East/West

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DescriptionExcerpt

Frisell performs in a trio setting on these live recordings from New York’s Village Vanguard and Yoshi’s in Oakland, featuring both originals and standards. Salon.com declares this double-disc package “one of the best of his career ... Frisell is a wonder.”

Description

“It’s hard to find a more fruitful meditation on American music than in the compositions of guitarist Bill Frisell. Mixing rock and country with jazz and blues, he’s found what connects them: improvisation and a sense of play.” New York Times

Grammy Award–winning guitarist Bill Frisell’s East/West—a live double-disc recorded during a pair of bi-coastal trio engagements—was released by Nonesuch in August 2005. Frisell is joined by Kenny Wolleson on drums and percussion and Tony Scherr on bass for East, which was recorded at New York’s Village Vanguard, and Viktor Krauss on bass for West, recorded at Yoshi’s in Oakland, California.

East and West both feature a mix of original Frisell compositions and popular, standard, and traditional tunes, written by a wide variety of songwriters, including George and Ira Gershwin, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. East/West is Frisell’s first full-length live recording on the Nonesuch label. (A special digital-only release of other sets from the engagements—Further East / Further West—was made available for digital release.)

In a career that spans three decades, guitarist, composer, and bandleader Bill Frisell has been hailed by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “a revered figure among musicians.” The paper went on to say that “like Miles Davis and few others, his signature is built from pure sound and inflection; an anti-technique that is instantly identifiable.” Frisell’s recordings over the last decades span a wide range of musical influences. His catalog, including 20 recordings for Nonesuch, has been cited by DownBeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.” Some highlights of his Nonesuch output are Buster Keaton film scores (The High Sign / One Week, Go West); original compositions for extended ensemble with horns (This Land, Blues Dream); soundtracks to Gary Larson cartoons (Quartet); interpretations of work by other classic and contemporary American composers (Have a Little Faith); and collaborations with the acclaimed rhythm section of bassist Viktor Krauss and drummer Jim Keltner (Gone, Just Like a Train and, Good Dog, Happy Man). Other releases include an album with Nashville musicians (Nashville), the solo album Ghost Town, an album of his arrangements of songs by Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach (The Sweetest Punch), a trio album with jazz legends Dave Holland and Elvin Jones, and a collection of American traditional songs and original compositions inspired by them entitled The Willies.

The Intercontinentals, nominated for a Grammy in 2004, is an album that combines Frisell’s brand of American roots music and his improvisational style with the influences of Brazilian, Greek, and Malian sounds. His 2004 release, entitled Unspeakable, won a Grammy in 2005.

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Lee Townsend

West
Recorded live direct to 2-track at Yoshi's (Oakland, CA), May 8–11, 2004, by Claudia Engelhart
Edited by Jon Evans and Lee Townsend at San Pablo Recorders, Berkeley, CA
Production Assistance: Martin Lane, Adam Blomberg
Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York, NY

East
Recorded live at the Village Vanguard (New York, NY), December 9–12, 2003
Recording and Mixing Engineer: Tucker Martine
Assistant Engineer: Mantis Evar
Mixed at In the Pocket Studio, Forestville, CA
Assistant Engineer: Jonathan Chi
Production Assistance: Adam Blomberg, Martin Lane
Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York, NY

Design by Barbara deWilde

Nonesuch Selection Number

79863

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
ns_album_artistid
38
ns_album_id
590
ns_album_releasedate
ns_genre_1
0
ns_genre_2
0
Album Status
Artist Name
Bill Frisell
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Bill Frisell, guitars, loops

West
Viktor Krauss, bass
Kenny Wollesen, drums

East
Tony Scherr, bass, acoustic guitar
Kenny Wollesen, drums, percussion

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
UPC
075597986327BUN
Label
MP3
Price
10.00
UPC
075597986365
  • 79863

News & Reviews

  • Ambrose Akinmusire's Nonesuch debut album, Owl Song, featuring guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Herlin Riley, has received critical acclaim since its release in December, including being named among the year's best by the New York Times, Jazzwise, and the Irish Times, which says: "Akinmusire is a generational talent ... From the first notes of the opening title track you know you are in a place of great beauty." DownBeat says: "A quiet rush of gorgeous sound where space, tone and beauty come together in one of the most impactful albums of 2023 ... This is one of the most interesting recordings to come along in a very long time by one of the most interesting artists of our time." The Wall Street Journal says: "It sounds like a tiny, joyous celebration ... Gorgeous details abound." The Financial Times calls him "the standout trumpeter of his generation" and says: "The one-off ensemble becomes a heavenly match." Record Collector says: "Akinmusire opens a fresh chapter in his career with the quietly magnificent Owl Song, arguably his most accomplished recording yet."

  • "This is my reaction to being assaulted by information," composer and trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire says of his Nonesuch debut album, Owl Song, due December 15, featuring a trio with two musicians he has long admired, guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Herlin Riley. "This record is me wanting to create a safe space. Part of the challenge was: Can I create something that's oriented around open space, the way some of the records I love the most do?" You can hear "Owl Song 1" here now. The New York Times says: "Akinmusire has been making some of the most intimate, spellbinding music of his career." Pitchfork has called his work "music that seeks peace not just despite a world of unrest, but within it."

Buy Now

  • About This Album

    “It’s hard to find a more fruitful meditation on American music than in the compositions of guitarist Bill Frisell. Mixing rock and country with jazz and blues, he’s found what connects them: improvisation and a sense of play.” New York Times

    Grammy Award–winning guitarist Bill Frisell’s East/West—a live double-disc recorded during a pair of bi-coastal trio engagements—was released by Nonesuch in August 2005. Frisell is joined by Kenny Wolleson on drums and percussion and Tony Scherr on bass for East, which was recorded at New York’s Village Vanguard, and Viktor Krauss on bass for West, recorded at Yoshi’s in Oakland, California.

    East and West both feature a mix of original Frisell compositions and popular, standard, and traditional tunes, written by a wide variety of songwriters, including George and Ira Gershwin, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. East/West is Frisell’s first full-length live recording on the Nonesuch label. (A special digital-only release of other sets from the engagements—Further East / Further West—was made available for digital release.)

    In a career that spans three decades, guitarist, composer, and bandleader Bill Frisell has been hailed by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “a revered figure among musicians.” The paper went on to say that “like Miles Davis and few others, his signature is built from pure sound and inflection; an anti-technique that is instantly identifiable.” Frisell’s recordings over the last decades span a wide range of musical influences. His catalog, including 20 recordings for Nonesuch, has been cited by DownBeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.” Some highlights of his Nonesuch output are Buster Keaton film scores (The High Sign / One Week, Go West); original compositions for extended ensemble with horns (This Land, Blues Dream); soundtracks to Gary Larson cartoons (Quartet); interpretations of work by other classic and contemporary American composers (Have a Little Faith); and collaborations with the acclaimed rhythm section of bassist Viktor Krauss and drummer Jim Keltner (Gone, Just Like a Train and, Good Dog, Happy Man). Other releases include an album with Nashville musicians (Nashville), the solo album Ghost Town, an album of his arrangements of songs by Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach (The Sweetest Punch), a trio album with jazz legends Dave Holland and Elvin Jones, and a collection of American traditional songs and original compositions inspired by them entitled The Willies.

    The Intercontinentals, nominated for a Grammy in 2004, is an album that combines Frisell’s brand of American roots music and his improvisational style with the influences of Brazilian, Greek, and Malian sounds. His 2004 release, entitled Unspeakable, won a Grammy in 2005.

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Bill Frisell, guitars, loops

    West
    Viktor Krauss, bass
    Kenny Wollesen, drums

    East
    Tony Scherr, bass, acoustic guitar
    Kenny Wollesen, drums, percussion

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Lee Townsend

    West
    Recorded live direct to 2-track at Yoshi's (Oakland, CA), May 8–11, 2004, by Claudia Engelhart
    Edited by Jon Evans and Lee Townsend at San Pablo Recorders, Berkeley, CA
    Production Assistance: Martin Lane, Adam Blomberg
    Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York, NY

    East
    Recorded live at the Village Vanguard (New York, NY), December 9–12, 2003
    Recording and Mixing Engineer: Tucker Martine
    Assistant Engineer: Mantis Evar
    Mixed at In the Pocket Studio, Forestville, CA
    Assistant Engineer: Jonathan Chi
    Production Assistance: Adam Blomberg, Martin Lane
    Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York, NY

    Design by Barbara deWilde

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