Customer Reviews

Gone Just Like a Train

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While watching the movie "Finding Forester", a so-so film with a great soundtrack, I noticed a skeletal rendition of "Over the Rainbow" that supplied just enough notes to make it recognizable. I immediately recognized it as the work of Bill Frisell.

Culling a musical phrase down to its essence is what makes Frisell's music at once simple yet profound. I agree with the reviewers who comment that this CD grows on you. Frisell plays in a manner that sounds easy, but few guitarists could duplicate his musicianship. His simplicity belies his facility and technical skill. In the same manner, Tiger Woods shows us all what a simple game golf is.

The trio of Frisell, Kraus, and Keltner convey a transparency sustained by their interplay and the skills they each bring to the ensemble. The comparisons with Cream, etc., may seem farfetched given how different this music is from that style, but I understand that comment completely.

I would have given this CD three stars at first listen; then four a few weeks later. I may come back later and give it five.

One of my favorite CD's. It took a while to grow on me, but I believe that the best and most rewarding albums take a little time to appreciate (the pop albums with the catchy tunes will drop your interest and attention as quick as they got it). I think it's his best album, especially if you're coming from the world of rock. Unlike so many other modern guitarists, this guy can say SO much with so little. Not that he can't let it rip, but he can be so smooth and play with so much soul - just listen to the album title: "Gone ... like a train." It's a great mix of jazz, rock, folk, and blues. There's so much in this album, so much to discover even after having listened to it 50 times. Sometimes it's slow, and sometimes it grooves. I thought parts of this album were sort of cheesy at first, but man, give it a few listens, and you'll see it's not at all, you just have to listen to hear the intricacies and the touch that he gives his music. His sound is really unique and he's got a great band backing him up (especially that bass), and I have to say that there is not a single song on this album that I don't like (and out of the 250 or so albums I have, only about a dozen would fall into that category). His later albums are also good, but they are much more mellow, acoustic, and lean towards folk and country much more so than this one. If you're checking out Bill Frisell for the first time and you are used to rock/alternative type music, go with this album, give it a good several listens, and as it grows on you, you'll see what I'm talking about.

I have never heard of Frisell before I read this CD's Stereophile Magazine review, where it got the prestigious "Record of the Month" award. As my past experience shows, the guys at Stereophile know a thing or two about music, and so I bought this CD. And you know what? they were right.

Offereing a good mix of jazz and blues, much musical variety, and some excellent bass performance, this CD will never let you down. It's also very well recorded, and worth listening to in a good hi fi system.

This is the album where Bill Frissell finally did it. You wake up on Sunday at noon and take half an hour to start the coffee and want to give the world a hug only you're way too tired. This is what you want to hear.

The most innovative jazz guitarist for the new century steps back and delivers a cultural landmark that is first and foremost highway driving music. The music evokes the cornfields of Iowa, the rolling hills of Minnesota, and the flat Dakotas. True believers may prefer his more abrasive, avant guard style, but like Pat Metheny, this work can be appreciated by listeners who want to step back from traditional jazz forms. Spare haunting melodies tend to grow after a few plays.

Like the amphibians included in the album art, Bill Frisell is something of a chameleon. My first introduction to Frisell was 1998's Good Dog, Happy Man. In my review of that album I accused him of being technically proficient, but perhaps a bit too laid back. So I began working my way backward through his catalog and picked up 1998's Gone, Just Like a Train. It's difficult to believe these two CDs are by the same artist!

This album kicks off with the jazzy "Blues for Los Angeles" with some very arresting guitar work. He uses a similar approach on the ten-minute "Lookout for Hope" and the title track. Otherwise the album settles in to a more relaxed feel, but Frisell's guitar playing shines throughout. Whether it's the folky strains of "Verona," the funky rhythms of "Egg Radio" or the Chet Atkins-style groove he mines on "Girl Asks Boy (Part 2)," Frisell's fluid playing makes for terrific listening. The rhythm section of Viktor Krauss (bass, and Alison's big brother) and Jim Keltner (drums) provide impeccable support just as they did on Good Dog, Happy Man.

If you're looking for a guitarist with great technique, you can't go wrong here. RECOMMENDED

I've been buying Bill Frisell for a while. Never have been able to get into it really. Sometimes he just seems too vacant.

Along comes this album, I buy it, and the opening bars are pretty ordinary Frisell. Then, as though he recognizes that the plodding beat ain't happneing, he rips into a bluesy solo. And I mean RIPS.

After that - well - you'd have to say that the album is all over the place. But that's a good thing. No traps here. Just great music. Finally, a Frisell album that sits and waits to be played. To this point his music has been a curiosity that I kept giving a second chance too.

First of all, this was my first introduction to Bill Frisell; and the album art had a lot to do with my purchase. It is the perfect visual match for the music it contains. This, more than any other album in my jazz collection, is the one that takes itself the least seriously - (except, perhaps, for Friday Afternoon in the Universe - MMW), and it really shows in the playability of the album. That isn't to say that the music is light-weight - it most certainly is not; you can just tell that Frisell is having a lot of fun playing these songs.

It's light music - although Frisell draws influence from all areas of American musical history, this is definitely a jazz album in the cool tradition. If you're a fan of Miles Davis, or minimalist instrumentation, then you are going to enjoy this album. Frisell doesn't just play a guitar - he speaks through it. And sometimes, saying less says more.

This is the perfect album for headphones-in-bed, late-night walks or early morning coffee on the back porch. It's mellowing music, and imaginative music. It's great.

I had never heard of Bill Frisell until I ran across an article in a magazine. It seemed interesting, so when I saw this cd in a record store, I bought it. I had no idea what to expect, not having ever heard him before. Well, I must admit, it took a little bit of getting into, but I find that is always the way with good music. Anyway, this now happens to be a solid favourite of mine, and every repeated listening adds something new that I had missed before. It is different than a lot of jazz that I have heard. There is a very eclectic mix within each song. Sometimes there is an almost "New-Age" sound that comes out, then there is the blues, traditional sounding jazz as well as contemporary, and through it all a rock beat. It is very, very interesting music to listen to. And then there is the packaging. A standard jewel case in a cardboard outer sleeve with some terrific artwork. As pleasing and interesting to the eye as the music is to the ears.

Once again we return to the concept of The Power Trio: guitar, bass, and drums getting together to kick a little butt. Cream. The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Power Tools (with Frisell on guitar--on ECM, of all labels).

This time around, the concept gets modified a bit. The band does not have a name, and the music has mellowed a bit. On gone, just like a train, Frisell is joined by Viktor Krauss (brother of Alison) on bass and Jim Keltner (long-time studio musician who has played with just about everybody) on drums. The music is inventive--sometimes energetic, sometimes reflective, but always inventive. It never quite sounds like anything else you have ever heard, although you can hear a lot of things in it.

The sound quality is superb--wide-ranging in both frequency response and dynamics. Whereas Frisell's previous studio album, Nashville kind of sidled up to your side door, so to speak, this one kicks your front door right down, starting with the first cut, "Blues for Los Angeles." The group then quiets down a bit, but the real magnum opus is the 10-minute piece, "Lookout for Hope," which churns and seethes with energy but never stoops to bombast. Whew! Nice notes by Frisell, and even the cover art adds to the mood.