Customer Reviews

Nashville

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

 

 

Bill Frisell's music is misunderstood by fans and critics alike. Most listeners are too eager to foist labels upon artists; few are content to just let music be. Bill Frisell is not a jazz musician, nor is he a country guitarist or an avant-garde artist. Rather, he takes from all of these styles and incorporates them into his music, creating a sound that is distinctly his own while continually blurring the edges of established genres and styles. Frisell is a unique voice in the music world. His music is not universally accepted nor understood, but whether you like him or not, history will find him a pivotal figure in music. Some, such as those at Downbeat, are ahead of their time in embracing Frisell and his music. Their overwhelming praise is completely justified.

Nashville finds Frisell in a place where few musicians--save those on the inside of Nashville--seldom go: into the world of country music. Frisell weaves a rich blanket of country melodies and harmonies, but brings to the music the freedom of jazz and the down-hominess of bluegrass. The result is nothing less than an astounding effort. The guitar lines are simple yet beautiful, as Frisell lives the neck-jockying to a minimum, instead focusing on song structure and execution. One must go into the album with an open mind and open ears; but if one views the album as played and written by someone attempting to make a uniquely American sound by synthesizing the fundamental elements of American music, then one will not be disappointed.

beware...this album contains beautiful music. ...obviously, some are not ready to hear it. maybe there exist sub-par guitar players who can play every lick on this cd, but if they were the ones in the studio instead of Bill I highly doubt they would've been able to pick those few deceivingly simple notes that Bill chose. There is something much more admirable in understatement rather than regurgitating scales over every possible chord in a tune. Hooray for Downbeat that they had a moment of grace in seeing beyond musical categories to celebrate Bill's good taste.

In fact, I'm sure Frisell knew *exactly* what he was doing with this Who's Who of ace Nashvilleines, even if it was a totally new one on me. Heck, I thought I'd discovered a new 'secret' maestro to worship outside the roar of the crowd.
Apart from Frisell's album with Ginger Baker, this is the one I play to my fellow gigsters just to smirk when they go "Who IS that guy?"
A great sound, enhanced by non-pareil musicians: the incomparable Jerry Douglas whose dobro playing sets the standard for others to be judged by; the siren-voiced Robin Holcomb with an impeccable handling of Neil Young's 'One of These Days'; bassist Viktor Krauss and Adam Steffey in surprisingly muscular mandolin form.
I would not have placed this as Frisell's field of forte, but that wiley genius just keeps surprising and pleasing me with effortless and genial ownership of anything he works his fretboard magic on.

There seems to be some controversy about this country flavoured album by Bill Frisell. If you are focused on buying good "jazz" you may be disappointed. If you are focused on good music, this is a fine choice. My already high respect for Frisell rose when I heard him play this country/bluegrass music (under the title "Nashville" may I point out) showing nothing but respect for this genre of music that is so often dismissed. Amazingly, Frisell is able to make an album that sounds like straight country/bluegrass and still have it sound like a Bill Frisell album.

I am a musician, but not a guitar player. I don't know how hard the guitar playing is here, but it sure is beautiful. If you are into jazz and want to expand your tastes, this not a bad place to start.

This is an incredible album. Listening to Nashville while driving through the country is an experience without which one's life should be considered incomplete. The musicianship is the key to this album - and by musicianship I do not mean technical virtuosity (which, however, all the musicians here do indeed posess) but rather the taste, subtlety, and emotion which make listening to this album a truly fulfilling experience. Bill Frisell's electric guitar has just about the sweetest tone I think I've ever heard out of a non-acoustic instrument (his acoustic playing is great, too, of course) and without the aid of any of the effects which he employs in many of his other works, he achieves an incredibly wide range of sounds (the pedal-steel sound on "Will Jesus Wash..." for instance). Jerry Douglas is also at his best on Nashville - far removed from the show-offy, speed-without-substance playing that often plagues bluegrass virtuosos - contributing tasteful and lyrical dobro work which displays the incredibly voice-like possibilities of the instrument. In fact, this lyrical quality is the most striking aspect of all of the playing on the album --- it's a bit of a stretch I guess, but I would compare the lyricism of Nashville's musicians to various Eastern traditions stemming from vocal music associated with instruments like the sarangi in India, the shakuhachi in Japan, the kamancech in Iran, and flamenco singing (to name a few). The compositions are all wonderfully simple and satisfying. The overall effect of the album is something like that of Miles Davis's "Kind Of Blue" and Ghazal's "As Night Falls on the Silk Road": all three albums defy categorization and bring the listener to a distinct place which can be constantly revisited without becoming stale - always yielding new discoveries. This is great music - some of the greatest ever recorded.

Frisell fits in so naturaly to that niche he's exploring here, and the result is pure magic. I like his sound on "Nashville" better than any other of his sounds (with possible exception of "Songs We Know$" with Fred Hersch, worth checking out as well), his compositions are profound, the musical arrangements are no less than ingenius. You don't have to be huge country fans, I know I'm not - enough if you like Frisell, or if you can appreciate the sound of a well-tuned guitar. In two words: Buy It!

Bill Frisell is a guitar god. He's not a Joe Satriani or Steve Vai or Eddie Van Halen type of guitar god. He doesn't do that kind of tasteless shredding or tapping. He plays with feeling and musicality, and that's why I think he is a guitar god. But first and foremost I think he is interested in being a composer. This is why on his "covers" album 'Have A Little Faith' we saw names like Aaron Copland, Charles Ives, Sonny Rollins and Stephen Foster, not Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page. So, if you think that his guitar parts on 'Nashville' should be consciously hard to play, I think you are totally missing the point. "Keep Your Eyes Open" is one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever heard, and other highlights include "Gimme A Holler", "We're Not From Around Here", "Shucks" and "Family". I admit this album is not his absolute best (perhaps 'Have A Little Faith' or 'Quartet' are) but it is wonderful from start to finish.

This album marks a turning point in Frisell's recent career: though earlier albums like _Have a Little Faith_ had included country and folk styles in their survey of Americana, this is the first album in which Frisell actually seeks out top Nashville musicians to collaborate with (a pattern followed on his subsequent recordings). The results are a fun listen, if not one of the more significant discs in his oeuvre. Whereas figures like Alison Krauss often seem to make music full of manynoted solos & excessively tricky tunes, Frisell's take on Nashville is beautifully cool & laidback, the tunes simple though sporting his trademark slightly odd melodic twists & turns, & a pawky sense of humour. A couple tracks with harmonica are a little feistier. I'm not very keen on Robin Holcomb's vocals on three tracks, though after a few listens they seemed a little less jarring.

This isn't a priority purchase for those interested in Frisell--I'd recommend _Have a Little Faith_, _This Land_ & _Live_ instead. Yet it's worth a listen. I had been at one point about to sell this album off, & gave it a last spin: it got my 2-year-old dancing, so I kept it. I think she's probably as good a critic as anyone.

Bill Frisell's "Nashville" defies labeling. It is most definitely country and western, but with some bluegrass, new-age and pop in the mix (and maybe, just maybe a pinch of jazz). Holding it all together are the fluid and ethereal stylings of Frisell on the guitar. If you are listening for technical wizardry or free-wheeling improvisation you will not find it here. Frisell has proven that these elements are not needed in order to produce something of beauty and value. This music plies the emotions without requiring alot of work from the brain and as such is a pleasant and relaxing set of catchy hooks and lovely melodies.

The essential elements that are needed to blend an amalgam rarely understood as eclectic music, are only available to gifted alchemist that have mastered and gone beyond that, which is commonly coined popular. Bill Frisell is such an alchemist, turning lead into gold with an intuitive knowledge and mastery of what is ear glitter.
If you are in need of a much deserved break from your quest from the labors of connoisseurship, placed this CD first in the 300 multi disc player, so that you don't forget it's geography when you press the decompress switch.