Guitar in the Space Age!

by Bill Frisell

Overview

Guitar in the Space Age! finds guitarist Bill Frisell going back in time to the guitar music of the country, surf, blues, and early rock & roll of the late 1950s through the mid-'60s: the music that initially inspired him. His band -- Greg Leisz on guitar and pedal steel, drummer /vibraphonist Kenny Wollesen, and bassist Tony Scherr -- are all longtime associates. Though most of these songs are classics -- there are two originals -- Frisell reimagines them in a jazzman's context while remaining faithful to familiar presentations. This is demonstrated amply on the opening surf nugget "Pipeline." Rather than go straight for the jugular the way most (gimmicky) remakes do, he slows its pace by half and focuses on the intricate melody at work, slightly skewing its rhythmic attack toward moody post-bop swing. Pete Seeger's "Turn, Turn, Turn" mirrors the Byrds' version with its guitar jangle, but also blurs the space between folk's simple presentation, rock & roll's hooky harmonies, and jazz's nuance. Junior Wells' "Messin' with the Kid" contains some of the swaggering boogie of the original, but there's more restrained precision in Frisell's staccato playing, as well as an intense wah-wah groove; it's at a low boil rather than a roiling one. Brian Wilson's "Surfer Girl" asks the question as to why the Beach Boys' famed composer doesn't get the interpretive treatment from jazzmen that other pop acts of the era do. Link Wray's "Rumble" gets the serious wailing blues-cum-surf workout it's always deserved, with an orgy of tremolo and reverb reflecting its debt to the composer. "Rebel Rouser" reveals more clearly than any other version its lyric inspiration -- "When the Saints Go Marching In" -- without giving up the strutting twang. The intro to "Baja" -- Lee Hazlewood's 1963 hit for the Astronauts -- with Leisz on alternate lead guitar showcases remarkable interplay with multi-textured dynamics and popping rock & roll drums. "Reflections from the Moon" and "Bryant's Boogie," by instrumental country duo Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant, respectively, shine in their hard-swinging jazz syncopations and advanced harmonics. The closer is an absolutely majestic version of Joe Meek's "Telstar," with Leisz's pedal steel extrapolating on Frisell's gorgeous articulation of the melody. Scherr wraps his bass between the two as Wollesen simultaneously swings and rocks. Guitar in the Space Age! is a joyous recording. Far from an exercise in mere nostalgia, it reveals new reasons as to why these tunes are eternal. Frisell and his collaborators understood exactly what they were going for, and it sounds like they had a hell of a great time getting there. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date:	10/07/2014
Label:	Okeh Records / Oken
UPC:	0888430746121
Rank:	244993

Tracks

1. Pipeline
2. Turn, Turn, Turn
3. Messin' with the Kid
4. Surfer Girl
5. Rumble
6. The Shortest Day
7. Rebel Rouser
8. Baja
9. Cannonball Rag
10. Tired of Waiting for You
11. Reflections from the Moon
12. Bryant's Boogie
13. Lift Off
14. Telstar

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bill Frisell   Primary Artist,Guitar (Electric)
Tony Scherr   Bass,Bass (Acoustic),Bass (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic)
Greg Leisz   Pedal Steel,Guitar (Electric)
Kenny Wollesen   Drums,Percussion,Vibraphone

Technical Credits

Michael Finn   Assistant Engineer
Duane Eddy   Composer
Greg Calbi   Mastering Engineer
Lee Townsend   Producer
Tucker Martine   Engineer
Joe Meek   Composer
Lee Hazlewood   Composer
Link Wray   Composer
Merle Travis   Composer
Pete Seeger   Composer
Jimmy Bryant   Composer
Ray Davies   Composer
Milt Grant   Composer
Lynne Earls   Engineer
Adam Munoz   Mixing Engineer
Brian Wilson   Composer
Speedy West   Composer
Mel London   Composer
Brian Carman   Composer
Adam Blomberg   Production Assistant
Paul Moore   Design,Photography,Art Direction
Bob Spickard   Composer
Bill Frisell   Composer