All three of the musicians who make up this trio are very skilled musicians and each has at least a relatively successful career, but this album is rather boring in the end. First off, I have always loved Bill Frisell's Jazz stuff. Selected in Competition at South by South West Film Festival 2017! Product Description For two days in February 2005, guitarist Bill Frisell joined upright bassist legend Ron Carter, a member of Miles Davis' groundbreaking 60s bands, and drummer Paul Motian, part of the equally-storied Bill Evans Trio, at Avatar Studios in Manhattan to record original compositions from Carter and Frisell, a pair of Thelonious Monk tunes, and a handful of the folk-country-Tin Pan Alley chestnuts that Frisell likes to disassemble and recombine in beautifully abstract form. When Frisell organized his new band with vocalist , cellist and guitarist-bassist he was struck by the fact that all of the band members but him sang, so their vocal blend became the group's signature sound as well as the inspiration for the name Harmony. For curiosity sake, I put a picture of the cover into the image gallery for this product. While it has the same sound and vibe, it is slightly weaker.
On Harmony, Frisell seems to have found just that. A character portrait of anti-archetype guitar hero, Bill Frisell, this nuanced film traces the ideas and processes that shaped Frisell's music, and provides rare insight into the mind and personality of one of the significant musicians of recent decades. Much of Harmony seems to examine what Frisell's been exploring for over three decades: a languid melancholia described and refracted by the steely liquid tones his Telecaster fires out. Guitarists will love this film, guitar enthusiasts will enjoy his cool collection of Telecaster and Jazzmaster guitars, but you don't have to play guitar to enjoy this film. While playing real Jazz, the project's hallucinatory effects will appeal to Rock listeners.
While Hank Roberts' cello and Luke Bergman's backing guitar rumble and sing exquisitely with Frisell's guitar, it's their, and lead vocalist 's, vocals that most notably alter Frisell's spacious sound — sometimes clarifying its dimensions and at other times clouding them. Also featuring Bonnie Raitt, Hal Willner, Paul Simon, Nels Cline, Joey Baron, Jim Hall, Jason Moran, Mike Gibbs, John Zorn, Jack DeJohnette, Ron Carter and John Abercrombie. It contains four songs from the same recording session. While you may have a similar experience, I ultimately have to apologize for the indulgence that is this review. Festival and Theatrical screenings please contact Emma Franz Films. You can't get enough of this satisfaction. It's been a long time since I found any album that I could play several times a day for weeks on end.
Well anyone looking for loud tunes to run or work out to need not go here. This is an insightful look at the creative process and musical life of one of jazz's more eclectic artists, someone who is never afraid to think outside of the box musically but with a healthy respect for fans and audiences alike. By the way, the recording quality is absolutely first rate. I, personally, did not have the patience to listen to what is in effect, really just an hour and four minute long single song. Hard to find in digital form. Fifty Years Music by Bill Frisell 4. I like Frisell's wry style, I like Carter's usually relaxed, swung grooves, but every track sounds like the one right before and after it.
Paul Motian has played with Frisell for years in a long running trio with saxophonist Joe Lovano, and Ron Carter has been the object of Frisell's admiration to the point of having a tune dedicated to him on Frisell's Blues Dream release. Music by Bill Frisell 10. Im really surprised that such excellent musicians couldnt make more of this album. The work to weave so much together — and do it so well — speaks to Frisell's skill as a composer. If you're willing to accept the Frisellian premise that there may be a Jazz trilogy of sorts, I will write that this is probably the softest. His affable, warm nature seeks to connect people, sounds and ideas. With the addition of this release, I consider it to form a trilogy of sorts.
Certainly, individualy each song is interesting. In contrast, this project is lower-keyed and less ambitious. . In the end, I have been so moved by this disc that I have to share my experience, out of a sense of musical therapy. If you want introspective, subtle but dynamite licks this has it in spades. The album is produced by longtime collaborator Lee Townsend and it finds Frisell leading a new, wholly distinctive drumless quartet made up of Petra Haden on vocals, Hank Roberts on cello and voice, and Luke Bergman on guitars, bass and voice. It is an ensemble sound above all.
Lonesome Music by Bill Frisell 8. Well paced and never boring, this film mixes inspiring live performances with entertaining interviews of other music greats who have worked with Bill. That written, it has some fantastic songs. Honest Man Music by Bill Frisell 12. All three vocalists harmonize with only guitar accompaniment: Frisell solos a bit here, but solos are not the focus in this music.
Carter's rock solid bass work and Motian's agile percussion especially his superb brushwork are spot-on throughout the entire disc. The music examines several different sub-genres. Frisell's liquid guitar work dances with Carter's bass work and Motian's groove. It's a beautiful group sound, with the name Harmony very well deserved. Yet it is suffused with his genre-free love of music, and his guitar-playing remains a foundation element. Full of live music, revealing stories, and intimate access to the normally reclusive Frisell, various collaborations are followed from development to fruition, including the last ever performance of the Paul Motian Trio with Frisell and Joe Lovano.
Everywhere Music by Bill Frisell 2. To Bill, Ron and Paul, I thank you for reminding me of why I passionately love music. Originally commissioned by the FreshGrass Foundation an organization dedicated to the vitality of contemporary American roots music and performed at FreshGrass West! Don Was, Justin Seltzer, Cem Kurosman, Colby Silon, Rachel Jones, Jenna Vitolo, Alex Anastasi, Francisco Marmoland everyone at Blue Note Records. Lush Life Words and Music by Billy Strayhorn 11. Frisell's guitar tones are effortless in creating this complex, nimble emotional timbre. . Curiosity Music by Bill Frisell 14.