How wonderful to see The Westerlies honouring Bill Frisell, not as a guitarist but as a writer. Trumpeter Riley Mulherkar’s contention that “Bill’s singular mastery of his instrument means he isn’t adequately considered as a composer” is astute, though to be clear it’s not that the quality of his writing isn’t appreciated but that the sound and style of his guitar playing has been so game-changing it tends to overshadow everything else. A quick scan of his many recordings reveals a wealth of classic compositions that carry his voice as distinctly as his playing. However, this set of Frisell material doesn’t draw from that voluminous archive; instead, eleven new pieces created (with one exception) during the pandemic were created by Bill and given to the group to…

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