Best Of Bill

Another in the ECM :rarum series where artists pick their own best of compilation. This time it is Bill Frisell Selected Recordings, just a single cd unlike the double for Jan Garbarek. The recordings cover the period 1981 to 1996 and Frisell proves a generous compiler, selecting many tracks that are on disks by other performers where he is a sideman and where he doesn't even take the spotlight lead in soloing. Having said that, there are plenty of examples of his eclectic and diverse guitar sound but you can also hear prime playing from the likes of Garbarek, Joe Lovano, Kenny Wheeler, Paul Bley, Paul Motian and John Surman. Frisell even picks one track by the Gavin Bryars Ensemble on which he doesn't apear at all, although the track does have a bracketed subtitle (dedicated to Bill Frisell ) His selection is tailored towards a more hard edged jazz context for the most part with just a couple of examples of his more "world music" flavoured side. These sides represent the best of Frisell to date I feel, some of his more recent efforts have been more style over substance to my taste ( one of those coming up next time around in this section of the shelf however ! )