The Willies

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DescriptionExcerpt

A chance music-club encounter sparked Frisell’s bluegrass and country blues explorations with banjo player Danny Barnes and bassist Keith Lowe. “Over the length of 16 tracks,” says The Independent (UK), “the album accumulates a subtle resonancy that rings and rings.”

Description

Guitarist, composer, and bandleader Bill Frisell released his 16th Nonesuch recording with The Willies. Taking the unique sound that the L.A. Weekly described “as unmistakably American as that of Charles Ives or Duke Ellington” deeper into aural explorations of American traditional music, The Willies is Frisell's characteristically inimitable and modern take on bluegrass and country blues.

The collection features eight traditional offerings including "Cluck Old Hen" and "Cold, Cold Heart," as well as eight original compositions. Produced by Lee Townsend and engineered by Tucker Martine, The Willies was recorded in Seattle at Flora Avenue Studio and features Frisell on electric and acoustic guitars and loops, Danny Barnes (Bad Livers) on banjo and guitar, and Keith Lowe (Fiona Apple, David Sylvian, and Wayne Horvitz’s Zony Mash) on bass.

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

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Lee Townsend
Recorded at Flora Avenue Studio, Seattle
Recording and Mixing Engineer: Tucker Martine
Mixed at Different Fur Recording, San Francisco
Assistant engineer: Adam Muñoz
Mastering by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York City

All compositions by Bill Frisell (Friz-Tone Music/BMI) except “Sittin’ on Top of the World,” “Cluck Old Hen,” “Sugar Baby” and “Blackberry Blossom” (Traditional); “John Hardy Was a Desperate Little Man” and “Single Girl, Married Girl” by A.P. Carter (Peer International Corp./BMI); “Cold, Cold Heart” by Hank Williams (Acuff Rose Music Inc./BMI); and “Goodnight Irene” by Huddie Ledbetter and John A. Lomax (Ludlow Music/BMI)

Design by Gwen Terpstra
Cover art by Bill Frisell

Nonesuch Selection Number

79652

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
ns_album_artistid
38
ns_album_id
469
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, loops
Danny Barnes banjo, acoustic guitar, bass harmonica, pump organ
Keith Lowe bass

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
UPC
075597965223BUN
Label
MP3
Price
9.00
UPC
075597965261
  • 79652

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

    Guitarist, composer, and bandleader Bill Frisell released his 16th Nonesuch recording with The Willies. Taking the unique sound that the L.A. Weekly described “as unmistakably American as that of Charles Ives or Duke Ellington” deeper into aural explorations of American traditional music, The Willies is Frisell's characteristically inimitable and modern take on bluegrass and country blues.

    The collection features eight traditional offerings including "Cluck Old Hen" and "Cold, Cold Heart," as well as eight original compositions. Produced by Lee Townsend and engineered by Tucker Martine, The Willies was recorded in Seattle at Flora Avenue Studio and features Frisell on electric and acoustic guitars and loops, Danny Barnes (Bad Livers) on banjo and guitar, and Keith Lowe (Fiona Apple, David Sylvian, and Wayne Horvitz’s Zony Mash) on bass.

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

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Bill Frisell electric and acoustic guitars, loops
    Danny Barnes banjo, acoustic guitar, bass harmonica, pump organ
    Keith Lowe bass

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Lee Townsend
    Recorded at Flora Avenue Studio, Seattle
    Recording and Mixing Engineer: Tucker Martine
    Mixed at Different Fur Recording, San Francisco
    Assistant engineer: Adam Muñoz
    Mastering by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York City

    All compositions by Bill Frisell (Friz-Tone Music/BMI) except “Sittin’ on Top of the World,” “Cluck Old Hen,” “Sugar Baby” and “Blackberry Blossom” (Traditional); “John Hardy Was a Desperate Little Man” and “Single Girl, Married Girl” by A.P. Carter (Peer International Corp./BMI); “Cold, Cold Heart” by Hank Williams (Acuff Rose Music Inc./BMI); and “Goodnight Irene” by Huddie Ledbetter and John A. Lomax (Ludlow Music/BMI)

    Design by Gwen Terpstra
    Cover art by Bill Frisell

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