More thoughts on Frisell....

I've been thinking about Bill Frisell's playing since I saw him on Thursday. His playing and musical aesthetic is something I admire greatly - he's obviously a musical omnivore, devouring and processing massive amounts of music and putting it all into his unique, postmodern blend that is equal parts jazz, americana, rock and roll, and pop melodic sensibility.

He possesses a keen harmonic and melodic sense, and I am always particularly impressed and fascinated by his use of harmonies in vamps/pedals, his ability to give them a sense of motion while orbiting around that central tone. I think it's time for me to sit down and really take the time to pick apart what he's doing and how he does it. I had a great seat at the show so I could really see his hands and he's an impressive technician on the guitar.

His use of delays is fantastic, the ways he sets up the future and then interacts with the past through his delay pedals, morphing his sound forwards and backwards, slowed down and sped up.

One more additional note for the show review I posted. I was listening to the Beach Boy's version of Surfer Girl and I realized that he must have either added sections or it was a medley. I'm thinking he might have added in the melody from the Everly Brothers' "All I Have To Do Is Dream" - although I could have imagined that.

I realized I really need to pick up News for Lulu - I'm fascinated to hear him in that grouping. I'm a huge, unabashed fan of George Lewis and an occasional John Zorn fan, so I'll be interested to see what that trio of musicians can do. I hope it lives up to its promise.