Ever prolific avant-Americana guitarist Bill Frisell continues his Nonesuch odyssey amongst this trio that includes 2 jazz heavyweights: bassist Dave Kingdom of the Netherlands (former Miles Davis band fellow member too electrical current ECM recording artist) too drum legend Elvin Jones (one-quarter of the classic John Coltrane Quartet of the '60s too notwithstanding an indefatigable rhythmist). Frisell leads the threesome through a mass of his ain highly individual, atmospherically compelling tunes, including such recent favorites every bit "Strange Meeting" too "Blues Dream"; the trio also essays 2 vintage numbers that reach a skilful chore of bookending Frisell's ain construct of rootsy lyricism - Henry Mancini's "Moon River" too Stephen Foster's "Hard Times." Hardly obvious candidates every bit Frisell collaborators, Kingdom of the Netherlands too Jones warm good to the folk-inflected material, complementing the guitarist's offbeat charm too unerring sense of savour amongst their muscular authority. Frisell fans volition rejoice i time again, too newcomers mightiness notice this an ideal introduction.
Bill Frisell has teamed upwards amongst 2 of the most revered figures inward contemporary jazz, bassist Dave Kingdom of the Netherlands too drummer Elvin Jones, for the outset fourth dimension on record. An impromptu coming together of these 3 unique voices resulted inward 2nd musical chemistry, every bit they revisited—and frequently transformed—Frisell’s compositions too a twosome of standards.
According to Frisell, co-producer Michael Shrieve—a old fellow member of Santana too a highly creative drummer amongst whom Frisell has worked—first suggested playing amongst Jones. “Michael has known Elvin since he was a petty kid,” Frisell explains, “and is currently writing a mass virtually him. Out of the bluish he told me that I should play amongst Elvin. I had met Elvin once, virtually xv years ago, but I never regard I’d larn a run a endangerment to play amongst him.”
Seeing that Shrieve was perfectly serious virtually the suggestion, Frisell too co-producer Lee Townsend speedily decided on the correct bassist for the project. “I had played a petty chip amongst Dave,” Frisell says, “and we’d talked virtually doing to a greater extent than run together. And Dave had worked amongst Elvin, thence I regard he mightiness hold out able to necktie it all together. The whole matter was similar a dream, to hold out able to play amongst these guys.”
Each of Frisell’s collaborators on the eponymously titled free tin hand the sack rightfully claim the tag “legendary.” British-born bassist Dave Kingdom of the Netherlands was a mainstay inward Miles Davis’s bands straightaway prior to too during the Bitches Brew era, too also worked inward to a greater extent than avant-garde settings amongst Chick Corea too Anthony Braxton. In recent years Kingdom of the Netherlands has dice i of the most celebrated composers too bandleaders inward jazz.
Born inward Pontiac too raised inward Detroit every bit business office of an enormously gifted musical family, Elvin Jones became i of the most pop too influential drummers inward jazz history through his run inward the John Coltrane Quartet. He, too, has been a celebrated bandleader, too numerous younger musicians— including Nicholas Payton, Javon Jackson, too Ravi Coltrane—have received their bandstand seasoning every bit members of his Jazz Machine.
In selecting the tunes for the session, Frisell too Townsend picked to a greater extent than or less of his most enduring compositions, which were too thence transformed yesteryear the band inward the studio. “I wanted to convey Dave too Elvin into my world,” Frisell said. “Strange Meeting,” originally a martial tango, is recast hither every bit a breezy bossa nova. Bluesier cloth too a folk ballad yesteryear Stephen Foster, “Hard Times,” were also chosen because Frisell had ever heard the blues inward Jones’s playing. “I wasn’t certain how he would react,” Frisell says, “but Elvin got actually excited virtually this stuff—he said that it took him dorsum to the music he used to psyche to every bit a tike inward Detroit, similar Big Bill Broonzy. And selfishly, if someone has a tune, who wouldn’t desire to require heed what it would good similar if Elvin Jones played it?”
Bill Frisell's allegorical approach to storytelling draws on a wealth of sounds too styles, too is informed yesteryear a jazz attitude. His music is ideally suited to the challenges of the trio format, inward which each thespian is exposed too naked, sharing the rhythmic, harmonic, too melodic responsibilities piece trying to projection the orchestral dimension of a large band.
Bill Frisell amongst Dave Kingdom of the Netherlands too Elvin Jones is the most down-home, folkish aspect yet of the guitarist's borderless blues music. It is mayhap the most expansive, perfected vision of this trip-tych of all-star audiophile recordings, which began amongst Charlie Haden too Ginger Baker on the drummer's Going Back Home too continued amongst bassist Viktor Krauss too Mandarin L.A. studio drummer Jim Keltner on Frisell's Gone, Just Like a Train.
The large divergence hither is Frisell's laying-on of mucho post-production touches to flesh out the music inward a fascinating mélange of overdubbed acoustic too electrical voices. Bassist Kingdom of the Netherlands tolls away amongst egoless grace too ability piece drummer Jones plays the blues amongst cool, understated conviction, filling inward the textural holes amongst his trademark sizzle-cymbal/bass-drum moan too airy, wind-driven sheets of snare atmospheric precipitation on surprisingly straightforward grooves that evoke visions of Highway 61. Jones does all this thence straightforwardly - every bit inward his hypnotic time-keeping on "Coffaro's Theme" too his unadorned shuffle on "Outlaws" - that it mightiness come upwards every bit something of a stupor to those who notwithstanding associate him mainly amongst the fervent interplay too complexity of John Coltrane's quartet.
Why should nosotros hold out thence shocked to require heed Elvin playing directly time? He sounds every bit if he's having the fourth dimension of his life. Listen to the deliciously irksome groove of "Blues Dream." But then, this album's outset 4 tunes are fleshed out inward corking item amongst guitar overdubs; inward such elaborate orchestrations less is frequently more, rhythmically speaking - a big, round, evenly spaced quarter banker's complaint tin hand the sack hold out but every bit profound every bit the most complex polyrhythmic layering.
In responding to Frisell's spacious construct of rhythmic/melodic invention, Kingdom of the Netherlands too Jones convey things to a simmer rather than a total boil, every bit on "Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa," inward which i of Jones' trademark rolling intros leads to a fattening tom-tom drone amongst Kingdom of the Netherlands too overdubs pull a distant thunderstorm, Frisell's solo providing what lightning at that topographic point is.
Sonically too spiritually, the music takes on a to a greater extent than or less "jazz" dimension when they play every bit a directly trio. This happens to glorious outcome on a tenderly swinging "Moon River," inward which Hones' brushwork too Holland's counterpoint flesh out Frisell's sublime acoustic guitar harmonies; on the mysterious cymbal-driven changes of "Strange Meeting"; too inward the shuffling "Convict 13." But to require heed these 3 surge together, every bit they reach inward the closing strains of "Smilin' Jones," is to recognize that mayhap this isn't a "jazz" album at all.
Whatever you lot telephone yell upwards it, the wonderful bass extension too holographic textural dimension inward Bill Frisell amongst Dave Kingdom of the Netherlands too Elvin Jones larn inward a definite audiophile's delight. And inward its ritualistic portrayal of Americana nosotros gain a novel insight into the collective prism of the improviser's art, piece Frisell's visceral orchestrations propose notwithstanding bolder swatches of coloring to come
Track listing
All compositions yesteryear Bill Frisell except every bit indicated.
"Outlaws" – 7:55
"Twenty Years" – 3:15
"Coffaro's Theme" – 4:50
"Blue's Dream" – 4:49
"Moon River" (Mancini, Mercer) – 6:25
"Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa" – 9:06
"Strange Meeting" – 5:22
"Convict 13" – 3:54
"Again" – 7:32
"Hard Times" – 3:39
"Justice too Honor" – 4:48
"Smilin' Jones" – 5:03
Personnel
Bill Frisell - guitars
Dave Kingdom of the Netherlands - bass
Elvin Jones - drums
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