Bill Frisell
Beautiful Dreamer
Savoy Jazz
www.savoyjazz.com
By George W. Harris

The thing that makes you keep going back to guitarist Bill Frisell and his endless sonic experiments is that his down home sincerity comes through each and every time. Not a hint of irony or wry humor emits from his strings when he does a song like Steven Fosters “Beautiful Dreamer.” He picks (literally) a tune, because it hits home with him.

Along with Eyvind Kong/viola and Rudy Royston/dr, Frisell goes through originals and covers as if he’s performing the last set at the local VFW in Marysville or Yuba City. A pizzicato deliverance of “Goin’ Out Of My Head” is as straight as a western tie, while “Benny’s Bugle” milks the classic and incessant riff as if they were trying to wear out the fox trotters. The Carter’s “Keep On The Sunny Side” is as comfy as an after church picnic, while “Homer Winslow” has echoes of the Shenandoah Valley. Everyone here keeps it simple and sincere, atmospheric yet also edgy. Why he plays in jazz clubs and not at Moose Lodges is beyond me!