This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
Maybe it’s because most of the big-name pop and rock acts are hibernating. Maybe it’s because I spent the last month swinging to the Rat Pack Christmas album. Or maybe it’s just because they both start with the letters J and A. Whatever. All I know is I always seem to listen to a lot of jazz in January. Looks like this year is no exception — thanks mainly to a cornucopia of cool titles that landed in stores before the holidays. At least four respected labels — Blue Note, ECM, Impulse and Verve — have impressive and affordable new retrospectives or reissues on the racks right now. Even if you don’t know be-bop from doo-wop, I suggest you give one or two a try. Here’s a little primer to help you get into the swing on Bill Frisell:
WHO: Guitarist Frisell’s catholic tastes and wide-ranging ability — he is equally at home with rock, jazz, bluegrass, country, folk and other styles — have positioned him at the forefront of contemporary jazz and brought him work with rock and pop artists such as Elvis Costello and Marianne Faithfull.
WHEN: Frisell made his first solo recording in 1982 at age 31; since then, he’s averaged about a disc a year.
WHAT YOU GET: A 75-minute compilation that concentrates on his ’80s output, which encompasses everything from roots melodies and lazy Caribbean grooves to hypnotically haunting soundscapes and moody free-jazz to snappy swing and bouncy John Philip Sousa marches to Frank Zappaesque post-rock constructs and New Age-y synth swirls.
WHERE HE FITS IN: Almost anywhere he wants.
