Bill Frisell's latest Nonesuch release, History, Mystery is due out this Tuesday. The BBC exclaims: "[T]he whole album stands as yet another testament to the man's place at the very epicentre of modern American music. Yes, he's done it again ... refining and expanding his palette with every release." The Guardian, in a four-star review of the album says it is "studded with gems."
Bill Frisell's latest Nonesuch release, History, Mystery, a two disc collection, is due out this Tuesday. The BBC's Chris Jones exclaims: "[T]he whole album stands as yet another testament to the man's place at the very epicentre of modern American music. Yes, he's done it again."
"Some artists, as they grow older, have a tendency to retreat into a safety zone that displays their skill but doesn't expand their repertoire or provide impetus for keeping up," says Jones. "Not so guitarist Bill Frisell ... [H]e's been refining and expanding his palette with every release." And with the new album, he "does it again."
Balancing "traditionalism with some remarkably subtle bleeps and loops," the album features a number of Bill's own tunes ("the standard is amazing"), as well as his take on works by others that "demonstrate why he's such a great interpreter as well." A highlight for Jones is the rendition of Boubcar Traore’s Baba Drame: "This hypnotic weave through the Malian's blues is spellbinding. And just so right ..."
To read the review, visit bbc.co.uk.
Bill's performance at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival this past Sunday, which The Times (UK)'s Alyn Shipton calls "the highlight" of the event, will air on BBC Radio 3's Jazz on 3 program, with host Jez Nelson, tonight at 11:30 PM GMT. The episode includes an interview with Bill from Cheltenham and songs from his new quintet's set there: "Monroe," "Probability Cloud," and "A Change Is Gonna Come," which are on the new record, as well as "Benny's Bugle" by Benny Goodman and Ron Carter's "Mood." To listen live online, visit bbc.co.uk/radio3.
The Guardian, in a four-star review of History, Mystery, says the album is "studded with gems," featuring a line-up of musicians that reviewer John L. Waters calls "a kind of roots-jazz-classical chamber hybrid, though with none of the hang-ups that might imply." Waters sees "a genuine thoughtfulness" from Bill, who, he writes, "has the surest touch as a musician." It is an attribute "that is true for his playing, where he can invest a single note with meaning, and it's true in the way he organises his music and musicians."
To read the review, visit arts.guardian.co.uk.
