Tuesday, February 28, 2012
George Wein Shares An Advance Look at the 2012 Newport Jazz Festival®
Bill Frisell to Perform Three Different Sets at the Newport Jazz Festival® Produced by Newport Festivals Foundation™ August 3 - 5, 2012
Guitarist Bill Frisell will be a fixture at this year's Newport Jazz Festival. On Saturday, August 4, he will present The John Lennon Songbook, and perform with celebrated jazz trio The Bad Plus. Then on Sunday, August 5, he will appear as part of the Jenny Scheinman & Bill Frisell Duo.
A three-time Grammy award nominee and a one-time Grammy winner, Frisell has been a standard of jazz guitar excellence and innovation for the better part of three decades. He has released over two dozen albums and 200 recordings while collaborating with the likes of John Zorn, Elvis Costello, Bono and numerous others. Raves the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Frisell is a revered figure among musicians--like Miles Davis and a few others, his signature is built from pure sound and inflection; an anti-technique that is instantly identifiable."
Fresh off the 2011 release of his album of renditions of selected works from the .John Lennon songbook, All We Are Saying..., Frisell's first Newport set will be a tribute to the Beatles legend. Described by All About Jazz as "an album that simply couldn't have been made by anyone else," All We Are Saying remains faithful to the songs' recognizable melodies while incorporating Frisell's dazzling improvisation. Indeed, Frisell exhibits a healthy respect and admiration for Lennon's music, describing the songs as "gems of perfect forms and structure and everything you want in music."
Frisell will also perform with acclaimed jazz trio The Bad Plus, which consists of pianist Ethan Iverson, bassist Reid Anderson, and drummer Dave King. Since the band's formation in 2000, The Bad Plus has produced an audacious and uncompromising body of work, releasing a number of albums, both studio and live, as well as making appearances on compilation albums.
"I've been friends with Ethan, Reid and Dave for many years and we've often talked about playing together," said Frisell. "I have played with each of them individually, but Newport will be the first time I perform with them as The Bad Plus."
Frisell's third set will be a performance as part of the Jenny Scheinman & Bill Frisell Duo, alongside violinist Jenny Scheinman. A longtime collaborator and personal favorite of Frisell's, Schienman was named the #1 Rising Star Violinist in the 2009 Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll and was listed as one of their Top Ten Overall Violinists of the last decade.
Frisell says he is excited to return to Newport and holds the festival as a pivotal point in his life.
"When I was in high school in 1968, the Newport Jazz Festival was travelling around the country. I was just starting to get into this music and I had just discovered Wes Montgomery. I couldn't believe that Wes Montgomery was coming to Colorado to play. I immediately ran out and bought tickets ... Unfortunately, Wes passed away about a month before so I didn't get to see him," said Frisell. "I didn't know who these guys were, but I decided to go anyway. There was Cannonball Adderley, Thelonious Monk, Gary Burton, Dionne Warwick ... It was the first jazz concert I ever went to. That changed my life. It was incredible, unbelievable ..."
Hear how Newport continues to impact the guitar virtuoso when he plays three diverse sets in the City by the Sea.
Stay tuned for more exciting news about the 2012 Newport Jazz Festival produced by George Wein and the Newport Festivals Foundation August 3 - 5. The complete schedule will be announced on Tuesday, March 13, and tickets will go on sale March 15. For more information on the Newport Jazz Festival and Newport Festivals Foundation, visit www.newportjazzfest.net and www.newportfestivalsfoundation.org.
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Contact: Carolyn McClair / CMPR
(917) 686-0854 / Carolyn@CarolynMcClairPR.com
Carolyn McClair
