It’s not that guitarist Bill Frisell doesn’t often play with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston; he’s just never enlisted the two of them for a trio album. Sometimes it takes a while. While pianists Chick Corea and McCoy Tyner and fellow guitarist John Scofield adopted the trio format early in their discography, Duke Ellington, like Frisell, was a latecomer, having delivered about the same number of albums, 50, under his name before embracing the trio format. Valentine essentially captures a road-tested band at their best in the studio. Following two years of performances in jazz clubs and concert halls throughout the states and Europe, the trio finished their tour at the legendary Village Vanguard, site of many famous trio albums. With a repertoire they varied every night, they documented their collective voice for the first time in studio sessions at two studios in Portland (Frisell’s hometown) shortly after the Vanguard run. Frisell claims that the project is all about his rhythm mates and the special chemistry they enjoy together, too precious to leave undocumented. (If you were able to view the Village Vanguard streaming shows with this same trio this past weekend, you understand how tight and magical that chemistry is – 75 minutes of uninterrupted music that flowed seamlessly from one piece to the next with many of these from the album in the set).
The trio setting is sacred in jazz and we could name countless iconic trios here but instead understand that the chemistry is such that each member can take chances, knowing they’ll be rescued by another. It’s blend of tradition and individuality, as well as continuity and change – the hallmark of Frisell’s singular sound. Frisell’s long-time producer Lee Townsend admires the trio for their ability to balance exploration and a deep sense of structure. McCoy Tyner titled one of his trio albums “Trident” and that triangle is very much in play on this recording too – the three vertices being harmony, melodies, and tempi of the material. Frisell plays economically and with unforced daring, generous to his bandmates as Morgan dances around his guitar lines in both support and counterpoint while Royston holds it all together in another layer of feeling.
Frisell talks about Morgan being telepathic, able to anticipate what Frisell will play before he plays it. He talks about Royston as throwing his entire being into the music, recalling the first time they played together on “A Change Is Gonna Come” where Royston was mouthing the words while keeping time. Within the baker’s dozen presented, the trio drew on many tunes they were playing live, still trying to instill the songs with new improvisations, realizing that in jazz a note never gets played the same way the next time. These tunes are the hypnotic “Baba Drame,” composed by Malian singer-songwriter Boubacar Traore who taught it to Frisell, the dreamy “Winter Always Turns Into Spring,” originally appearing on Frisell’s Ghost Town and inspired by a message on a vintage telegram that a friend gave to him when Frisell’s father passed.
“Keep Your Eyes Open” is an animated tune that first appeared in a more traditional setting, Frisell’s Nashville album. The standard from Billy Strayhorn, “A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing” gets a suitably bight treatment and the trio turns to pop with the recognizable Bacharach-David “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” “Wagon Wheels” ostensibly owes to the Sonny Rollins landmark album Way Out West. It’s a tune that Frisell often performs as a medley with “Shenandoah” and he has recorded it with violinist Jenny Scheinman, another frequent collaborator. “Aunt Mary” may lurk somewhere in Frisell’s immense catalog too.
They also wanted to keep the session fresh by trying out some new ones. Two tracks in we get the atmospheric, Frisell-with-effects “Hour Glass,” adapted from music he wrote for a performance of Allen Ginsburg’s “Kaddish” staged by Frisell’s late friend, Hal Wilner. The title track, where Royston especially shines, nods to one of Frisell’s heroes, Thelonious Monk, and “Levees” is a haunting bluesy piece written originally for a Bill Morrison film, The Great Flood. “Electricity” was intended for another Morrison film but was unrecorded until now. “Where Do We Go?” is modeled on 20th Century classical composer Aaron Copeland and it gets deconstructed by the trio as Frisell plays acoustically.
This writer gets a chilly feeling listening to the closer, one that often closes Frisell sets, “We Shall Overcome.” The last show attended before the onset of the virus featured Frisell’s band Harmony at Ardmore Music Hall in Philly. The last two songs were eerily prophetic “End of the World” and “We Shall Overcome,” the latter of which has gathered new momentum in recent months with the widespread protests reflecting some elements of the Civil Rights Movement.
As with recent Frisell recordings, producer Lee Townsend delivers immaculately pristine sound, letting the guitar notes resonate, accenting Royston’s touches, and having Morgan’s bass prominent in just the right places. You probably already realize that Frisell is one of the most lyrical guitarists that’s ever picked up the instrument. Even though we’ve told you that this trio has played together often, that was unnecessary in retrospect. Just listen. You’ll sense their connectivity right away.
Photo by Monica Jane Frisell via Blue Note Records
One Response
Nice review, but just wanted to note that Where Do We Go was on Blues Dream.