The Intercontinentals

Submitted by nonesuch on
genre
Release Date
DescriptionExcerpt

Frisell’s band of world-music adventurers hails from Greece, Mali, and Brazil—“as diverse a lineup as any musical globalist could wish for,” says the Los Angeles Times. “The great beauty of this album is the consistent surprises it offers.”

Description

This release by celebrated guitarist, composer and bandleader Bill Frisell marks the recording debut of The Intercontinentals, a band he formed in 2001 and which made its performance debut at Seattle’s Earshot Jazz Festival that fall. The recording, produced by Lee Townsend, features both the original band members—the Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist and percussionist Vinicius Cantuária; Greek-Macedonian musician Christos Govetas on oud, bouzouki and vocals; and Mali’s Sidiki Camara on percussion and vocals—as well as subsequently added musicians Greg Leisz on pedal steel and various slide guitars and violinist Jenny Scheinman.

Blending Frisell’s own brand of American roots music and his inimitable improvisational style with the influences of Brazilian, Greek, and Malian sounds has enabled him to expand upon his compositional technique in unique ways. The resulting sound has been described by DownBeat as possessing “fine webs of guitar interlacings, swaying momentum, dense textures and rhythmic urgency.” The album’s 14 tracks also include compositions by Cantuária, Govetas, Malian guitarist Boubacar Traore, and Brazilian singer Gilberto Gil.

Frisell, in talking about this collaboration, has said, “With this group I’ve been finding all kinds of new musical connections. It’s been a challenge and an inspiration.”

In addition to Frisell’s ongoing performance and collaborative recording activities, he was honored at London’s Barbican Theatre not long before the release of the album with An Evening with Bill Frisell, where he performed with The Intercontinentals, the newly created Bill Frisell Sextet featuring Leisz, Ron Miles, Scheinman, Tony Scherr and Kenny Wolleson, plus special guests Djelimady Tounkara, the celebrated guitarist from Mali, and Eliza Carthy, the young singer and violinist from the UK.

 

 

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Lee Townsend
Recording and Mixing Engineer: Tucker Martine
Recorded at Studio Litho, Seattle
Mixed at Different Fur Recording, San Francisco
Pro-Tools Editing: Floyd Reitsma and Justin Lieberman
Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York City

All compositions by Bill Frisell except track 4 by Boubacar Traore, track 7 by Gilberto Gil, track 8 Traditional, track 10 by Christos Govetas, track 11 by Vinicius Cantuaria

Design: Doyle Partners
Audio Equipment Photos: Tom Schierlitz

Nonesuch Selection Number

79661

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
ns_album_artistid
38
ns_album_id
512
ns_album_releasedate
ns_genre_1
0
ns_genre_2
0
Album Status
Artist Name
Bill Frisell
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Bill Frisell, electric guitar (1-7, 9, 10, 12-14), acoustic guitar (5, 7), nylon string guitar (8, 11), baritone guitar (4), bass (13), loop (1, 3, 5-7, 9, 12, 13)
Christos Govetas, vocals (7-9), oud (1-3, 5, 7-10, 12, 13), bouzouki (4)
Greg Leisz, Asher lap steel (1, 4, 12), pedal steel guitar (2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 14), National lap steel (7), Scheerhorn resonator guitar (13), loop (1, 3, 5,12)
Vinicius Cantuaria, voice (1, 7, 9, 11, 13), electric guitar (5, 7, 9, 11), nylon string guitar (2), snare drum (1, 3, 12, 13), bass drum (1, 3, 12, 13), triangle (2)
Sidiki Camara, vocals (4, 12), calabash (1-5, 7, 9-13), shaker (1-5, 7, 9-13), cymbals (1-5, 7, 9, 11-13), djembe (2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12), congas (11)
Jenny Scheinman, violin (2-7, 9, 12-14), harmony vocal (7)

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
Price
0.00
UPC
075597966121BUN
Label
MP3
Price
9.00
UPC
075597966169
  • 79661

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."

Buy Now

  • About This Album

    This release by celebrated guitarist, composer and bandleader Bill Frisell marks the recording debut of The Intercontinentals, a band he formed in 2001 and which made its performance debut at Seattle’s Earshot Jazz Festival that fall. The recording, produced by Lee Townsend, features both the original band members—the Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist and percussionist Vinicius Cantuária; Greek-Macedonian musician Christos Govetas on oud, bouzouki and vocals; and Mali’s Sidiki Camara on percussion and vocals—as well as subsequently added musicians Greg Leisz on pedal steel and various slide guitars and violinist Jenny Scheinman.

    Blending Frisell’s own brand of American roots music and his inimitable improvisational style with the influences of Brazilian, Greek, and Malian sounds has enabled him to expand upon his compositional technique in unique ways. The resulting sound has been described by DownBeat as possessing “fine webs of guitar interlacings, swaying momentum, dense textures and rhythmic urgency.” The album’s 14 tracks also include compositions by Cantuária, Govetas, Malian guitarist Boubacar Traore, and Brazilian singer Gilberto Gil.

    Frisell, in talking about this collaboration, has said, “With this group I’ve been finding all kinds of new musical connections. It’s been a challenge and an inspiration.”

    In addition to Frisell’s ongoing performance and collaborative recording activities, he was honored at London’s Barbican Theatre not long before the release of the album with An Evening with Bill Frisell, where he performed with The Intercontinentals, the newly created Bill Frisell Sextet featuring Leisz, Ron Miles, Scheinman, Tony Scherr and Kenny Wolleson, plus special guests Djelimady Tounkara, the celebrated guitarist from Mali, and Eliza Carthy, the young singer and violinist from the UK.

     

     

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Bill Frisell, electric guitar (1-7, 9, 10, 12-14), acoustic guitar (5, 7), nylon string guitar (8, 11), baritone guitar (4), bass (13), loop (1, 3, 5-7, 9, 12, 13)
    Christos Govetas, vocals (7-9), oud (1-3, 5, 7-10, 12, 13), bouzouki (4)
    Greg Leisz, Asher lap steel (1, 4, 12), pedal steel guitar (2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 14), National lap steel (7), Scheerhorn resonator guitar (13), loop (1, 3, 5,12)
    Vinicius Cantuaria, voice (1, 7, 9, 11, 13), electric guitar (5, 7, 9, 11), nylon string guitar (2), snare drum (1, 3, 12, 13), bass drum (1, 3, 12, 13), triangle (2)
    Sidiki Camara, vocals (4, 12), calabash (1-5, 7, 9-13), shaker (1-5, 7, 9-13), cymbals (1-5, 7, 9, 11-13), djembe (2, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12), congas (11)
    Jenny Scheinman, violin (2-7, 9, 12-14), harmony vocal (7)

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Lee Townsend
    Recording and Mixing Engineer: Tucker Martine
    Recorded at Studio Litho, Seattle
    Mixed at Different Fur Recording, San Francisco
    Pro-Tools Editing: Floyd Reitsma and Justin Lieberman
    Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York City

    All compositions by Bill Frisell except track 4 by Boubacar Traore, track 7 by Gilberto Gil, track 8 Traditional, track 10 by Christos Govetas, track 11 by Vinicius Cantuaria

    Design: Doyle Partners
    Audio Equipment Photos: Tom Schierlitz

More From Bill Frisell