Small Town (album)

Last updated
Small Town
Small Town (album).jpg
Live album by
Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan
ReleasedMay 26, 2017
RecordedMarch 2016
Venue Village Vanguard, NYC
Genre Jazz
Length68:02
Label ECM
ECM 2525
Producer Manfred Eicher
Bill Frissell chronology
When You Wish Upon a Star
(2016)		Small Town
(2017)		 Music IS
(2018)

Small Town is a live album by Bill Frisell and Thomas Morgan recorded at the Village Vanguard in 2016 and released on the ECM label the following year. [1] [2] It was Frisell's first album as a leader for the label since 1987's Lookout for Hope . More music from the same recording session was released in 2019 as the follow-up album, Epistrophy.

Bill Frisell American musician

William Richard Frisell is an American guitarist, composer and arranger. One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell came to prominence as a stalwart for ECM Records. He went on to work in a variety of contexts, notably as a member of the New York City Downtown Scene where he formed a long partnership with John Zorn. He was also a longtime member of Paul Motian's groups from the early 1980s until Motian's death in 2011. Since 2000, Frisell's eclectic output as a bandleader has emphasized folk, country music, and Americana.

Thomas Morgan (bassist) American musician

Thomas Morgan is an American jazz musician in contemporary jazz.

Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City

The Village Vanguard is a jazz club at Seventh Avenue South in Greenwich Village, New York City. The club was opened on February 22, 1935, by Max Gordon. At first, the club presented folk music and beat poetry, but it became a jazz venue in 1957.

Contents

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]
All About Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [4]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Reception

Response was generally positive, with the AllMusic review by Thom Jurek stating, "Morgan is a deeply intuitive player with a glorious earthy, woody tone. He anchors Frisell's more speculative tendencies, allowing the unexpected (and perhaps previously undiscovered) room to emerge and hold its ground between them with the seams showing. Small Town is an excellent showcase for this duo; here's hoping it's only a first volley." [3] On All About Jazz, John Kelman noted, "Frisell proves that it's possible to bring together original music, country music, jazz standards and more in an unfettered duet setting ... with Small Town, Frisell has clearly found another ideal musical foil to add to his growing cadre of musicians with whom he collaborates on a regular basis. Intimate, beautiful and deep, while at the same time knotty, witty and curiously skewed, Small Town delivers, in many ways, on the promise of In Line's five duo tracks 35 years on, with a live set that proves great music isn't just where you find it; it's everywhere". [4] In The Guardian , John Fordham called it an "almost psychically empathic duo set" and observed, "Morgan’s quick anticipations of Frisell’s moves give their conversations a startling buoyancy". [5] In Stereophile, Robert Baird wrote, "Perhaps a bit too samey in approach for newcomers to his music, this is Frisell adding yet again to his ever growing, ever impressive legacy". [6]

AllMusic Online music database

AllMusic is an online music database. It catalogs more than 3 million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musical artists and bands. It launched in 1991, predating the World Wide Web. As of 2015, AllMusic is owned by RhythmOne.

<i>All About Jazz</i> comprehensive American website for jazz enthusiasts and professionals, based in Philadelphia

All About Jazz is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, Jazz Near You, about local concerts and events.

<i>In Line</i> 1983 studio album by Bill Frisell

In Line is the debut album by Bill Frisell which was released on the ECM label in 1983. It features four solo performances by Frisell and five duets with bassist Arild Andersen.

Track listing

  1. "It Should Have Happened a Long Time Ago" (Paul Motian) – 11:05
  2. "Subconscious Lee" (Lee Konitz) – 7:31
  3. "Song for Andrew No. 1" (Bill Frisell) – 9:35
  4. "Wildwood Flower" (Joseph Philbrick Webster, Maud Irving) – 5:08
  5. "Small Town" (Bill Frisell) – 8:57
  6. "What a Party" (Dave Bartholomew, Fats Domino, Pearl King) – 6:41
  7. "Poet - Pearl" (Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan) – 12:04
  8. "Goldfinger" (John Barry, Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley) – 7:01

Personnel

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References

  1. ↑ ECM Catalog: ECM 2525, accessed October 30, 2017
  2. ↑ Bill Frisell Website, accessed October 30, 2017
  3. 1 2 Jurek, Thom. Bill Frisell: Small Town – Review at AllMusic . Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  4. 1 2 All About Jazz Review, accessed October 30, 2017
  5. 1 2 The Guardian Review, June 16, 2017
  6. ↑ Stereophile Review, accessed October 30, 2017
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