Bill Frisell is making old songs new again. Or maybe, with 2014’s Guitar in the Space Age!, Frisell is making a new record, old.
In any instance, when his tour pulled into Boston, and his band squeezed into the intimate space of Scullers Jazz Club, what was clear above all was the timelessness of some of these tunes. Whether playing classic blues like “Messin’ With the Kid” with smoking intensity, or exploring the elegant majesty of The Beach Boys’ “Surfer Girl,” Bill Frisell’s mastery as bandleader and nuanced virtuoso guitarist were on full display, and so too his good taste as curator of the modern songbook.
A sort of “wormhole” atmosphere was ever-present during the late set at Scullers with the Guitar in the Space Age! band. Although the songs often soared almost imperceptibly, bassist Tony Scherr and drummer Kenny Wollesen maintained a grounded foundation above which leader Frisell and guitarist Greg Leisz were freed to weave and paint against.
The country-inflected motifs so often associated with the latter-day Bill Frisell repertoire were on tasteful display throughout the evening as well. With Greg Leisz playing masterful pedal steel, the band had a brisk take with the traditional “Cannonball Rag.” Elsewhere, minor-key teases from the gospel “I Am A Pilgrim” made their appearance.
One of the hallmarks of Frisell’s talents as a bandleader and musician is in his exhibition of restraint in the execution of instrumental passages. Given a moment, the guitarist seemingly colors the outlines of a melody and then fills the space in those measures with carefully-chosen, dazzling notes. The complaint associated with this practice seems to be that it is underwhelming, that the listener expects some challenging blast of scales, but the investment of this style of soloing pays dividends. Frisell’s bandmates hear an idea or a motif, understand it as it has been floated out, and pings a signal back that floats off into the atmosphere.
Surf and early rock ‘n roll figured heavily into the set, as they surely influenced the early musical education of bandleader. Duane Eddy’s “Rebel Rouser” was played muscularly and with a biting tone, each wave of distorted chord crashing into the next. Similar in tone was the band’s take on the surf classic “Pipeline,” energetic and executed without irony. To the audience’s delight, the title theme from 1964’s “Goldfinger” was taken for a spin as the evening drew to a close.
One of the most interesting and entertaining moments of the evening came early in the set, however, as Frisell and band bopped through a rendition of Wes Montgomery’s “Bumpin’ On Sunset.” Once the song grooved to an end, the veteran guitarist approached the microphone to explain that he had won his high school talent contest playing that song. Two nights prior, his tour had him playing in the same Denver, Colorado auditorium where he had first played the tune. What a trip.
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