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QUESTION METHOD: BILL FRISELL
 Wire,
the British music publication has observed, "What's
really distinctive is Bill Frisell's
feel for the shape of songs, for their architecture;
it's a virtuosity of deep structure rather than
surface." Bill explains this sensibility
to Guitar Player, "For me, it's
really important to keep the melody going all
the time, whether you are actually playing it
or not, especially when it's some kind of standard
tune or familiar song form. A lot of people play
the melody and rush right into their solo, almost
with an attitude of 'Whew — that's out of
the way, now let's really play!' Then they just
burn on chord changes, and it doesn't relate to
the song anymore. I like to keep that melody going.
When you hear Thelonious Monk's piano playing
— or horn players like Ben Webster, Miles
Davis and Wayne Shorter — you always hear
the melody in there. Sonny Rollins is the classic
example of that — I've read that he thinks
of the words while he's playing the sax, so the
song really means something to him. It's not just
an excuse to play a bunch of licks over chord
changes."
Much has been made of the uncategorizable nature
of Frisell's music and the seamlessness with which
his bands have navigated such a variety of styles.
"Frisell's pals just happen to be superb
musical chameleons, up to every change of gears
and genre the guitarist's catch-all music throws
at them. The band even comfortably follows the
leader onto Country and Western turf, as Frisell
often approximates the whine of a lonely steel
guitar." (Minneapolis Star Tribune).
Bill's comments to the same publication: "When
I was in Colorado, I never really played that
country stuff or even liked it that much, though
it was all over the radio. But as I got older,
it crept into my music a lot." In fact, the
Chicago Tribune observed that "Frisell possesses
not only impressive compositional skills but also
a remarkable ability to encompass seemingly antagonistic
musical genres." Commenting on his eclectic
compositional inclinations, Frisell told Down
Beat, "When I write something, it just sort
of comes out. I'm not thinking, 'Now I'm going
to write a cowboy song'. It just happens, then
I usually think about what must have influenced
it later. When I sit down to write something in
a certain style, it doesn't work. I don't know
if that's important or something I need to do,
or if it doesn't matter. I don't care; I'm just
thankful something comes out sometimes."
1. Which was the first record you bought
with your own money?
The Beach Boys. A 45-rpm single with “Little
Deuce Coupe” on one side and “Surfer
Girl” on the other. I don't remember the
year. 1962? Maybe ’61?
2.
Which was the last record you bought with your
own money?
Miles Davis — The Cellar Door Sessions
1970.
3.
What was the first solo you learned from a record
— and can you still play it?
Hmmmm. I'm not sure. I used to play along with
an Astronauts record and a Ventures record, so
I sort of learned “Pipeline.” “Walk
Don't Run,” Wipe Out” — songs
like that. A couple years later, I remember figuring
out the chords from Marianne Faithful’s
“As Tears Go By.” Later, I would play
along with Paul Butterfield albums. I liked Mike
Bloomfield a lot.
Then, in about 1967, I learned Wes Montgomery's
“Bumpin’ on Sunset.” Soon after
that I started to try to learn real "jazz"
solos, like from “Round Midnight”
Wes’ first record. Then, Miles Davis’
solos from Kind of Blue and ESP,
a bunch of Sonny Rollins — like “No
Moe” and “St. Thomas.” Then
Ornette Coleman, and John Coltrane. Some of this
I can still remember. Hopefully, it's buried down
there someplace.
4.
Which recording of your own (or as a sideman)
are you most proud of, and why?
I'm not sure which recording I'm most proud of.
I sort of see them all as one big work in progress.
They never feel finished. I'm always looking towards
the next one.
5.
What's the difference between playing live and
playing in a studio?
In the studio — if you can afford enough
time in there — you have the opportunity
to go back and fix things, polish, try it again,
make it better, make it worse, and go crazy. Live,
you just go for it. Hopefully some of that happens
in the studio. For me, both situations really
feed each other. I learn things in the studio
that I can then do live, and vice-versa.
6.
What's the difference between a good gig and a
bad gig?
Boy, that's a complicated question. Gigs —
I think they're all good. If we’re lucky
enough to be playing anywhere, we have the opportunity
to get that much closer to where we're taking
the music. Sometimes it feels great and sometimes
it hurts.
7.
What's the difference between a good guitar and
a bad guitar?
A guitar is good if it can get you going. It could
be a $20 one or a $20,000 one, if it leads you
to a melody — or something that you haven't
played before..I love when that happens.
8.
You play electric and acoustic. Do you approach
the two differently?
I just try to get to whatever it is I'm hearing
in my imagination. It doesn't matter whether it's
electric or acoustic.
9.
Do you sound more like yourself on acoustic or
electric?
Hopefully I sound like myself on both. I think
everybody has their own sound and it has a lot
more to do with imagination than whatever instrument
you happen to be playing.
10.
Do you sound like yourself on other people's guitars?
I think so.
11.
Which living artist (music, or other arts) would
you like to collaborate with?
I've been unbelievably lucky to have had the chance
to play with everybody I've played with. It's
insane. I feel like I must be dreaming or something.
How did this happen. Then, it would be nice to
play with Sonny Rollins, or Bob Dylan, or Wayne
Shorter, or Dolly Parton, or Levon Helm, or Mavis
Staples, or Aretha Franklin, or Ornette Coleman,
or Stevie Wonder — or, you know.
12.
What dead artist (music, or other arts) would
you like to have collaborated with?
Robert Johnson, Miles Davis, Charles Ives, Bach,
Bernard Hermann, Thelonious Monk, Roscoe Holcomb,
Aaron Copland, Marvin Gaye, Milt Jackson, Charlie
Parker, Duke Ellington, the Delmore Brothers,
the Beatles.
13.
What's your latest project about?
I have a concert coming up at the end of January
at Zankel Hall. I'm trying to write the music
now. It will be with Jenny Scheinman on violin,
Eyvind Kang on viola, Hank Roberts on cello, Ron
Miles on cornet, and Greg Tardy on tenor saxophone
and clarinet. There will be visuals by Jim Woodring.
Web
site: http://www.billfrisell.com/
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