A guitar master known for his wide ranging projects, from electronica to Americana, Bill Frisell first played at the Walker nearly 25 years ago. Expatriate Iraqi Rahim AlHaj, now a U.S. citizen living in Albuquerque, is considered to be among the world’s most gifted oud players, and no stranger to bringing the forces of East and West together in his music. Violist Eyvind King, based in Seattle, is an acclaimed performer and composer who has worked extensively with Frisell. In residency at the Walker for the past four days, the three artists enjoyed time to create and share their music with student musicians before debuting their work. Tonight, it was all about the melding of their own histories, philosophies, and recent musical conversations.

Part I seemed to spring from the Arabic maquam, a framework that informs improvisation in a fashion similar to American modal jazz structures. With repeating phrases, modulating descents, and alternating lead voices, this first piece provided an intriguing overview of the following components. And it reflected Rahim’s description of the traditional approach to music that he learned as a youngster—as if moving from town to town via a network of bridges, such that there are literally millions of choices of routes—or of notes. Segment II began with some upbeat vocalizing over the strings, courtesy of the ebullient Rahim, then settled into a delicate exchange among the trio. Segment III was a Frisell solo, yet with loops and imaginative fingers, he managed many voices on his own, a collage of tonal moods and shapes. Part IV was the longest of the suite, a meandering journey that folded into an extended viola solo, Kang seeming to conjure Bach partitas and American roots simultaneously, his glissandos, bowed tones and pizzicato antics providing a wide palette of pitches and harmonies.  

Part V offered the most simultaneous collaboration, built on a tri-tone pattern that ebbed and flowed, sublime and global chamber music. Part VI was a solo for oud, centered around patterns of arpeggios that showed off the beauty and versatility of the instrument. At MacPhail, Rahim recalled his first encounter with the oud at age 7, being immediately attracted to its beauty and later taking his own oud to bed with him every night. The love affair is evident today. 

Baghdad/Seattle Suite closed with “Morning in Heightsville” (which is probably spelled differently), a shorter version of the composition the trio played at MacPhail. Here Aaron Copeland meets Fats Waller; there’s a hoedown (complete with Rahim’s shouts of encouragement), rippling descending chords and a joyous sense of swing. 

At times the music was hypnotic, perhaps reflecting the sonic proximity of three stringed instruments, yet it never lost its way, each voice shining with its own character. This was not the Minnesota Rouser, but rather gentle music built on an intricate weave. There was plenty of power and passion but the energy lay in the spaces between notes, between phrases, in the reverent interaction among musicians, not in wide dynamics or top-heavy electronics. Three artists brought their hearts, histories, and imaginations to the Walker this week, and the result was a delicately elegant conversation. Like the tones from their instruments, a resonant warmth lasted well into this winter evening.