Jazz Articles about Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell: The Intercontinentals

by Farrell Lowe
May 17, 2003

With the release of The Intercontinentals, Bill Frisell invites us into a lush and verdant musical world. On this outing he has chosen to work with five superb musicians from various parts of the planet. The eclectic range of instruments employed herein include electric and acoustic guitars, subtle electronics, calabash, djembe, vocals, oud, bouzouki, pedal steel guitar, and violin. This music reminds me of the color green in the way it surges with masterful precision, swells with quiet drama, recedes ...

Bill Frisell: The Willies

by John Eyles
July 22, 2002

Recently, Bill Frisell seems to be averaging at least two new albums per year. Fortunately, there is no sign of this increased quantity equating to decreased quality. This album is full of all the familiar Frisell trademarks--compelling playing, quirkily familiar melodies, eclecticism, loops, swing, tradition, innovation, and, yes, fun. On this outing, Frisell opts for a trio format, with Keith Lowe on bass, and Danny Barnes adding variety on a range of instruments. Barnes' contributions, on banjo in ...

Bill Frisell: Rarum: Selected Recordings of Bill Frisell

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 2002

Whatever the musical context, guitarist Bill Frisell has always been a team player. From the edgy avant-garde of Naked City to the deeply melodic music of the Ginger Baker Trio and several wide-ranging groups of his own, he's proven repeatedly that he has the versatility and perceptiveness to fit into wildly different surroundings. His ECM work has for the most part been of the quiet, melodic sort. Since he last recorded under his own name for the label in 1987, ...

Bill Frisell: Ghost Town

by Mark Corroto
April 1, 2000

Bill Frisell has settled into a sound he is comfortable with. The guitarist was known in the eighties for an eclectic mix of sounds. He thrashed with John Zorn's Naked City and Powertools, played bebop with Joe Lovano and Paul Motian, and generally mixed it up with New York's Downtown crowd. Since relocating to Seattle in 1989, the Denver-raised, Berklee schooled guitarist has concentrated on an Americana sound, composing tunes with Aaron Copeland and Woody Guthrie in mind. This trend, ...

Gary Peacock & Bill Frisell: Just So Happens

by Glenn Astarita
September 1, 1999

In the early 90’s, the folks at “Postcards” consistently produced some of the finest jazz recordings to hit the stores while featuring artists such as Alan Pasqua, Reggie Workman and here, the teaming of guitarist Bill Frisell and bassist Gary Peacock. Thankfully, Arkadia records have taken ownership of the catalogue and from all appearances, retain the original artwork and packaging.

The pairing of Bill Frisell and Gary Peacock is sheer delight as their respective careers in jazz and beyond are ...

Bill Frisell: Good Dog, Happy Man

by Douglas Payne
July 1, 1999

Every note Bill Frisell plays - or suggests - offers an impressionistic soundtrack of the American vernacular. It is jazz only in the way improvisation is a reflection of sensibilities. But Frisell's music is really not just jazz. It swings over a wide swath of American musical forms: jazz, rock, grunge, blues, country, folk, bluegrass, even commercial orchestration. Call it a sort of 'sound Americana': peculiar, individual and unusually compelling. Good Dog Happy Man ideally documents another ...

David Sanborn: Inside

by Ian Nicolson
May 1, 1999

Since the days when he left his hometown St Louis to play for the Butterfield Blues Band during the sixties Blues boom in California, Sanborn has worked hard at staying top dog among the LA studio sessioneers - and succeeded.He has also commuted effortlessly between sophisticated Jazzpop solo albums stressing his distinctive alto tone and R'n'B roots, and the occasional full-ahead Jazz outing - like 1990's Another Hand, or Upfront a year or two later. This time he's ...