Customer Reviews

Hemispheres

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a duo that simply had to be recorded, and what they've created is beyond lovely! It left me in awe on first listening. It's actually a two-CD set, guitar duo with Jim and Bill, and quartet with Scott Colley (bass) and Joey Baron (drums). All four of these masterful musicians have created absolute magic. And the intimacy captured by this recording is a rare rare thing. The music hovers in the air and draws you into its stillness giving us music that goes way beyond music, and without question, music that transcends genre.

The first track on the disc 1 "Throughout" really blew my mind. The first time I listened to it, it freaked me out a little. But as I listened to it over and over again, I was just caught by the mastery work of Jim Hall and Bill Frisell. It gave me this beautiful and pure image of underwater where the moon is shining through.

This album is very rich. First, you can just enjoy the duo intensely. Then you can hear the quartet having fun. I recommend this album anyone who likes swing, avant garde, and any type of jazz.

This album is really great.
With two cds worth it has a huge amount of music. The first disc is just duo with Jim Hall and Bill Frisell featuring many great originals and some covers too. They even do a version of Dylan's "Masters of War". The duo playing is amazing, Bill often is taking full advantage of his pedal effects while Jim plays beautiful melodies over the soundscapes. The first track is my favorite.

The second disc is totally different and really swingin'. They add Scott Colley on Bass and Joey Baron on drums. There are a few free pieces with some really great interaction as well as some great arrangements of standards.

Check this album out!

I purchased the downloads simply out of profound admiration for the musicians. I thought it would be good, but perhaps a bit demure. After a few listens I realized there was so much more. I've listened to this music every day since purchasing, and I keep hearing more. This music far surpasses 99% of everything else out there. It is deep, and comforting and adventurous and satisfying. The chops are there. The soul is there. The peace is there.

This album is innovative, breathtaking...whatever you can say that will complement something, that will work. It was superb.

Jim Hall played with pianist Bill Evans in the early 60s. Frisell has played with Hall, McCoy Tyner, and just about everyone he gets a chance to perform and record with. Here is a document of two accomplished guitarists who have made major contributions to the world of music over the past half century. Hall and Frisell link much of what has been significant in mid-to-late 20th Century jazz with much of what is significant today regarding the broadening array of great music that's being made accessible. What Kubrick symbolically conveys in 2001 with the obelisk and primates is sonically analogous and present in what Hemispheres shares with the listener.

As a longtime Jim Hall fan I must say that this is his best CD ever. He and Bill Frisell are a perfect duo and pairing them with Scott Colley and Joey Baron was a stroke of genius. The second CD provides a delightful change of pace and "Card Tricks is amazing. They have a Grammy winner here!

I first read about this recording at the beginning of November where it received the New York Times critic's choice pick by Ben Ratliff. I received this CD i the mail yesterday and it is by far the best CD I have purchased this year. The combination of Jim and Bill together creates a sound so new that it defies categorization. Jim sounds amazing in this setting and Bill is by far one of the most creative musicians alive today. This is not Jim Hall from the 60s it is him advancing as an artist and breaking new ground proving that he still at the age of 78 is a passionate innovator in Jazz.

I have been playing it for weeks now and still it is fresh. I am coming to it from Frisell and bought it just to keep complete on my Frizell collection,but I am overwhelmed. This is the best of his best. And now I have to start a Hall collection.

This is a tremendous, historic record - these two legends have created a beautiful unique sound for Hemispheres and the addition of Scott Colley and Joey Baron on the second CD is phenomenal. I can't stop listening to it - it's my everyday soundtrack right now...