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Author Topic:  Some seriously beautiful Tele tone - Bill Frisell
Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 20 Jan 2017 7:30 pm    
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https://www.fretboardjournal.com/video/bill-frisell-hard-rains-gonna-fall-solo/

That has to be the most in tune tempered tuned guitar I can remember hearing. Those TK Smith Bigsby-inspired pickups sound great .
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Chris Walke

 

From:
St Charles, IL
Post  Posted 24 Jan 2017 7:52 am    
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Frisell always sounds just like Frisell, no matter what guitar he plays. Such amazing tone. And his notes, even his passing tones, all seem to have a very intentional beginning-middle-end.

That's a gorgeous arrangement. A friend of mine pointed me to that video just the other day.

I believe it was the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago several years ago - sat front row, right in front of Frisell. I literally could have leaned forward and untied his shoelaces. Heard all his sound straight out of his Deluxe Reverb (mains were above me and to the side, I heard very little out of those). Greg Leisz was playing lap & pedal steels on the other side of the stage. Was a wonderful show. He played some Dylan (I don't recall Hard Rain, tho') and some Brian Wilson. Lots of improvisation - he and Leisz were incredible, weaving lines, supporting each other, reading each others' minds, it would seem.
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Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 24 Jan 2017 9:18 am    
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Quote:
I literally could have leaned forward and untied his shoelaces.
LOL!

Yes, Bill is on another level. He's an artist who has moved beyond category. Call his music cinematic, Jazz, Americana, folk-informed post bebop, whatever; irrelevant. Bill Frisell is creating art of the highest order over and over again. I agree that he and Greg have developed a near telepathic sonic relationship.

This one is another favorite of mine. Somehow the tentative approach adds to the charm and beauty, kind of like opening a box long forgotten and finding your childhood toys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnDZ7yb5g-c
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Last edited by Andy Volk on 24 Jan 2017 5:46 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Jonathan Lam

 

From:
Brooklyn, NY
Post  Posted 24 Jan 2017 3:45 pm    
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He even sounds like bill when he plays acoustic. so crazy. Mind boggling!
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Chris Walke

 

From:
St Charles, IL
Post  Posted 25 Jan 2017 8:43 am    
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Jonathan Lam wrote:
He even sounds like bill when he plays acoustic. so crazy. Mind boggling!


So true!
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Chris Walke

 

From:
St Charles, IL
Post  Posted 25 Jan 2017 8:47 am    
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Andy Volk wrote:
Quote:
I literally could have leaned forward and untied his shoelaces.
LOL!

This one is another favorite of mine. Somehow the tentative approach adds to the charm and beauty, kind of like opening a box long forgotten and finding your childhood toys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnDZ7yb5g-c


Yes! His solo version is always swoon-worthy. Do you have the album with the full band version of Surfer Girl? Greg Leisz again. Oh mercy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQpERgQpwnI
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Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 25 Jan 2017 9:33 am    
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Yep.
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Henry Nagle

 

From:
Santa Rosa, California
Post  Posted 6 Mar 2017 11:33 pm    
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WA9MA5fVGcU
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Charlie McDonald


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out of the blue
Post  Posted 7 Mar 2017 5:25 am    
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I've noticed his remarkable in-tuneness on all his works.
Could it be the long neck? Or just the setup? Who knows.
A look at the guitar indicates it's a keeper. Beautiful sound.
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David Mason


From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
Post  Posted 7 Mar 2017 9:24 pm    
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I must say, looking at videos of Bill and Greg Leisz over the past several years, they often seem to be trying to "out-cool-tele-clone" each other. Every video it's another new/old one! Or two. Every tour, every video, and kind of cutely, in every interview Bill says he's "finally got the one." They've blown through at least a dozen, maybe TWENTY of 'em between the two - there's either some lend/lease program working here (you can buy BILL FRISELL'S old guitar!), or somebody has a room full of cool gits... I don't suppose any luthier would like his name mentioned, customers are such a bother, always wanting to give you money n'stuff.

(They all sound the same to me! That's probably an awful thing to say. Smile )
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Andy Volk


From:
Boston, MA
Post  Posted 8 Mar 2017 7:48 am    
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Charlie, Bill uses the mastery bridge:

https://vimeo.com/59277792
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Charlie McDonald


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Post  Posted 8 Mar 2017 7:56 am    
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That's very interesting; he doesn't know the physics of it either, but with fewer parts to it, there's something fundamental about it.
I notice that he doesn't ever futz with his tuners that I've seen. Very cool to learn about this, Andy.
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Glenn Suchan

 

From:
Austin, Texas
Post  Posted 8 Mar 2017 1:21 pm    
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If you have the time, here's about 20 minutes of undiluted Bill Frisell from NPR's "Tiny Desk" series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO-1Euq2RBk

I first heard Bill when he played in John Zorn's "Naked City" project/band. BTW, if you're into challenging music and haven't heard the "Naked City" album I highly recommend a listen.

From the Naked City album, "NY Flat Top Box"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vnCSw8YzNI

how 'bout a live Naked City performance of "Speed Freaks"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=999FVRMOme8

or this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIozFDFFtS8


Keep on pickin'!
Glenn
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Brett Lanier

 

From:
Madison, TN
Post  Posted 10 Mar 2017 2:04 pm     Re: Some seriously beautiful Tele tone - Bill Frisell
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Andy Volk wrote:
That has to be the most in tune tempered tuned guitar I can remember hearing.

I asked Bill one time if he feels like he's in tune when he's playing and his response was "God no!"
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Mike Neer


From:
NJ
Post  Posted 10 Mar 2017 6:50 pm    
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I feel very fortunate to have had weekly exposure to Frisell, Scofield, Stern, Wayne Krantz and a few others when I was really at the peak of my growth as a guitar player. I saw Bill a lot from the time he moved to NY and it was so interesting, because he was such an outsider--guys on the bandstand used to literally crack up laughing at what he played when he was a sideman. You could just feel that he was really moving in his own unique direction as a player and composer, avoiding all of the cliches.

He's never stopped.

Some of my favorite experiences with Bill was when he played with Bass Desires--I saw them quite a few times. He and Sco together were amazing. But his quartet with Hank Roberts, Joey Baron and Kermit Driscoll was telepathic.
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Chris Walke

 

From:
St Charles, IL
Post  Posted 16 Mar 2017 6:11 am    
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Glenn Suchan wrote:
I first heard Bill when he played in John Zorn's "Naked City" project/band. BTW, if you're into challenging music and haven't heard the "Naked City" album I highly recommend a listen.

From the Naked City album, "NY Flat Top Box"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vnCSw8YzNI

how 'bout a live Naked City performance of "Speed Freaks"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=999FVRMOme8

or this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIozFDFFtS8


Keep on pickin'!
Glenn


Bill told a story at one of his concerts - said he's often asked if he'd work another project with John Zorn/Naked City. He joked that John is always moving on from where he's been, as evident in his music, so by the time Bill would to get the studio, John would be two projects beyond what he'd just asked Bill to play.
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David Mason


From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
Post  Posted 18 Mar 2017 8:26 am    
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When Telecaster players switched from wound third strings to unwound, the logic behind switching from three bridge barrels to two is inescapable. I think the Mastery Bridge did it first, but Paul Reed Smith have a stoptail bridge with two set, angled tops for many years and has just recently come out with his Vela that has two brass barrels. The whole issue of "what's a real telecaster" has kept people loopy for a few decades already.
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