Bill Frisell-Live

I recently witnessed the extraordinary performance of Bill Frisell's trio, including Joey Baron on Drums and Tony Scherr on bass, at the Montreal Jazz Festival. The show, which lasted two hours and forty minutes, with a brief intermission, was a beautiful collection of originals and covers, overlaid with a pure Americana sensibility. The communication between the musicians was obvious and powerful. Frisell plays with his back to the audience, but not for a Miles Davis type statement, but so he can better view the work of his bandmates and create and improvise on the fly. After explaining the impact this show had on me to a friend and L.A. musician, Josh Bassett, he directed me to the 1991 live recording of Frisell's trio, which included Baron on drums and Kermit Driscoll on bass. This recording is a terrific example of the trio sound Frisell was starting to create in the early 1990's, eventually morphing into the wide open style of playing clearly evidence in Montreal this past week. Baron, in particular, doesn't quite drive the rhythm section as much as he compliments the weaving interplay of Frisell's lines and Driscoll's accents. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the development of this talented musician.