“For over ten years Bill Frisell has quietly been the most brilliant and unique voice to come along in jazz guitar since Wes Montgomery. In light of this, it may be easy to overlook the fact that he may also be one of the most promising composers of American music on the current scene." Stereophile

Bill Frisell©Andrea Canter

Known for his eclectic cross cultural projects, Grammy-winning guitarist/composer Bill Frisell brings together traditional Iraqi maqams, Americana, and jazz with two equally compelling artists on February 6th at the Walker Art Center. His trio features Iraqi refugee and oud master Rahim AlHaj and acclaimed violist and erhu player Eyvind Kang, presenting the premiere of Baghdad/Seattle Suite. The ancient tones of AlHaj’s oud and Frisell’s guitar meld with Kang’s new music, folk, rock, and Middle Eastern melodies, “creating a sound that is lyrical, timeless, and universally appealing” (Walker Art Center).

One of the working legends of modern jazz guitar, Bill Frisell is steeped in country, bules, and rock. Known for using a wide range of special effects to create unique sounds, he’s performed or recorded with Kenny Wheeler, Paul Motian, Dave Holland, Elvin Jones, Don Byron, Fred Hersch, and Jim Hall, among many others. The Baltimore native mostly grew up in Colorado, where he played clarinet as well as guitar. After studying music at the University of Northern Colorado where he studied with Johnny Smith, he went on to Berklee in Boston where he studied with the great Jim Hall. His big break came when he recorded for ECM in the early 1980s with Paul Motian, Jan Gabarek and Arild Andersen. Living in New York, he partnered with Motian, John Zorn and Joe Lovano, among others. Relocating to Seattle in 1988, Frisell began working on silent film soundtracks and adding elements of country and bluegrass. For the past 20 years, his work has expanded across a wide range of musical influences, he has received Grammy awards and nominations, and has issued a long string of notable recordings, including work with Paul Motian and Joe Lovano. He was first commissioned for a work by the Walker Art Center in 1999 (Blue Dreams).

Rahim AlHaj©Douglas Kent Hall

Eyvnid Kang

The artists will be in residence together at the Walker, refining their compositions prior to the performance. The trio will also work with advanced high school jazz musicians at the MacPhail Center for Music. Copresented with the National Performance Network (NPN), Baghdad/Seattle Suite is an NPN Creation Fund Project commissioned by the Walker Art Center in partnership with Outpost Productions (Albuquerque, NM) and the NPN, with support provided by the William and Nadine McGuire Commissioning Fund and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. 

Baghdad/Seattle Suite is presented twice on February 6th, at 7 and 9:30 pm in the McGuire Theater of the Walker Art Center at 1750 Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis; www.walkerartcenter.org

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