he'll never resort to them.

Instead, it's all about feel. The Yoshi's material, with bassist Viktor Krauss a more in-the-pocket player, is more elemental and groove-based. The New York disc, with Tony Scherr's more open-minded sensibility, is definitively jazz-oriented, despite ending with Frisell and Scherr on acoustic guitars for "Crazy" and "Tennessee Flat Top." Both trios, rounded out by drummer Kenny Wollesen, are clearly concerned with respecting the song, be it a cover or one of Frisell's own.

East/West, Frisell's strongest release in years, is almost the perfect album—not just in jazz, but in music, period. It serves as confident assurance to his existing fans that his career has been driven by choice and the love of a good song. It's also the perfect introduction for a newcomer who wants to know why he's considered one of the most original voices in jazz. Indeed, good music is where you find it.

Track Listing

CD1 (West): I Heard It Through the Grapevine; Blues for Los Angeles; Shenandoah; Boubacar; Pipe Down; A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall. CD2 (East): My Man's Gone Now; The Days of Wine and Roses; You Can Run; Ron Carter; Interlude; Goodnight Irene; The Vanguard; People; Crazy; Tennessee Flat Top Box.

Personnel

Bill Frisell
guitar, electric

Bill Frisell: electric and acoustic guitars, loops; Viktor Krauss: bass; Tony Scherr: bass, acoustic guitar; Kenny Wolleson: drums, percussion.

Album information

Title: East/West | Year Released: 2005 | Record Label: Nonesuch Records

Comments

Tags

Concerts


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.