Unspeakable

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Release Date
DescriptionExcerpt

Vintage sound samples are the jumping-off point for this playful, eclectic, and groove-oriented collaboration with producer Hal Willner. U.S. News & World Report calls this 2004 Best Contemporary Jazz Album Grammy winner “soulful, salty, soothing, spacey—and great fun.”

Description

2004 Grammy Award Winner

 

Celebrated guitarist Bill Frisell’s 19th Nonesuch record, Unspeakable, was released in August 2004. The groove and soul–based collaboration with renowned producer Hal Willner takes a freewheeling, idiosyncratic approach to the modern art of music sampling. As a jumping-off point for the record, Frisell and Willner employed obscure songs and sounds culled from vintage vinyl records for their own sonic explorations, borrowing and integrating choice fragments into original compositions. Willner, Saturday Night Live’s music supervisor, scoured NBC’s well-stocked record library for inspiration. The pair sampled the ideas and/or moods from the various tracks Willner had unearthed; in most cases, Frisell elaborated on the original, creating new songs and often going in a totally different direction from the sample.

With Willner manning the turntables, Frisell is accompanied by frequent collaborators Tony Scherr (bass), Kenny Wollesen (drums), and Steven Bernstein (trumpet, horn arrangements). Don Alias and Adam Dorn are featured on percussion and synth, respectively. Frisell also wrote string arrangements, which are played by the 858 Strings: violinist Jenny Scheinman, violist Eyvind Kang, and cellist Hank Roberts.

 

 

“Making this record with Hal was the fulfillment of a 20-plus year dream for me,” said Frisell. Early in their careers, Frisell and Willner collaborated on Willner’s groundbreaking 1981 multi-artist tribute to Nina Rota’s music for Fellini films. Although he had never heard the guitarist, Willner gave Frisell his first solo recording opportunity, based on a recommendation from a mutual friend—the drummer D. Sharpe, for whom a track on Unspeakable is named—on Amarcord Nino Rota. The pair crossed paths often over the next two decades, collaborating on Stay Awake, a record of Disney music, and Weird Nightmare, a tribute to Charles Mingus. Frisell also performed as part of the Willner-produced tribute concerts for Harry Smith and Randy Newman at UCLA.

Other Willner-produced records on which Frisell is featured include Marianne Faithful, Allen Ginsberg, David Sanborn, and Gavin Friday projects. The two also recorded music to accompany William Burroughs’s reading of Naked Lunch. More recently, they joined forces on the scores for Gus Van Sant’s Finding Forrester, as well as Wim Wenders’ Million Dollar Hotel with Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, and Bono. During the Hotel sessions, Willner heard Frisell playing dance music and got an idea for a unique joint venture, something the genre-bending Frisell had never recorded before. As Willner says, “We wanted to make a beautiful, fun record that still was a Bill Frisell record. I think we succeeded.”

 

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Hal Willner
Recorded, mixed, and edited by Eric Liljestrand
Recorded and mixed at The Village, North Hollywood, CA
Assistant Engineers: Matt Marin, Darren Frank and Margit Pfeiffer
Horns recorded by Noah Simon at Jarvis Recording, New York City
Additional recording at Adam’s Place, NY; and Eric’s Place, LA
Additional editing on track 2 by Adam Dorn
Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York City

Track 1, 7, 10 by Bill Frisell; track 3 by Hal Willner; tracks 2, 5 by Bill Frisell / Hal Willner; tracks 4, 6, 8 by Bill Frisell / Hal Willner / Eric Liljestrand; track 8 by Bill Frisell / Hal Willner / Eric Liljestrand / Steve Bernstein / R. Walter; track 11 by Hal Willner / Otto Sieben; track 12 by Bill Frisell / Tony Scherr / Kenny Wollesen; track 13 by Hal Willner / Eric Liljestrand / G. Grant; track 14 by Bill Frisell / Hal Willner / Teddy Lasry. String arrangement on tracks 1, 4, 6-12,14 by Bill Frisell. Horn arrangement on tracks 2, 6, 9, 11, 12 by Steven Bernstein.

Design by Barbara deWilde
Illustrations by Noah Woods

Nonesuch Selection Number

79828

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
ns_album_artistid
38
ns_album_id
562
ns_album_releasedate
ns_genre_1
0
ns_genre_2
0
Album Status
Artist Name
Bill Frisell
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Bill Frisell, guitar (1-9, 11-14)
Hal Willner, turntables (1-6, 8-11, 13, 14)
Tony Scherr, bass (1-4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14), guitar (12)
Kenny Wollensen, drums (1-4, 6, 8, 9, 11-14)
Don Alias, percussion (1, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12)
Steven Bernstein, trumpet (2, 6, 9, 11, 12)
Briggan Krauss, baritone saxophone (2, 6, 9, 11, 12)
Curtis Fowlkes, trombone (2, 6, 9, 11, 12)
Adam Dorn, synth (4)
The 858 Strings (1, 4, 6-12, 14): Jenny Scheinman, violin; Eyvind Kang, viola; Hank Roberts, cello

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
Price
0.00
UPC
075597982824BUN
Label
MP3
Price
9.00
UPC
075597982862
  • 79828

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

    2004 Grammy Award Winner

     

    Celebrated guitarist Bill Frisell’s 19th Nonesuch record, Unspeakable, was released in August 2004. The groove and soul–based collaboration with renowned producer Hal Willner takes a freewheeling, idiosyncratic approach to the modern art of music sampling. As a jumping-off point for the record, Frisell and Willner employed obscure songs and sounds culled from vintage vinyl records for their own sonic explorations, borrowing and integrating choice fragments into original compositions. Willner, Saturday Night Live’s music supervisor, scoured NBC’s well-stocked record library for inspiration. The pair sampled the ideas and/or moods from the various tracks Willner had unearthed; in most cases, Frisell elaborated on the original, creating new songs and often going in a totally different direction from the sample.

    With Willner manning the turntables, Frisell is accompanied by frequent collaborators Tony Scherr (bass), Kenny Wollesen (drums), and Steven Bernstein (trumpet, horn arrangements). Don Alias and Adam Dorn are featured on percussion and synth, respectively. Frisell also wrote string arrangements, which are played by the 858 Strings: violinist Jenny Scheinman, violist Eyvind Kang, and cellist Hank Roberts.

     

     

    “Making this record with Hal was the fulfillment of a 20-plus year dream for me,” said Frisell. Early in their careers, Frisell and Willner collaborated on Willner’s groundbreaking 1981 multi-artist tribute to Nina Rota’s music for Fellini films. Although he had never heard the guitarist, Willner gave Frisell his first solo recording opportunity, based on a recommendation from a mutual friend—the drummer D. Sharpe, for whom a track on Unspeakable is named—on Amarcord Nino Rota. The pair crossed paths often over the next two decades, collaborating on Stay Awake, a record of Disney music, and Weird Nightmare, a tribute to Charles Mingus. Frisell also performed as part of the Willner-produced tribute concerts for Harry Smith and Randy Newman at UCLA.

    Other Willner-produced records on which Frisell is featured include Marianne Faithful, Allen Ginsberg, David Sanborn, and Gavin Friday projects. The two also recorded music to accompany William Burroughs’s reading of Naked Lunch. More recently, they joined forces on the scores for Gus Van Sant’s Finding Forrester, as well as Wim Wenders’ Million Dollar Hotel with Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, and Bono. During the Hotel sessions, Willner heard Frisell playing dance music and got an idea for a unique joint venture, something the genre-bending Frisell had never recorded before. As Willner says, “We wanted to make a beautiful, fun record that still was a Bill Frisell record. I think we succeeded.”

     

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Bill Frisell, guitar (1-9, 11-14)
    Hal Willner, turntables (1-6, 8-11, 13, 14)
    Tony Scherr, bass (1-4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14), guitar (12)
    Kenny Wollensen, drums (1-4, 6, 8, 9, 11-14)
    Don Alias, percussion (1, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12)
    Steven Bernstein, trumpet (2, 6, 9, 11, 12)
    Briggan Krauss, baritone saxophone (2, 6, 9, 11, 12)
    Curtis Fowlkes, trombone (2, 6, 9, 11, 12)
    Adam Dorn, synth (4)
    The 858 Strings (1, 4, 6-12, 14): Jenny Scheinman, violin; Eyvind Kang, viola; Hank Roberts, cello

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Hal Willner
    Recorded, mixed, and edited by Eric Liljestrand
    Recorded and mixed at The Village, North Hollywood, CA
    Assistant Engineers: Matt Marin, Darren Frank and Margit Pfeiffer
    Horns recorded by Noah Simon at Jarvis Recording, New York City
    Additional recording at Adam’s Place, NY; and Eric’s Place, LA
    Additional editing on track 2 by Adam Dorn
    Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, New York City

    Track 1, 7, 10 by Bill Frisell; track 3 by Hal Willner; tracks 2, 5 by Bill Frisell / Hal Willner; tracks 4, 6, 8 by Bill Frisell / Hal Willner / Eric Liljestrand; track 8 by Bill Frisell / Hal Willner / Eric Liljestrand / Steve Bernstein / R. Walter; track 11 by Hal Willner / Otto Sieben; track 12 by Bill Frisell / Tony Scherr / Kenny Wollesen; track 13 by Hal Willner / Eric Liljestrand / G. Grant; track 14 by Bill Frisell / Hal Willner / Teddy Lasry. String arrangement on tracks 1, 4, 6-12,14 by Bill Frisell. Horn arrangement on tracks 2, 6, 9, 11, 12 by Steven Bernstein.

    Design by Barbara deWilde
    Illustrations by Noah Woods

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