OK, so I tried the Pandora Radio thing again. After the first tune from my Marc Ribot channel, an excellent live version of his really screwy take on Jimi Hendrix' "The Wind Cries Mary," we ended up at a tune from Bill Frisell's Go West: Music For The Films Of Buster Keaton. (Actually, we ended up at a tune from High Sign/One Week: Music For The Films Of Buster Keaton, which again I couldn't find but dang it, I am not doing this three weeks in a row. Plus, I don't really feel like talking about either the NYC plane crash (totally amazing) or the weather (totally freaking cold)).
Ahem.
I love the idea of a modern musician composing music for an "old" media event. I've never seen "Go West," but the descriptions I've read seem to bring up Charlie Chaplin, in that Keaton plays a down & out fellow, though the hijinks move away from the metropolis and out to a cattle ranch.
Frisell (along with Kermit Driscoll on basses and the great Joey Baron on drums and percussion) is just terrific at conjuring moments of whimsy, melancholy, thoughtfulness, and frenzy. My favorite segment comes with "To The Streets" into "Tap Dancer and Confusion," ending up with "Devil Suit." The insanity of the middle tune — with its bass & percussion splatteration and Frisell's guitar processing rack set to "Meltdown" — is bookended by two songs that explore the same melodic material from different angles. It's a quite amazing twelve minutes of music.
So here we have some partially hi-tech music (though very organic in sound) set against a very lo-tech movie. Though that contrast is of interest, the music contains just about as much heart as the technology can muster.
Since I'm still exploring this idea of music discovery via the Internet, and where that's going with me (so far... the answer is "I don't really know"), this feels like a partial success. My low-tech self would still prefer to read about a new artist instead of being given a recommendation via software. Maybe when I'm introduced to some totally mind-blowing music, the methodology will drop into the background? We'll see.
In the meantime, I'll take the warm story that Frisell and his trio are telling. It's cold outside (in more ways than one)... gotta take some added warmth wherever you can find it, you know?
Article comments
1 - Tom Johnson
I'd love to know why the 1994 live performances for the films have never been released. They were filmed and, seemingly, broadcast, as someone captured the video and has some of it on YouTube.
And, while we're on the subject of Frisell, since others might be interesting, he's just started a monthly download deal - so far two shows have been released. He also has a new solo DVD available. I have yet to buy any of these, but with Frisell in the subject line, there may be some curious readers stopping buy - and since he has little to no promotion, if you don't stop by his site, you don't find out about these things.
2 - Mark Saleski
it'd be cool if they released the live vids. it makes me wonder if there's some sort of licensing issues....though other people have done the same thing with the films. there's a group called the Alloy Orchestra for example.
hmmm, monthly download. may have to check it out. and oh, that dvd looks like a must-have.