| Unspeakable | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2004 | |||
| Genre | Jazz fusion Soul jazz | |||
| Length | 72:37 | |||
| Label | Elektra Nonesuch | |||
| Producer | Hal Willner | |||
| Bill Frisell chronology | ||||
| ||||
Unspeakable is a 2004 album by American jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, his 22nd album overall and his 17th to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label.
Unspeakable represented a stylistic shift by exploring R&B/funk rhythm and extensive sampling from obscure vinyl records, in contrast to Frisell's previous few albums emphasizing country, folk and blues music.
The album features performances by a core band of Frisell, Hal Willner on sampler and turntables, bassist Tony Scherr, drummer Kenny Wollesen, and percussionist Don Alias. Scherr plays second guitar on one song, and on another the band is joined by keyboardist Adam Dorn. Several songs feature a horn section (Steven Bernstein, Briggan Krauss, and Curtis Fowlkes) and/or a small string section (Jenny Scheinman, Eyvind Kang, and Hank Roberts).
Unspeakable won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 2005. [1]
The Allmusic review by Sean Westergaard awarded the album 4.5 stars, stating, "It's all quite accessible, but fans with delicate ears may be put off by some of the noisier moments on the album, like the keyboard sound on "Stringbean" or the guitar solo on "Old Sugar Bear." Other fans will be delighted to hear such a glorious din on a Bill Frisell record again. After so much of a similar thing, it's just great to hear Frisell being pushed in a new direction (and quite a fun one, at that). Recommended. ". [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
All compositions by Bill Frisell except as indicated.
William Richard Frisell is an American jazz guitarist. He first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts, notably as a participant in the Downtown Scene in New York City, where he formed a long working relationship with composer and saxophonist John Zorn. He was also a longtime member of veteran drummer Paul Motian's groups from the early 1980s until Motian's death in 2011. Since the late 1990s, Frisell's output as a bandleader has also integrated prominent elements of folk, country, rock ‘n’ roll and Americana. He has six Grammy nominations and one win.
Hank Roberts is an American jazz cellist and vocalist. He plays the electric cello, and his style is a mixture of rock, jazz, avant-garde, folk, and classical influences. He emerged with the downtown New York City jazz scene of the 1980s and is associated with its post-modern tendencies.
Wayne Horvitz is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer. He came to prominence in the Downtown scene of 1980s and '90s New York City, where he met his future wife, the singer, songwriter and pianist Robin Holcomb. He is noted for working with John Zorn's Naked City among others. Horvitz has since relocated to the Seattle, Washington area where he has several ongoing groups and has worked as an adjunct professor of composition at Cornish College of the Arts.
Life on a String is the sixth studio album by performance artist Laurie Anderson, released in 2001 on Nonesuch Records.
Jenny Scheinman is a jazz violinist. She has produced several critically acclaimed solo albums, including 12 Songs, named one of the Top Ten Albums of 2005 by The New York Times. She has played with Linda Perry, Norah Jones, Nels Cline, Lou Reed, Ani Difranco, Bruce Cockburn, Aretha Franklin, Lucinda Williams, Bono, Bill Frisell, the Hot Club of San Francisco, and Allison Miller.
Eyvindur Y. Kang is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. His primary instrument is viola, but has also performed on violin, tuba, keyboards and others.
Tony Scherr is an American jazz and folk rock bassist, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and record producer.
Kenny Wollesen is an American drummer and percussionist.
Quartet is the eighth album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label. It was released in 1996 and features performances by Frisell, trumpeter Ron Miles, trombonist Curtis Fowlkes and violinist and tuba player Eyvind Kang. Tracks 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 12 are from Gary Larson's Tales from the Far Side (1994), an animated television special created by Gary Larson. Tracks 3 and 13 are from the Italian film La scuola (1995) directed by Daniele Luchetti. Tracks 4 and 10 were written for the Buster Keaton film Convict 13 (1920).
Blues Dream is the 13th album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label. It was released in 2001 and features performances by Frisell, steel guitarist Greg Leisz, trumpeter Ron Miles, alto saxophonist Billy Drewes, trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, bassist David Piltch and drummer Kenny Wollesen. The cover photograph was taken by George A. Tice in 1974 at Kresson Road, Cherry Hill, New Jersey.
East/West is the 18th album, first double CD and first live album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label. Released in 2005, it features performances by Frisell, Viktor Krauss and Kenny Wollesen which were recorded at Yoshi's in Oakland, California on May 8–11, 2003 and performances by Frisell with Tony Scherr and Kenny Wollesen recorded on December 9–12, 2003 at the Village Vanguard in New York City. An additional second set of material from both the "East" and "West" venues was made available as a downloadable album Further East/Further West.
Richter 858 is a 2005 studio album by American jazz guitarist Bill Frisell consisting of improvised music inspired by the paintings of German artist Gerhard Richter.
History, Mystery is the 20th album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label. It was released in 2008.
Disfarmer is the 21st album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Nonesuch label. It features music written to accompany a retrospective of photographs taken by Mike Disfarmer.
All We Are Saying... is an album by American guitarist and composer Bill Frisell that was released in September 2011. It consists of songs written by John Lennon, both as a member of the Beatles and as a solo artist, arranged and performed in Frisell's definitive style. The album also features violinist Jenny Scheinman, pedal steel and acoustic guitarist Greg Leisz, bassist Tony Scherr, and drummer Kenny Wollesen. The title comes from the first line of the chorus to Lennon's 1969 single "Give Peace a Chance".
My Place is the second studio album by Polish jazz singer Monika Borzym. It was released on 15 October 2013 through Sony Music Entertainment Poland. The album is promoted by the single "Off to Sea". It was certified Gold in Poland two weeks after its premiere.
Big Sur is an album by Bill Frisell which was released on the OKeh label in 2013.
Balm in Gilead is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones, released on November 3, 2009 by Fantasy Records. It was produced by Rickie Lee Jones together with David Kalish and Sheldon Gomberg.
Floratone is the first album by the collective Floratone, which comprises guitarist Bill Frisell, drummer Matt Chamberlain along with producers Lee Townsend and Tucker Martine which was released on the Blue Note label in 2007.
Sign of Life: Music for 858 Quartet is an album by Bill Frisell which was released on the Savoy label in 2011. The album features the same lineup that played on Frisell's 2005 album, Richter 858.
