Quartet

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DescriptionExcerpt

Guitarist Frisell assembles a unique quartet lineup—Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), Eyvind Kang (violin, tuba), Ron Miles (trumpet)—for a set that ranges in approach from jazz to country. “Quartet may be his masterpiece,” says the New York Times.

Description

Guitarist Bill Frisell’s music can rarely be classified as traditional jazz, and the band on Quartet is also a departure from the traditional jazz quartet—and from the musicians with whom he has worked on several previous projects. Dubbed a “masterpiece” by the New York Times, the album features Frisell on electric and acoustic guitar, Ron Miles on trumpet, Eyvind Kang on violin and tuba, and Curtis Fowlkes on trombone.

“It’s heavily weighted in favor of composition over improvisation,“ the New York Times states, “and his guitar—sometimes electric, sometimes acoustic, sometimes vague and airy, sometimes cold and hard—motors quietly in and out of the horns. He may be after blues seriousness or slapstick humor. But he’s always after grace and movement, and the album is an achievement, a profound mix of the old and the new.”

The instrumentation on Quartet evokes a distinct American regional flavor, incorporating melodic jazz and even country styles. The album includes short tunes for film, as well as several from Gary Larson’s CBS special Tales from the Far Side. Universally recognized for his dazzling technique and innovative style, and often noted for his sizzling, free form delivery, Frisell offers an album of original compositions that is defined by an organic compositional unity.

The Bill Frisell Quartet was formed in the spring of 1995, and has performed in San Francisco and Seattle and toured in Europe. “It’s so different from the traditional guitar-bass-drum thing, even though Joey Baron, Kermit Driscoll, and I never played like a typical jazz trio,” Frisell says. “This group, with violin and brass, can play an orchestral range of sounds. It’s gigantic.”

Frisell’s two 1995 Nonesuch recordings of soundtrack music for Buster Keaton films prompted the Oakland Tribune to call him “the most inventive and compelling guitarist to emerge in more than a decade. Bill Frisell has become a modem legend among guitar players.”

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Lee Townsend
Recorded at Möbius Music, San Francisco, California
Engineer: Oliver DiCicco
Assistant Engineer: Christian Jones
Mixed at Bad Animals, Seattle, Washington
Engineer: Judy Clapp
Assistant Engineer: John Burton
Mastered by Greg Calbi at Masterdisk, New York, New York

Much of the music here has been arranged for the quartet using themes originally written for film. Tracks 1, 5-7, 9, and 12 are from Tales from the Far Side, an animated television special created by Gary Larson. Tracks 3 and 13 are from the Italian film La Scuola directed by Daniele Luchetti. Tracks 4 and 10 were written for the Buster Keaton film Convict 13. All compositions by Bill Frisell except Track 8 by Bill Frisell and Ron Miles. Tracks 5 and 9 borrow from "Deep in the Heart of Texas."

Design by Terpstra Design, San Francisco, California
Cover Illustration: The Boy by Thomas Hart Benton

Nonesuch Selection Number

79401

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
ns_album_artistid
38
ns_album_id
87
ns_album_releasedate
ns_genre_1
0
ns_genre_2
0
Album Status
Artist Name
Bill Frisell
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Bill Frisell, electric and acoustic guitars
Ron Miles, trumpet, piccolo trumpet
Eyvind Kang, violin, tuba
Curtis Fowlkes, trombone

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
Price
0.00
UPC
075597940121BUN
Label
MP3
Price
9.00
UPC
075597940169
  • 79401

Track Listing

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."

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  • About This Album

    Guitarist Bill Frisell’s music can rarely be classified as traditional jazz, and the band on Quartet is also a departure from the traditional jazz quartet—and from the musicians with whom he has worked on several previous projects. Dubbed a “masterpiece” by the New York Times, the album features Frisell on electric and acoustic guitar, Ron Miles on trumpet, Eyvind Kang on violin and tuba, and Curtis Fowlkes on trombone.

    “It’s heavily weighted in favor of composition over improvisation,“ the New York Times states, “and his guitar—sometimes electric, sometimes acoustic, sometimes vague and airy, sometimes cold and hard—motors quietly in and out of the horns. He may be after blues seriousness or slapstick humor. But he’s always after grace and movement, and the album is an achievement, a profound mix of the old and the new.”

    The instrumentation on Quartet evokes a distinct American regional flavor, incorporating melodic jazz and even country styles. The album includes short tunes for film, as well as several from Gary Larson’s CBS special Tales from the Far Side. Universally recognized for his dazzling technique and innovative style, and often noted for his sizzling, free form delivery, Frisell offers an album of original compositions that is defined by an organic compositional unity.

    The Bill Frisell Quartet was formed in the spring of 1995, and has performed in San Francisco and Seattle and toured in Europe. “It’s so different from the traditional guitar-bass-drum thing, even though Joey Baron, Kermit Driscoll, and I never played like a typical jazz trio,” Frisell says. “This group, with violin and brass, can play an orchestral range of sounds. It’s gigantic.”

    Frisell’s two 1995 Nonesuch recordings of soundtrack music for Buster Keaton films prompted the Oakland Tribune to call him “the most inventive and compelling guitarist to emerge in more than a decade. Bill Frisell has become a modem legend among guitar players.”

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Bill Frisell, electric and acoustic guitars
    Ron Miles, trumpet, piccolo trumpet
    Eyvind Kang, violin, tuba
    Curtis Fowlkes, trombone

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Lee Townsend
    Recorded at Möbius Music, San Francisco, California
    Engineer: Oliver DiCicco
    Assistant Engineer: Christian Jones
    Mixed at Bad Animals, Seattle, Washington
    Engineer: Judy Clapp
    Assistant Engineer: John Burton
    Mastered by Greg Calbi at Masterdisk, New York, New York

    Much of the music here has been arranged for the quartet using themes originally written for film. Tracks 1, 5-7, 9, and 12 are from Tales from the Far Side, an animated television special created by Gary Larson. Tracks 3 and 13 are from the Italian film La Scuola directed by Daniele Luchetti. Tracks 4 and 10 were written for the Buster Keaton film Convict 13. All compositions by Bill Frisell except Track 8 by Bill Frisell and Ron Miles. Tracks 5 and 9 borrow from "Deep in the Heart of Texas."

    Design by Terpstra Design, San Francisco, California
    Cover Illustration: The Boy by Thomas Hart Benton

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