"Sacred Space"
Bill Frisell, solo
Friday, March 16 • 8pm
$45 VIP GA Reserved Section
$25 GA Non-reserved
“One of the most significant improvisers to emerge in the past 20 years”—Washington Post
Program Notes
Bill Frisell's distinctive guitar sound appears on a staggering number of recordings. Even more astounding is the chameleonic guitarist's ability to adapt to an expansive range of styles. As Frisell explained to JazzTimes: "Music is the place where all kinds of barriers come down stylistically or culturally or racially. More than not, when people come together to play that stuff just kinda goes away." Whether trilling through a straight ahead jazz standard with Paul Motian, providing lush ambiance to Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach's orchestral pop, or dropping angular chunks and surfabilly riffs into John Zorn and Naked City's avant experiments, Frisell maintains his distinctive tone and high level of artistic integrity.
Collaboration has been a lodestar for Frisell from his earliest days as a musician. Frisell worked as house guitarist for ECM records in the late ’70s and early ’80s before launching his own career on the same label. Since then he has worked with a rotating cast of influential musicians, including drummers Paul Motian and Kenny Wollesen; bassists Ron Carter, Dave Holland, and Victor Krauss; pianists Paul Bley and Fred Hersch; fellow guitarists Greg Leisz and John Scofield; violinists Jenny Scheinman and Eyvind Kang;and horn players Don Byron and Ron Miles.
His discography as a leader is marked by its diversity of musical settings: World Music on The Intercontinentals; wide-open Americana on Nashville; the skewed, cartoonish carnival on Quartet. His latest studio album as a leader, Unspeakable, won Frisell a Grammy for "Best Instrumental Jazz Album." The New York Times pegged Frisell's distinction as an artist: "It's hard to find a more fruitful meditation on American music than in the compositions of Bill Frisell. Mixing rock and country with jazz and blues, he's found what connects them: improvisation and a sense of play."
Tonight's Sacred Space concert is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear the essence of Frisell's solo artistry in an equally distinct setting: Grace Cathedral. Frisell, a renowned master of guitar effects, will certainly capitalize on the unique acoustic qualities of this beloved San Francisco landmark.
Note: Grace Cathedral's soaring vault produces a natural, seven-second reverberation. This effect—far different from typical concert hall acoustics—will be an integral component of this performance.
The McElwee Family
