This Land

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DescriptionExcerpt

Frisell works with a sextet, including clarinetist Don Byron, on these 14 original tunes. Says Rolling Stone, "Strange meetings of the mysterious and the earthy, the melancholy and the giddy, make perfect sense by Frisell's deliciously warped way of thinking.”

Description

Called “one of the most promising composers of American music in the current scene” by Stereophile magazine, Bill Frisell reasserted the claim in 1994 with This Land. In the context of a talented sextet, Frisell amply demonstrates the full effect of his role as composer with 14 original tunes. The result is a powerfully rich blend of colorful harmonic textures and delicate group interaction.

This Land, his fifth recording on Nonesuch, finds Frisell alongside bandsmen Kermit Driscoll (bass), Joey Baron (drums), Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), and longtime collaborators Don Byron (clarinet) and Billy Drewes (saxophone). This carefully selected unit provides Frisell latitude as a composer and player, evident in the intricate harmonic foundation and inventive guitar work that pervades the recording’s ballads, rags and uptempo grooves.

With an established reputation as a virtuosic and versatile guitarist, Bill Frisell is consistently in the top spot in DownBeat’s critics poll. He continues to be one of the most sought-after musicians in contemporary music, having collaborated with Paul Motian, John Zorn and Naked City, Don Byron, Lyle Mays, Marianne Faithful, Hal Wilner, and Wayne Horvitz, among many others. However, it is his bandleading and composing skills that have gained Frisell recognition by musicians, critics, and listeners.

SPIN magazine said the following of Bill Frisell: “Besides being a guitar genius—in case you want more—he’s turned into a terrific songwriter. Like Monk, Frisell’s harmonic and melodic ideas form a succinct, seamless mesh with outer sonic and rhythmic ideas about his ax.” It is precisely this careful balance of songwriting and superb musicianship that makes This Land a remarkable achievement by one of America’s most important and dynamic artists.

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Lee Townsend
Engineered by Joe Ferla
Recorded October 1992 at Mastersound Astoria, New York
Assistant Engineers: David Merrill and Tony Viamontes
Mixed at The Site, Marin County, California
Assistant Engineer: Kevin Scott
Edited by Mark Slagle at Different Fur Recording, San Francisco, California
Mastered by Greg Calibi at Sterling Sound, New York City

All songs by Bill Frisell, except track 14 by Bill Frisell and Joey Baron

Design by John Heiden
Cover Photograph: Railroad Station, Edwards Mississippi, February 1936, by Walker Evans, Library of Congress, Farm Security Administration Collection

Nonesuch Selection Number

79316

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
ns_album_artistid
38
ns_album_id
90
ns_album_releasedate
ns_genre_1
0
ns_genre_2
0
Album Status
Artist Name
Bill Frisell
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Bill Frisell, guitar
Don Byron, clarinet and bass clarinet
Billy Drewes, alto saxophone
Curtis Fowlkes, trombone
Kermit Driscoll, electric and acoustic basses
Joey Baron, drums

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
Price
0.00
UPC
075597931624BUN
Label
MP3
Price
9.00
UPC
603497074167
  • 79316

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

    Called “one of the most promising composers of American music in the current scene” by Stereophile magazine, Bill Frisell reasserted the claim in 1994 with This Land. In the context of a talented sextet, Frisell amply demonstrates the full effect of his role as composer with 14 original tunes. The result is a powerfully rich blend of colorful harmonic textures and delicate group interaction.

    This Land, his fifth recording on Nonesuch, finds Frisell alongside bandsmen Kermit Driscoll (bass), Joey Baron (drums), Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), and longtime collaborators Don Byron (clarinet) and Billy Drewes (saxophone). This carefully selected unit provides Frisell latitude as a composer and player, evident in the intricate harmonic foundation and inventive guitar work that pervades the recording’s ballads, rags and uptempo grooves.

    With an established reputation as a virtuosic and versatile guitarist, Bill Frisell is consistently in the top spot in DownBeat’s critics poll. He continues to be one of the most sought-after musicians in contemporary music, having collaborated with Paul Motian, John Zorn and Naked City, Don Byron, Lyle Mays, Marianne Faithful, Hal Wilner, and Wayne Horvitz, among many others. However, it is his bandleading and composing skills that have gained Frisell recognition by musicians, critics, and listeners.

    SPIN magazine said the following of Bill Frisell: “Besides being a guitar genius—in case you want more—he’s turned into a terrific songwriter. Like Monk, Frisell’s harmonic and melodic ideas form a succinct, seamless mesh with outer sonic and rhythmic ideas about his ax.” It is precisely this careful balance of songwriting and superb musicianship that makes This Land a remarkable achievement by one of America’s most important and dynamic artists.

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Bill Frisell, guitar
    Don Byron, clarinet and bass clarinet
    Billy Drewes, alto saxophone
    Curtis Fowlkes, trombone
    Kermit Driscoll, electric and acoustic basses
    Joey Baron, drums

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Lee Townsend
    Engineered by Joe Ferla
    Recorded October 1992 at Mastersound Astoria, New York
    Assistant Engineers: David Merrill and Tony Viamontes
    Mixed at The Site, Marin County, California
    Assistant Engineer: Kevin Scott
    Edited by Mark Slagle at Different Fur Recording, San Francisco, California
    Mastered by Greg Calibi at Sterling Sound, New York City

    All songs by Bill Frisell, except track 14 by Bill Frisell and Joey Baron

    Design by John Heiden
    Cover Photograph: Railroad Station, Edwards Mississippi, February 1936, by Walker Evans, Library of Congress, Farm Security Administration Collection

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