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Sunday, January 24th, 2010

7:00pm

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Bill Frisell Trio w/Tony Scherr & Kenny Wollesen Bill Frisell Trio w/Tony Scherr & Kenny WollesenKBCS PresentsGenres: Guitarist , Jazz DescriptionAmong jazz guitarists, Frisell is unique in his exploitation of variable timbre. Frisell's sound swells and breathes like a saxophonist's (interestingly, Frisell played clarinet as a child). In many ways his sound is reminiscent of a pedal steel guitar. And although his work is steeped in jazz, Frisell is a man of catholic tastes. His music includes characteristics of rock, country, and bluegrass, among various other styles. Such liberality explains his willingness to expand his tonal palette beyond that of the typical jazz guitarist. Where so many conventional jazz guitarists define themselves by how many notes they can play, Frisell has carved a niche by virtue of his sound. His ability as an original, lyrical player of melody combines with a unique (if much imitated) sound to make him one of the most singular musicians of his generation.In the '80s and '90s, he would record and perform with a huge variety of artists, not all of them jazz musicians. Collaborators would include rock and pop musicians (drummer Ginger Baker, singers Marianne Faithfull and Elvis Costello), experimental jazz musicians (saxophonist/composers John Zorn and Tim Berne), and at least one classical composer (Gavin Bryars). Frisell composed soundtracks for the silent films of Buster Keaton. His 1996 album Quartet won the Deutsche Schallplattenpreis, the German equivalent of the Grammy. Frisell became an annual winner of various magazine polls for his solo work and recordings.By the end of the '90s, Frisell was one of the most well-known jazz musicians in the world, with an audience and an aesthetic that transcended the boundaries of any given style. It should be mentioned that, while Frisell is best known for his somewhat "ambient" guitar technique, he is a swinging, harmonically fluent jazz player when the occasion warrants. Frisell moved to Seattle, WA, in 1989 and stayed active as the 21st century opened.Although Tony Scherr is perhaps best known for his work as a bassist in a number of Bill Frisell’s bands, Steven Bernstein’s Sexmob and Willie Nelson, he is also a prolific guitarist and songwriter in his own right as well as a Grammy nominated producer. His songs have made their way into indie-rock chanteuse Feist’s live sets as well as on to her breakthrough release Let It Die, and his performance of Jesse Harris’ You The Queen landed in Ethan Hawke’s film, The Hottest State. Scherr has two recordings of his own, Twist in the Wind and Come Around on Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley’s indie label, Smells Like Records. He is one of the busiest sidemen in New York City with recent recording credits on new albums by Broken Social Scene’s Jason Collett, Rufus Wainwright, Norah Jones and Teddy Thompson. His anomalous Monday night weekly residency at Marion’s Marquee Lounge on the Bowery is now in its second year running. As a bassist he has contributed to projects by Joey Baron, John Scofield, Maria Schneider, John Lurie and the Lounge Lizards and many others. Kenny Wollesen grew up in Santa Cruz, California, moved to San Francisco early in his career and has since lived and worked in New York City. He has performed regularly with Bill Frisell as a member of his trios, the New Quartet and his septet with which he appeared on the album Blues Dream. He has played with John Zorn, Marc Ribot, John Medeski, Tom Waits, John Scofield, Jesse Harris and the Ferdinandos, Sean Lennon, Mitchell Froom, Big John Patton, John Lurie, Jim Hall, Jessica Williams and Myra Melford. In addition to his live performances with Frisell, he currently tours with trumpeter Steven Bernstein’s group Sex Mob, and occasionally with Zorn’s Electric Masada. He also leads his own band, The Wollesens.For more information, visit www.billfrisell.com/