Re: Frisell

[KRosser414@aol.com]

I think Frisell & looping go way back, I seem to remember an old Paul 
Motian
Quintet record where he did a tune of Paul's just by himself with some 
heavy
looping.  Not sure of the name since I just moved and many of the records 
are
still in boxes, but I'll see if I can dig it out & report back.  

Frisell never 'committed' to looping?  With the Baron/Driscoll trio,
especially toward the end, he did it pretty extensively but never 
exclusively.
I think he's always been more interested in introducing loops into a 
real-time
band improv situation and reacting to them, sorta like a wild lunatic 
'fourth
member' on unpredicatble medication.  I think that's what mosts interests 
him
because that's what he's always done.  I don't think you should hold your
breath for the Frisell equivalent of Frippertronics.  Closest he came to 
that
was probably "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair" from Bass 
Desires.  I
seem to remember him laying down a pretty dark drone for that.  Or some of 
the
Tim Berne duets.  Another couple to dig out of the boxes...

For that matter, ever hear his recording debut, multi-tracked steel-string
acoustic guitar on Amarcord Nino Rota, one of those Hal Willner tribute
compilations?  He does Juliet of The Spirits and I seem to recall even 
though
it's a true multi-tracking rather than real-time looping, the layers are 
very
loop-like in nature.  OK, I know, I know I'll go find that one too...

I love "Gone, Just Like A Train" but it's probably one of his least loop-
oriented records along with "Nashville".  Seems he's getting into more of 
a Ry
Cooder vibe, especially now that Keltner's in the fold, but I think he does
that stuff beautifully.  Ry has long been one of my favorite guitarists, 
I'd
love to see the two of them hook up.

Yeah, Power Tools and Naked City rock...Anyone in NYC hear Power Tools 
after
Frisell left and Pete Cosey took his place (kinda curious as to what that
sounded like)?

Frisell and Torn are without a doubt my favorite loopers active now, mostly
for how they use loops in the larger context of real-time playing 
situations
rather than the other way around.  I must admit to finding pretty much
everything Fripp has done outside of King Crimson unlistenable for that 
reason
(OK, there are others but I won't go into them).  I'd much rather listen 
to a
Belew/Levin/Bruford trio record without Fripp than a Fripp record without
them.  Mastellato & Gunn seem fine but I can't really make out what they've
individually brought to the table other than intensifying the density.

Ken R