Savoy Jazz SVY 17818 | Bill Frisell (g), Jenny Scheinman (vln), Eyvind Kang (vla) and Hank Roberts (clo). Rec. October 2010

Of the many families of musicians that nourish Frisell’s music, the 858 Quartet is among the most satisfying yet least recorded. So make the most of this endlessly varied, gloriously inventive, yet, like so much of Frisell’s music, seemingly naive and unpretentious music. Don’t look for Frisell the effects laden guitar hero. This is very much a quartet recording. Frisell’s does lead on occasions but essentially the four play with an infinitely close textured feel which ridicules the notion of “leader”. At times there is a chamber music quality, as in ‘Youngster’, but you’re never far from the blues, such as on ‘Mother Daughter’: there are darker moments (and this is a music of moments, many tracks coming in under two minutes) as in ‘Teacher’. But most of all the music retains that classic Frisell feel of melancholic optimism; this is music that makes something very big from something very small, makes silence the most expressive of qualities and in its humility and generosity stands prouder than music that swaggers and brags. There’s hope for Uncle Sam yet.

- Andy Robson