Bill Frisell Trio with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
North American Premiere
Guitarist Bill Frisell has developed tight bonds with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston. Although they’ve only made one recording as a trio, they have logged countless hours together in other contexts. As The Quietus said of Valentine, their 2020 album, “If any recording this year demonstrated the value of nuance, interplay, and shared language it’s Valentine. The trio has developed on the road over the last two years, enhancing a deep rapport the leader has forged with his partners in other projects.” Many of the tunes on the album have been interpreted by the guitarist in different contexts and instrumental combinations, illustrating his knack for recasting familiar themes when he works with different voices.
That same elastic trio comes together for this special concert with the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, a U.S. premiere that will feature some of his vast repertoire’s most beloved entries in a symphonic setting. The English composer and bandleader Michael Gibbs—a veteran figure who specializes in creating orchestral and big band settings for jazz artists, deftly structuring space and dynamics for improvisers—has written new arrangements for the music, following up on similar project he created for Germany’s NDR Big Band in 2013, with Frisell as featured soloist. The project premiered in September of 2022 with the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra.
