Funny an Irish-based journalist who’s written about James Joyce’s Ulysses, wounded British soldiers, and Nick Cave is the man making the auspicious title claim of … Read More “Philip Watson: Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamer: The Guitarist Who Changed the Sound of American Music (Faber)”
Hailed as one of the most distinctive and original improvising guitarists of our time.
To say that there is a single ECM Records sound is to oversimplify a catalog that now encompasses more than 1,600 albums. One suspects that … Read More “Live Review: ECM 50 in New York”
Getting your hands on a new Bill Frisell CD is a bit like unboxing a gift from a good friend with great taste. So what … Read More “Bill Frisell: Harmony (Blue Note)”
Can devotees of guitarist Bill Frisell listen to Epistrophy without connecting a lot of dots? Not likely. Recorded live at Manhattan’s Village Vanguard and prominently … Read More “Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan: Epistrophy (ECM)”
It is profoundly satisfying to hear drummer Andrew Cyrille—who helped shepherd the tornado of Cecil Taylor through Unit Structures, among many others, more than 50 … Read More “Andrew Cyrille: Lebroba (ECM)”
The bracing RareNoise debut from trumpeter Cuong Vu’s 4Tet—2017’s Ballet: The Music of Michael Gibbs—played up a blended dynamism leavened by respect for its honoree. … Read More “Cuong Vu 4Tet: Change in the Air (RareNoise)”
The Art Ensemble of Chicago in full cry, especially on a 50th-anniversary tour, is a powerful way to kick off a jazz festival. That said, … Read More “Live Review: 2018 JazzMi Jazz Festival”
“These are all my teachers up here,” Bill Frisell said on Thursday night (June 21) at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. He was … Read More “Live Review: Bill Frisell Guitar Invitational in New York”
Although he’s collaborated with dozens of diverse artists throughout his career, guitarist Bill Frisell is still somewhat picky about whom he chooses to work with. … Read More “Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan: Small Town (ECM)”
