# CD review: Bill Frisell – Orchestras – 2024: Video, CD cover

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2024/04/20/cd-review-bill-frisell-orchestras-2024-video-cd-cover/
- Published: 2024-04-20T00:04:34+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**The incomparable Bill Frisell, whose remarkable guitar prowess and compositional
genius have left an indelible mark on the jazz scene for over four decades, ventures
into new territory with Orchestras, a double album that sees him expanding his trio
sound with the accompaniment of two European orchestras. **

This ambitious project features arrangements of some of Frisell’s most iconic original
compositions, along with a jazz standard, a couple of American folk songs, and a
piece by Michael Gibbs, who provides all the arrangements on this captivating release.
Frisell’s trio, consisting of the adaptable Thomas Morgan on bass and the tastefully
diverse Rudy Royston on drums, imbues each piece with an intimacy that lends emotional
potency to the ensemble’s performance.

The CD1, featuring the Brussels Philharmonic under the baton of Alexander Hanson,
begins with the grandiose cinematic quality of Gibb’s “Nocturne Vulgaire”, later
jazzified with bluesy guitar chops set against an airy accompaniment. The standard“
Lush Life” by Billy Strayhorn follows, elegantly spreading glamour and romanticism.“
Beautiful Dreamer”, an early folk piece by Stephen Foster, waltzes slowly in a richly
layered communion impregnated with a deep Southern feel.

Another heart-rending waltz, “Throughout”, is nestled among a collection of Frisell’s
old favorites. Tracks like “Rag” traverse from folk revivalism to jazz fanfare with
refinement and excitement, while “Electricity”, a country-influenced number pelted
with guitar harmonics, loose drumming, and unobtrusive bass lines, becomes slightly
reggae-ish as a consequence of the horn section’s counterpoint. In turn, “Richter
858 No. 7”, solidly sustained by a rhythmic foundation based on an eight-note, six-
beat cycle bass groove, culminates in a majestic orchestral crescendo with the strings
on vivid display.

CD2 further captivated my ears, with the musicians coloring and texturing agreeable
sonic landscapes, reaching a genuine universality in their musical commitment as
they listen to each other so closely. Moreover, the repertoire contains two of my
favorite Frisell tunes, both enhanced by magnificent arrangements and executions.
They are “Strange Meeting”, here featuring a disarmingly simple guitar solo, and“
Lookout For Hope”, a marvelous jazz-rock hybrid aggrandized by Royston’s fine drum
chops by the end. There’s also “Levees”, a stress-free, ternary exercise with bold
horn lines, while Frisell’s guitar counterpoints by exuding more sparky than mellow
tones.

Armed with Gibbs’ impeccable arrangements, Orchestras showcases Frisell’s enduring
creativity and marks yet another significant chapter in his illustrious discography.

**Disc 1. With The Brussels Philharmonic**

1. Nocturne Vulgaire
 2. Lush Life 3. Doom 4. Rag 5. Throughout 6. Electricity 7.
Sweet Rain 8. Richter 858, No.7 9. Beautiful Dreamer

**Disc 2. With Umbria Jazz Orchestra**

1. Lookout for Hope
 2. Levees 3. Strange Meeting 4. Doom 5. Electrcity 6. Monica
Jane 7. We Shall Overcome

**Bill Frisell guitar**
 **Thomas Morgan bass** **Rudy Royston drums** **Brussels
Philharmonic, Alexander Hanson conductor** **Umbria Jazz Orchestra, Manuele Morbidini
conductor**

![Bill Frisell - Orchestras — JazzTrail | NY Jazz Scene | Album Reviews | Jazz Photography](
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