Friday jazz profile: Bill Frisell

 OK, one of my favorites of modern jazz guitar today.  Bill Frisell.  Frisell is a strange guy.  He has done everything from avant-garde experimentation with Living Colour guitarist, Vernon Reid to ambient oddities recorded on the ECM label to my favorites, his experimentations blending jazz with country.  His best album, in my opinion, is Nashville.  Here's the first cut, "Gimme A Holler."

Note several things about what Frisell does.  Credit must obviously go, in part, to one of the greatest bands ever assembled, including the greatest bluegrass musicians around, like dobro master, Jerry Douglas.  This piece wouldn't work without him.  Frisell, though, is among the most subtle guitarists around.  Tone over flash.  Country guitar is generally associated with the twangy tone of a Fender Telecaster, or tones similarly achieved on other models, but Frisell is playing in more controlled territory, while making subtle changes to the tone as he plays.  More importantly for our purposes today, note how he takes a very simple country melody, and improvises in a way that messes with the timing just a bit.  He introduces the melody in a straightforward way, and you could imagine that you are listening to a country band, and it isn't until he starts into a very subtle solo that you hear the jazz.  Note Bill's solo, starting at about 2:00 into the piece.  Bill and Jerry start trading lead, and their timing starts weaving around Viktor Krauss's bass.  The tension created by that is where the piece breaks from country and puts you into jazz territory.  It's all about the timing.  And... Bill's tone.  Great stuff.