Big Sur

Is a marsterwork of this music call Americana, a combination of country, folk, popular music and contemporary music. Frisell is one of the most influential guitarist of the last tree decades in jazz and in others musics. "Big Sur" is his best work in this Americana line. Is beautiful, full of nostalgia and incredible simple to hear.His albums more influent , until now, probable are "Have a little faith" (1993) and "Nashville"(1997) and from now this album. He create with this three records a new way to understand jazz music, flock music and country. But the influence of classic american music is hear more evident than never. From Neil Young to Aaron Copland, "Big Sur" is a magic travel full of ideas and sounds. Is a special Quartet for a special occasion. Eyvind Kang on viola, Hanks Roberts on cello, Jenny Scheinman on violin and Ruddy Royston on drums. The production of Lee Townsend is perfect. "Big Sur" is great music, great Americana music. If you like this Frisell side, you must buy now. If you did'nt please try to hear it. Is another way to feel the music. Another masterwork from Frisell. A " classic" from the first moment.

As the title suggests, this album is a musical tribute to that most stunning part of the California coast. Located two hours south of San Francisco, Big Sur is a fabled place of natural beauty and bohemian inspiration. Before Bill Frisell, the area attracted writers like Hunter S. Thompson, Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac. In the same vein, all of the music on this album was written at the Glen Deven Ranch in Big Sur. With titles like 'Highway 1,' 'Hawks,' and 'A Beautiful View,' the songs sonically describe the place. Musically, the band plays Americana rock that is infused with Frisell's signature blend of jazz and chamber aesthetics. 'The Big One' even employs surf music. Songs like 'Sing Together Like a Family' and 'We All Love Neil Young' express a tender sense of nostalgia. On "Big Sur," the mood is generally light. Indeed, it's been a long time since Frisell has done anything so upbeat. The Big Sur Quintet is filled with long-time Frisell veterans including Jenny Scheinman (violin), Eyvind Kang (viola), Hank Roberts (cello) and Rudy Royston (drums). Comparatively, this group's musical vision is most similar to sounds found on albums like " All We Are Saying... ," " Floratone II ," and " Disfarmer ." Thus "Big Sur" sits comfortably among Bill Frisell's more accessible projects. Highlights include 'The Music of Glen Deven Ranch,' 'The Big One,' and 'Going to California' which is actually not the Led Zeppelin tune. Filled with originality and nuance, the cerebral performance is strong. Bill Frisell has been working on this incarnation of his sound for some time. For the artist, "Big Sur" may be the most magnificent expression of this beloved time period. With Frisell as your tour guide, take a drive on Highway 1. Let Bill Frisell guide you through one of the country's most scenic areas with an equally sublime soundtrack.

Service was timely, and the condition of the disc and packaging was very good. I'm pleased with the service in every respect. Also, this is an excellent example of quietly advanced and incidentally exceptional music by Bill Frisell. I'm very experienced, very discriminating, and very picky about music. This is an outstanding suite of music performed by a talented, cohesive group of musicians, and they make it sound so casual. Outstanding!

I typically love all of Bill's stuff, including albums that are less popular. I'm not really digging this one, though. And it's not so much any issue with Bill's playing, and I pretty much like the drums, too. There's no bass player for any of these tracks (TTBOMK), which kind of leaves 'holes' in the sound, for some songs (the bass drum can be a little overwhelming, because it's the only thing making sound at those frequencies). For numbers with very light or no percussion, it's not an issue. The album that I kind of reference, for right or wrong, is The Intercontinentals, for something kind of similar. I like that album a lot more though. The only bass on that album was done by Bill, so it's not on every track. But I don't hear 'holes' in the sound in the same way. This probably isn't very helpful, and many die-hard B.F. fans could very well love this album.

The first piece is promising enough. It is down scale almost from then on. The whining and dimming of the strings were disappointing. Thank goodness I have been to Big Sur enough to keep those memories. But for the consumer: buy a Narada Wilderness or National Park cd to recollect the west coast and wilderness. Then, I stupidly bought the album and extras. Anybody interested?

Bill Frisell's sound is so unique. He is mellow, but energetic. It's a different jazz vibe. This CD takes me away. Since I live in CA and spent a lot of time in Big Sur in my 20s, I particularly love the reference...

Guitarist Bill Frisell never ceases to surprise. He has a great way of discovering a thread when visiting a place, such as Nashville or the northern California coast, and writing about it, using that thread throughout the album. Here, he draws classical musicians into the mix, so the listener gets a range of sounds. The music was memorable and impressive -- enough for a solid four stars -- but I tend to save the five-star ratings for the truly extraordinary. This album was a little too laidback and drawn out for that rating. But definitely worth adding to the Frisell section on the CD shelf.

..and makes room for more music !. Bill gets involved in so many projects with so many people , that even his springs of creativity must need refreshing every so often .His recent trip to Big Sur , that iconic landscape of Kerouac and Snyder , has done the trick .This is the freshest I've heard him sound in a while , still within a largely pastoral / tradititional area , and it has the feel of something that will grow with more listenings .Maybe Bill will get on a run of exploring musically Kerouac and Snyder,s poetry , now that would be interesting . Be bop Zen/ Shinto /Whitman/ Thoreau...

Magnifique album de Bill Frisell. C'est soigné au point de vue de la présentation et bill Frisell est entouré de musiciens de grande qualité. J'ai découvert Bill Frisell il y déjà quelques années et je ne me lasse pas de sa musique.

Ringrazio l'amico che mi ha consigliato questo disco di Frisell, lo trovo infatti molto ispirato e fresco. Frisell è un grande chitarrista e ottimo musicista, in questo lavoro dimostra di voler guardare avanti sempre però restando se stesso.

In dieser Musik wohnt die Sonne und das Cover gibt einen passenden Eindruck vom Inhalt. Sehr schön, eher ruhig, kontemplativ, aber nicht beliebig oder gar langweilig. Wundervoll!

There isn't a guitarist that I would like to feel close to as I would Bill Frizell.........I just can't follow through when I put it on to play.......His abilities don't take him where I think he can go and I always feel that he's gone down some offroad into a netherworld.........I think he gets hung up on being classically/modern that isn't the real real him......Everyone must like to get 'drawn in', to feel beguiled... to experience the person through the sounds made, but I never feel that way altho' I own many of his albums.........Will the real Bill Frisell please stand up?!.......MM