 Bill Frisell © Andrea Canter Prolific guitarist/composer/bandleader, Bill Frisell will take up residency at Yoshi's Oakland, April 8 through 11. The longtime Yoshi's favorite brings together four different eclectic ensembles for the four day run. On Thursday, April 8th Frisell brings together three other guitarists; iconic downtown guitarist Marc Ribot, lap/pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz and a third special mystery guitarist/singer from Nashville. On Friday, April 9th Frisell and crew provide a live score to the short films of Buster Keaton, Jim Woodring and Bill Morrison. For the Saturday, April 10th performances, Frisell is joined by his Quintet featuring critically acclaimed violinist Jenny Scheinman. To close out the residency on Sunday, April 11th Frisell and drummer Kenny Wollesen, perform with risk-taking pianist Jason Moran.
 Bill Frisell © Andrea Canter
Born in Baltimore, Bill Frisell played clarinet throughout his childhood in Denver, Colorado. His interest in guitar began with his exposure to pop music on the radio. Soon, the Chicago Blues became a passion through the work of Otis Rush, B.B. King, Paul Butterfield and Buddy Guy. In high school, he played in bands covering pop and soul classics, James Brown and other dance material. Later, Bill studied music at the University of Northern Colorado before attending Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studied with John Damian, Herb Pomeroy and Michael Gibbs. In 1978, Frisell moved for a year to Belgium where he concentrated on writing music. In this period, he toured with Michael Gibbs and first recorded with German bassist Eberhard Weber. Bill moved to the New York City area in 1979 and stayed until 1989. He now lives in Seattle.
Frisell’s recordings over the last decades span a wide range of musical influences. His catalog, including 20 recordings for Nonesuch, has been cited by DownBeat as “the best recorded output of the decade.” It includes original Buster Keaton film scores to arrangements of music for extended ensemble with horns (This Land, Blues Dream); compositions originally written as soundtracks to Gary Larson cartoons (Quartet); interpretations of work by other classic and contemporary American composers (Have a Little Faith); and collaborations with the acclaimed rhythm section of bassist Viktor Krauss and drummer Jim Keltner (Gone, Just Like a Train; Good Dog, Happy Man).
Other releases include an album with Nashville musicians (Nashville), the solo album Ghost Town, an album of his arrangements of songs by Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach (The Sweetest Punch), a trio album with jazz legends Dave Holland and Elvin Jones, and a collection of American traditional songs and original compositions inspired by them entitled The Willies. The Intercontinentals, nominated for a Grammy in 2004, combines Frisell’s own brand of American roots music and his unmistakable improvisational style with the influences of Brazilian, Greek, and Malian sounds. His 2004 release, Unspeakable, won a Grammy Award. His two-CD set East/West features his two working trios recorded in concert on both coasts.
 Jenny Scheinman © Michael Willson
Violinist Jenny Scheinman grew up in a rural homestead community in Northern California, studied at Oberlin Conservatory, and has been performing as a violinist/fiddler since she was a teenager. She has taken the #1 Rising Star Violinist title in the Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll and has been listed as one of their Top Ten Overall Violinists for most of the last decade. In addition, she has garnered numerous high-profile arranging credits with artists such as Lucinda Williams, Bono, Lou Reed and Sean Lennon, and has toured and recorded with Bill Frisell, Norah Jones, Jason Moran, Madeleine Peyroux, Nels Cline, Vinicius Cantuaria, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Robbie Fulks, Rodney Crowell, and Mark Ribot. She has released six CDs of original music: Live At Yoshi's (1999), The Rabbi's Lover (2001), Shalagaster (2003), 12 Songs (2005), Crossing The Field (2008), and Jenny Scheinman (2009).  Jason Moran Jason Moran attended Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts where he became an active member of the jazz program, playing in the big band and leading a jazz quartet. He moved to New York City where he continued his education at the Manhattan School of Music, a school to which he was drawn by the prospect of studying with the pianist Jaki Byard, who became Moran’s teacher for 4 years and a role model for life. It was during this time that Moran also took lessons from other forward-thinking pianists such as Muhal Richard Abrams and Andrew Hill, creative musicians who imparted a profound influence on Moran, and encouraged him to find his own distinct voice.
Jason Moran was named Playboy Magazine’s first “Jazz Artist of the Year.” He has also received honors in numerous DownBeat Critics Poll “Rising Star” categories, including “Jazz Artist,” “Pianist,” and “Composer. Moran has performed as a sideman with such artists as Cassandra Wilson, Joe Lovano, Ravi Coltrane and Stefon Harris. He was the youngest honoree of the San Francisco Jazz Festival Commission and he has recently been awarded a grant from Chamber Music America’s “New Works: Creation and Presentation” program. Yoshi’s is located at Jack London Square in Oakland. Visit www.yoshis.com for ticket information. |
SF Bay Area 
Thursday, 17 May 2012
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