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Bill Frisell


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Ginger is a jazz drummer (just that no one told Eric :rolleyes: ) or at least a drummer who loves jazz and despises rock. So listen to his Coward of the County album with the Denver Quintet to Octet (or DJQ2O) and Ron Miles plus James Carter. Then listen, as Funkateer mentioned above, to his two trio albums w/ Bill Frisell and Charlie Haden (Going Back Home and Falling of the Roof). "I Lu Kron" from Going Back Home is one of the most insistent, doggedly memorable tracks I have ever heard (on anything). Please don't judge Mr Baker by all his various associations. He now has a new group called Ginger Baker's Jazz Confusion. Some of the live concerts by the Baker/Frisell/Haden trio can be viewed on YouTube too.

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I caught Bill Frisell's Beautiful Dreamers last month at Tri-C and was impressed. I'd missed previous opportunities to see him, but he's steadily grown on me over the past few years. I can't help but think that Frisell has to be one of the most distinctive musicians on the scene today. According to Wikipedia, violist Eyvind Kang also plays tuba, which could've been an interesting addition to the group. His arco and pizzicato playing meshed well with the group and makes me wonder why we don't hear more viola in jazz. Drummer Rudy Royston was unpredictable and inventive, matching the leader's excursions into various genres. It seems that Royston's star is on the rise, which comes as no surprise. The highlight for me was when Joe Lovano joined the group for two songs; I'll never get to see the Motian Trio, so it was special to see 2/3 of the trio perform.

On to my question: Someone asked Frisell during a Q&A about his first recording, and Frisell replied that it was an album that he did in Denver with a Broncos player (he didn't say the player's name). Frisell said that he's never heard it, but has anyone here heard it?

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I was also at the Tri-C show. Fantastic Frisell concert--the third time I have seen him in person. So far these have been small groups, usually a trio. This one does have a special and unique quality. The last number, "Old Man River," just killed me, made me positively weepy. Frisell will do that to me sometimes, though this time is was more Kang's playing.

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  • 7 months later...

speaking of Frisell live, this is quite possibly thee lamest shit "imaginable," beyond the pale on all levels not least of which is the pedal steel rape (Jimmy Day and Ralph Mooney weep in hell), but boy, they sho' is smiley, and such tasty licks too! Mmmmmmm... Mmmmmm!! (I heard about it on NPR, you?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9a87Q3w7Ds

Once upon a time, in a world far far away, Ronald Shannon Jackon, Melvin Gibbs & ...

(I thought there were longer clips out there but the above will suffice.)

I want to publicly retract every salty thing I ever said about Pat Metheny, btw. Pat (& co.) may sometimes be tacky, but they've never been as gutless, insipid or self-satisfied as the worst Frisell, of which there's lately been plenty. The Big Sur album noted above is beyond awful; Frisell, is a plainly horrible composer without a concept/leader to kick his ass into some semblance of gear.

"Americana" (sic) drinks and goes home, wishes it was only a fucking nightmare.

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Thanks for the lovely clips, enjoyed them both. Have to admit I kinda skipped through them though, surely you didn't listen thru all hour plus of something you didn't like? Yes Power Tools is a 'better'band - but Bill is still v. much the same guy, try PT's Unchained Melody for confirmation. Or try BF's Lalalalalalla Means I Love You on youtube for some thing relatively recent of his you might enjoy, that is if you actually like enjoying things, I'm never really quite sure if you do...And yes, I love Jimmy Day's playing with Ray Price, particularly on San Antonio Rose, but I fail to see the linkage here.

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well, watched Frisell last night on the Lincoln Center Bristol sessions thing, and it was the worst and blandest crap I ever saw; really annoying; though at least they did flash on the screen at one point: "Do not listen to while operating heavy machinery."

The singing was pretty weak, but I felt that way about his work with Costello too.

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speaking of Frisell live, this is quite possibly thee lamest shit "imaginable," beyond the pale on all levels not least of which is the pedal steel rape (Jimmy Day and Ralph Mooney weep in hell), but boy, they sho' is smiley, and such tasty licks too! Mmmmmmm... Mmmmmm!! (I heard about it on NPR, you?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9a87Q3w7Ds

Once upon a time, in a world far far away, Ronald Shannon Jackon, Melvin Gibbs & ...

(I thought there were longer clips out there but the above will suffice.)

I want to publicly retract every salty thing I ever said about Pat Metheny, btw. Pat (& co.) may sometimes be tacky, but they've never been as gutless, insipid or self-satisfied as the worst Frisell, of which there's lately been plenty. The Big Sur album noted above is beyond awful; Frisell, is a plainly horrible composer without a concept/leader to kick his ass into some semblance of gear.

"Americana" (sic) drinks and goes home, wishes it was only a fucking nightmare.

I've got to admit I've never seen the there there with BF, but he further intensifies it with a CD he made with his former guitar teacher, where he demonstrates he can't even play straight-ahead as well as his aging teacher.

Oh well, if DOWNBEAST says he's a genius, I guess he must be... :party:

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well, watched Frisell last night on the Lincoln Center Bristol sessions thing, and it was the worst and blandest crap I ever saw; really annoying; though at least they did flash on the screen at one point: "Do not listen to while operating heavy machinery."

i had no idea such a thing was happening; what a horrific idea. Frisell is the ersatz "America" anticrhist! why does this dogshit exist, he can't broke can he? charity gig for bum sidemen? and why not the Johnson City or Asheville sessions instead? Can I assume albums of Julius Hemphill and Muhal Abrams compositions are forthcoming? Tributes to Harry Reser & Deitz-Schwartz?

Dana, let's say 'professional obligation' meant I needed to at least skim through that Lennon vomit. I have zero use for the originals, of course, but I figure that's a plus here, i.e. Frisell could do anything to 'em & if interesting themselves, I'd be cool with it. Even the worst chops-oriented bluegrass players destroy this deluded fool on every possible level except $$$ and propaganda.

Instead he and his band of happy hoss simps do sub Muzak versions & I point out the insipid contributions of that pedal steel player because I have such a high regard for an instrument too often abused as merely 'colorful.'

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steel there is Tom Brumley, formerly with Buck Owens.

I should clarify re: Lennon, whatever value is in those songs is JL's occasionally uncanny writing, sometimes great singing; as compositions per se... that was hardly ever the point. Also, tho' I can't actually listen to any Lennon (I liked Plastic Ono Band album as a kid, felt burned by every other one, overexposed & obscure alike), I do have a favorite JL moment & this is it--

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  • 8 months later...

I just picked up John Zorn's "Testament of Solomon", which is performed by the Gnostic Trio (Bill Frisell, Carol Emanuel, and Kenny Wolleson).

This is the Gnostic Trio's fourth recording, and very good. It's meditative music I suppose, for lack of a better description, but very beautiful. Anybody else keeping up with them?

As with anything Zorn, they're hard to keep up with. This only came out in August, and yet there's apparently already another Gnostic Trio recording coming out in October - Transmigration of the Magus - though it expands the lineup from a trio to a sextet, so I suppose it's different than the first four recordings.

Here's a track from the previous record:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECRgwwoPQ-E

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Bill Frisell appears on Lucinda Williams' release "Where the Spirit Meets the Bone" which came out yesterday.

He also appeared previously on her album "West". Looking forward to the new one!

He's actually supported a number of female artists - Jenny Scheinman, Bonnie Raitt, Petra Haden, Shawn Colvin, Abigail Washburn, Carrie Rodriguez, Rickie Lee Jones, Laura Veirs, Norah Jones, Sarah Siskind, Laurie Anderson, and Blu Cantrell - and that's just in the past 15 or so years.

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Bill Frisell appears on Lucinda Williams' release "Where the Spirit Meets the Bone" which came out yesterday.

He also appeared previously on her album "West". Looking forward to the new one!

He's actually supported a number of female artists - Jenny Scheinman, Bonnie Raitt, Petra Haden, Shawn Colvin, Abigail Washburn, Carrie Rodriguez, Rickie Lee Jones, Laura Veirs, Norah Jones, Sarah Siskind, Laurie Anderson, and Blu Cantrell - and that's just in the past 15 or so years.

he recorded wonderful music with singer Gabriela:

- Detras Del Sol (1997)

- Viento Rojo (2000)

- El Viaje (2006).

.....worth checking out....

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