For the first time in this exercise, my picky CD player declines to recognise a CD, so this is being accessed by the magical medium of streaming.
I think the name Bill Frisell first burst into my consciousness during a Late Junction special on David Sylvian, where Frisell was mentioned as a collaborator with nearly everyone who had collaborated with Sylvian, though the two weren’t linked. So, seeing a Frisell album in a charity shop, I invested.
Is it jazz? It’s certainly experimental. Monica Jane is sparse, with main themes on Frisell’s guitar, and soprano sax, while The Beach is a space Gong-like soundscape. There’s a Latin feel to When We Go, trumpet and guitar alternately soloing, while Throughout is a more orthodox, gentle acoustic guitar piece. Black Is The Colour is all together darker, as Frisell’s guitar loops over cymbals and bass, but gently relaxing. The listening becomes less easy on Wizard of Odds, although Kenny Wheeler’s flugelhorn playing is a delight. However, the album ends quite limply with two pieces of guitar noodling - neither unpleasant, but not particularly interesting listening.
3* - plenty to justify revisiting this CD, without it having too much ‘wow!’.
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