Bill Frisell, the Veteran American Jazzman Dubhed the Gtark Kent of the Electric Guitar, Is Preparing a Rare Treat for the Music Lovers of Gork, Writes Philip Watson
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Bill Frisell, the veteran American jazzman dubhed the Gtark Kent of the electric guitar, is preparing a rare treat for the music lovers of Gork, writes Philip Watson o post-punk singer- been inspired by a diverse range day concert at NewYork's Carn- big part of whatever there is songwriter Gavin Fri- of forms, from bluegrass to egie Hall, at the end of which of American music, and Irish day, his music'has this pop, blues toWestAfrican, roots Shane MacGowan grabbed Fri- music seems extraordinarily great eclectic ambi- to classical. This time last year sellt guitar and played it loudly, beautiftrl and emotional, and essence he released AII We Are Sayrng, upside down. heavy and happy - it's got almost, that merges into any- an album of imaginative "On that night, we went from everything you need in there," thing from blues to iazz to interpretations of the songs of Lou Reed to Courtrney Love to he says, by phone from Seattle. country to acoustic". To uadi- John Lennon. Rufus Wainwright to Antony "And I've played with Bono tional Irish fiddle player Martin "l'm actually fine with being Hegarty to U2," says Friday. and U2 - I mean, thatt Irish, Hayes, "het beyond genre - described as'a iazz guitarist', "There are few musicians who right?" Indeed Frisell played on he's created his own music, an and I respect that and there's could handle that - and my and composed tracks for the elemental area where mood and certainly plenty to do wi&in that brain was on the floor the next soundtack produced by U2 for feeling always happen". For the form," says Frissell, who will day- but Bill didnl even blink." Wim Wenderst film The Million great English-bom iazz pianist perform a live originat film Hayes also has a broad range Dollar Hotel. Marian McPartland,'it's easy to soundtrackwith his band on the of perspectives, from iazz to "You can hear in those guys understand why everyone loves opening night of the Corona early music to contemporary some kind of core or soul of the him - his music is all very tune- Cork Film Festival. classical, as well as a dislike of music," he says. "When I hear U2 7t fi.r], and a lot of fun to listen to". "Itt lust that when I think "any rigldity ofthought". Frisell there's lal sound that goes all the Unless youre people & a dedicated about some of the was his automatic choice when waybackto the earlyfiddle nrnes ;:'r - ., 'rtri iazz-head, Biil Frisell may be who've inspired me - Theloni- it was suggested that Hayes I've heard." th€ greatest musician you've ous Monk, Sonny Rollins and collaborate with a musician Frisell has forged other music *{F' never heard of. Over a period of Miles Davis - for me iazz is not from another genre for a short connections with a fuzwg 55 years and more than 250 so much a style as a way of tour; Frisell, Hayes and guitarist range of similarly shape-shifting recordings, the 6l-year-old thinking, a process of nans- Dennis Cahill piayed three dates musicianS. For his 1997 acoustic American guitarist and com- forming what's around you. in Ireland lur2007. country-bluegrass album, Nash- poser has established himself What bothers me is when the "I was nervous at first, but I ville, he played with members of as one of the most pioneering word used to describe some found him to be humble, good- Alison Krauss's Union Station and panoramic musicians at music excludes something else; humoured and courageous, and band. Two years later he worked work today. it's like there are rules that keep I savoured every minute of play- with Elvis Costello and Burt Frisell was lauded by The people apart. I'm trying not to ing with him," says Hayes.'Not Bacharach on The Sweetest Wall Street Ioumal as 'one of shut anything out." only was it fascinating to experi- Punch, which features Frisellt the most innovative and influen- It's a conviaion shared by ence some of the freedom he ensemble arangements for new nal iazz guitarists of the past many of the multi-directional certainly has on stage, but Billt songs written by the duo. For his 25 years". He is certainly a musicians with whom Frisell very interested in the American "world-fusion" album The Inter- sensitive and consummate has played. Friday has explored folk and country traditions, and continentals, he formed a band improviser, who has worked a wide variety of music, from he likes melody. There were made up of a Malian peran- with many iazz greats. However, alt-rock to fiIm soundtracks to conscious and unconscious sionist, a Brazilian singer and his reach and dedicated follow- cabaret, as well as acting and intersections with lrish music." guitarist, and a Greek oud and ing goes far beyond the freeform painting. Frisell played on Frisell admits to not being bouzouki player. "All the people yet sometimes introspective Friday's debut solo album in "any kind of expert or scholar", I've had success playing with borders of iazz. Adopting an 1989, and was a member of the and to having only a few Irish havc an opcnness and a sense *Yet admirably ambitious approach house band for the epic Gavin albums. I know that Irish- of loy in the music itself," he to music, Frisell's proiecs have Friday and Friends 50th birth- American music is certainly a says. 'There's no competition going on; nobody's trying to can photographer Mike Dis- unique experience and a great show the other what they know. farmer and German painter spectacie," says Mick Hannigan, Im trying to get a conversation Gerhard Richter, created slap- the festival director. "Bill Morri- going in the music." stick scores for the silent films sont work is terrificaliy artistic Frisell is a shy, modest, polite, of Buster Keaton, and crafted and innovative; he works with hesitant, gentle giant of a man. soundtracks for films by Gus the texture of f,lm, with decay- van Sant and television specials ing iootage that often has its I cartoonist Larson. Yet And Frisell is I by Gary own visual beauty. this is the first time he has a great and prolific composer 1 Flis 6ft lin frame and round 'Just as it's the whose music is generous to bespectacled face led Spin mag- musicians and audiences alike. azine to dub him "the Clark natllre oi a river There is also some wry arnuse- Kent olthe electric guitar". He is to Cry ment here that Cork has been soft-spoken and self-effacing - up or subiect to flooding itself." though rather more extrovert flooci, lwant [i-t Frisell stresses that the film and expressive on stagc. His j - r - r and music are not all about finelyfinelvhoned honed music oftenoften.seems seems lllUSlC i0 De alllve "death and destruction"; there is to achieve the impossible: it is and resilience, rebirth, even at once accessibie and avant- evolving moments .of black humour. garde. Frisell uses all manner of aii the time' "Therc are set pieces and melo- pedals and effects to produce dies but, just as itt the nature of echoes, extensions, loops, a river to dry up or flood, or to reverbs and distortions. His change its course, I want the music can be tender, haunting, music to be alive and evolving fluid, warm, violent and heart- all the time," he says. breaking. It is like a ioumey worked with a film-maker"from "I cant really put the power ol through the American land- the ground up". this flood and the magnitude of scape: mythic, wide-open, cine- The Great Flood is a this event and its effects into matic, dream-like. "l'm lust uy- 75-minute suite in which Fri- words. It is just so gigantic. ing to use what I know and put sell's quartet plays shimmering Composing and playing music my own experience into what blues and oozy roots music is a way of getting sonething I'm doing without limiting any- accompanying archival images out, ofsaying what I need to say. thing," Friselt once told Guitar of thc devastating Mississippi Music is how I express myself, Playcr magazine. "For mc, music River flood of l927,reworked by how I communicate with people, has always been this world renowned {ilm-maker and artist much more than verbally. It's where anything is possibie." BiIl Morrison. The film, which is where my real voice is, where I It is a musical language and divided into titled chronological really say something, where sensibility weli suited to the pro- chapters, aftempts to provide a every'thing makes sense."E iect he is bringrng to Cork. Fri- feel for a flood that displaced sell has been drawn to the visual lm people, and to explore "the The Great Flood is at ihe Cork arts on many occasions before ensuing transformation of Opera llouse on Noaember 11 as - he has written music in American society and music". part of the Corona CorkFilm response to the work of Ameri- 'We think it's going to be a F estta al ( cor kfr lmfes t. org).