CD Details
Synopsis
Amazon.comSome artists develop their voice over time. When guitarist Bill Frisell began his association with ECM in 1981 as a sideman with drummer Paul Motian, he was a full-blown original, a texturalist whose spare modal effects and pastoral and pop leanings took jazz in a new direction. Frisell's installment in the label's :rarum anthology series, for which the artists choose the songs and contribute written commentary, offers more variety than most of his individual recordings. He is heard lending support to Motian, saxophonist Jan Garbarek, pianist Paul Bley, and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler; overdubbing himself on acoustic guitar; leading an offbeat lineup, including tuba stalwart Bob Stewart; and taking his first tentative steps as bandleader with cellist Hank Roberts, bassist Kermit Driscoll, and drummer Joey Baron. Whatever the setting, Frisell, who has gravitated in recent times toward American roots forms, finds a rich silver lining in electronic cloudscapes that can be dreamy or dark or both. The collection, which offers 24-bit/96kHz remastering--a first for the legendarily sound-conscious ECM--is brought to a close by classical and new music artist Gavin Bryars, who leads his own ensemble on an atmospheric chamber piece from 1993, inspired by a song on Frisell's 1982 debut, In Line. --Lloyd Sachs
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CD Reviews
Introduction William Wood | Sydney, New South Wales Australia | 12/09/2002 (4 out of 5 stars) "I must admit that I had never heard the music of Bill Frisell until I bought this compilation.For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Rarum series they are compilations of pieces recorded for the ECM label chosen by the artists themselves rather than someone from the marketing department. As the owner of a couple of the series I was impressed enough to try this one.( and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a place to start with any of the featured artists).
My first reaction on listening to this disc was one of pleasant surprise,it is always a great feeling when you discover music of this quality,my second was annoyance that I had waited so long to hear it.
Bill Frisell has a very lyrical and individual style of playing that I for one find refreshing.His use of guitar synthesiseron a couple of the pieces is tasteful and in keeping with the sense of the tunes, unlike some other guiarists who seem to get carried away with the sound pallette available. "Introduction" and "India",both Paul Motian tunes,are powerful examples of Motian's ability as a composer and Frisell's as an interpreter and navigator of the tunes of others.
Frisell's own pieces on this disc show a clear development in style and confidence over time ,with some great arrangments to boot.You may not walk away from this disc whistling the tunes the first time you hear it, but the tunes will slowly reveal themselves to be gems.
The last piece on the disc was written by Gavin Bryars based on another of Frisell's tunes and is a fitting place to finish the disc leaving us ,of course , wanting more."
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