Customer Reviews

Live

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bill Frisell is by no means a traditional guitarist. He stretches the guitars timbral palette by using a myriad of effects processors including phrase samplers and his trademark volume pedal. This is not to say that he is overly reliant on toys to make his sounds, these are simply tools that allow him to use his unique voice.

The music found on LIVE with Frisell, Joey Baron, & Kermit Driscoll is hard to pigeonhole. There are elements of jazz, folk, rock, and other kinds of music, but the combination never seems forced or contrived. This CD is an absolute must-have. Any collection is empty without it.

This recording seems to have taken an odd path through the record corporations to reach CD. It's a recording of a 1991 concert from Seville by Frisell's basic trio of those years--Kermit Driscoll on bass & Joey Baron on drums. The CD was issued only in 1995, & by Gramavision rather than Frisell's usual label, Elektra/Nonesuch. I'm guessing that the reason for this contractual oddity is that the music wasn't necessarily recorded with commercial release in mind: the sound-quality is acceptable if a little wayward, but it's certainly not up to Elektra/Nonesuch's glossily high standards. Presumably the release of the album was a testament to the music's high quality, & also intended as a memorial to a band that had in the mid-1990s just broken up to pursue different aesthetic directions.

I've often felt that Frisell's studio albums were too cloistered & often just too _nice_; it's a great pity that he's rarely released live material, as he is a truly great live performer (as witness, e.g., the Paul Motian Trio's Vanguard recordings). I would count this album as among Frisell's best: hard to find a better capsule summary of what he does. "Crumb/No Moe", for instance, starts with a bit of indescribably strange mayhem--slithering, bubbling lines, blasts of Hendrixian noise--, then settles into Sonny Rollins' tune, a standard 1950s-style "I Got Rhythm" variant that anticipates "Oleo". Frisell throws scouring distorted guitar at it, whimsical melodies, straight blues playing, surf guitar, writhing electronic loops..... Throughout the album Frisell combines an invincible melodic sense with a collagist aesthetic that draws on all the possibilities of the guitar & of American music. Yet he also delivers some memorable ballad performances: "Have a Little Faith in Me" is a gorgeous rendition of John Hiatt's melody, for instance. A special word for "Strange Meeting", a staple of Frisell's repertoire since his early work with the Power Tools band. The version here is one of the most moving performances Frisell's ever delivered; rather than the more stylized, arranged version for the larger group on _This Land_, this version is stripped bare: a simple, inexorable lament that is restrained but chilling. I assume the title is a reference to Wilfrid Owen's famous WWI poem of the same title, & Frisell's song & especially this rendition perform a fittingly sombre tribute.

The material on this album was later released in "official" versions on Frisell's two 1992 albums _This Land_ & _Have a Little Faith_. Fine as those albums are, the versions here are equally strong, & anyone interested in Frisell should give this album a listen. It's more abrasive than those two albums--Frisell's electronic looping, used sparingly on the studio albums, is extensively employed on _Live_--but is highly enjoyable.

I own frisell's complete discography and this is without a doubt a cut above the rest. I loved this band and while I will always wish that Frisell will work with this trio again in the future...at least we have this recording. If you only buy one Frisell disc to see what this guy is all about...this is the one.

This album blew me away immediately. Any time I see a mix of reviews that give the highest praises and the lowest of slander, I know the album must be great. I don't mean to offend any fans, but I thought this album was right up there with the initial impact of Phish: A Live One, and King Crimson: Nightwatch. From me, this is a lofty compliment, and this is my newest "favorite" cd.
Yes, it is wide open and disjunct at times, but it rewards the sensitive listener. Don't throw this album in the trash, you fool! Give several listens before making your final judgement, as you cannot process all the ingenius interplay here in just two or three listens. You can enjoy this one for years. Thanks to Frisell, Driscoll, and Baron for a great one:)

I don't care what you have to do, but somehow, get your hands on this album. Amazing, Stellar, words simply cannot convey what is happening here. If only there were a DVD of this performance. Wow!

I have been a fan of Bill Frisell's music for a while now. This live cd is great. Bill weaves and paints his beautiful guitar work like a painting on canvas. Many textures and layers in his playing. He is one of the prominant, important persons in free jazz/avant garde music. He was a regular of the Knitting Factory performers. Some people just dont get his music, or understand it, like alot of fusion, or avant garde stuff, alot of people dont understand, or they are just not interested. I guess because its not main stream, or popular, I dont know, but to each its own. I love the stuff.

I must completely disagree with the previous reviewer's comments that this album (and all pre 1995 recordings) is weak. The majority of Frisell fans will agree that his early work is some of his best. "Rambler" is one of Frisell's strongest of all time, "Before We Were Born" is probably his most underrated album, and "Have a Little Faith" continues to be one of his most critically acclaimed efforts. "Live" includes many highlights from from those and other early albums.

The album is particularly well-recorded - great balance and presence of sound., but the best thing is the fun spirit of the performance. You can really tell the musicians are having fun. It probably helps that Joey Baron and Kermit Driscoll are frequent Frisell collaborators. Many of the compositions were initially performed by larger ensembles, but Frisell does a nice job slightly rearranging the music for this trio. It also gives the group some flexibility to take the songs in interesting new directions.

While live recordings are sometimes hit-and-miss, I can highly recommend this to any Frisell fan. If you know the tunes already, you'll enjoy hearing what they do with them. If you're new to Frisell, this is a spirited recording. However, I might also add that if you're new to Frisell, there are better places to start. Check out "Before We Were Born", "Rambler", or "Gone, Just Like a Train".

This is a must-have for all serious guitarists (or even halfway serious/just lovers of the guitar or just music for that matter). Frisell, Driscoll and Baron form such a cohesive unit, Frisell once said about this band, "it's like I'm all alone up there", they were that tight. I can't express the impression Frisell makes on me with his beautiful melodies and subtle interspersion of bassline and harmony. He can take such a simple melody and just make it so cool. The guy's a genius and this recording will remain forever timeless.

Stripped down to a Guitar Bass & Drum trio this live date absolutely "rocks." Frisell shows many of his "sides" but most of all he flat out plays his a** off. If Frisell's playing was not awesome enough check out Joey Baron's Drumming.

Frisell wisely chooses a few tracks from older albums to go along with the the Stuff from the mid 90s.

I agree that all fans of guitar should have this cd.

While "LIVE" enjoys a dedicated following, it is one of Bill Frisell's weaker and less accessible albums. The earlier part of Bill's discography is uneven. This 1995 recording is no exception. Frisell has always been a guitar visionary. That written, his music didn't really bloom or mature into consistent greatness until the late 1990's. This disc is down there with "Have a Little Faith" (1993) and "Before We Were Born" (1989). While such recordings are high in artistic integrity, they're just not very 'listenable.' "LIVE" is a good album with serious highlights, but with so much phenomenal Frisellian fare out there, this is for completists. The dominant sound on this album is rock meets jazz. If you seek Bill Frisell's jazzy rock (or rockin' jazz), get "Bill Frisell with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones" or the Ginger Baker Trio's "Going Back Home." If you want live Bill Frisell, go with 2005's "East/West."