Three Nights of Guitar Heros on 10/31/07

By: Joe Lang

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Bill Frisell’s Disfarmer Project (27 October 2007, Walker Art Center) 

Disfarmer Trio - Photo from www.songtone.com

In a classic Simpson’s episode, a grumpy patron scoffs at the performance of a jazz violinist prompting Lisa Simpson to respond, “You have to listen to the notes he’s not playing.”   The man hilariously growls back, “I can do that at home.” Whenever I hear the subdued lyricism of Bill Frisell, I think of that hilarious exchange. Frisell might be the greatest slow player on the planet—an enigmatic and uncharismatic musical nebbish—with one of the strongest musical voices and some of the greatest lyricism and phrasing of any musician of his generation. Around a decade since I’d last seen Frisell, he made his return to the same venue, the Walker Art Center, with the Disfarmer Project. Originally conceived in 2005, the project finds Frisell once again working with the visual medium, showcasing the works of 1940s photographer and mysterious hermit, Disfarmer.  

And while Frisell might be the Disfarmer of music, the music was anything but unsettling. While Disfarmer’s works were projected on two monitors behind the trio, Frisell, along with violinist Jenny Scheinman and pedal steel player Greg Leisz, played through a set of deconstructed roots tunes ranging from lyrical country ballads and sorrowful blues to quirky rockabilly. Surprisingly, the trio focused little on harmony and more on motifs and dancing melodies, never once getting in each other’s way. Although the arrangements bordered on beautifully unrecognizable, emotive covers of Arthur Crudup’s “That’s All Right,” Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” and Leadbelly’s “John Hardy,” bore the mark of a true master arranger—staying true to the original tune, but with a totally unique voice and re-styling. Frisell did at times conjure up the spirit of Disfarmer, playing jagged and chromatic lines and laying jarring loops leading to no resolution. And while Schenman and Leisz’s playing was tonally and economically masterful, complimenting Frisell perfectly, the highlight of the evening came with Frisell’s sublime cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” While the hackneyed and often mawkish tune has found its way into the repertoire of quite a few six string gunslingers over the last couple years (count Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck among them), Frisell’s cover displays a harmonic mastery untouched by his peers. After the last couple bars of twangy Telecaster country licks, and a final train whistle sound from Leisz’s pedal steel, Frisell disappeared into the night like the spirit of Disfarmer himself. The audience was left to wonder simply when the mysterious stranger would return with his beautiful batch of musical mad science. Soon, hopefully.  

And while Frisell might be one of the best slow guitarists, Al Di Meola has long ago made his claim to the chair of greatest fast guitarist on the planet. Since his rise with fusion super group Return to Forever, Di Meola has long been known for his lightning fast playing, bowling over the listener with a flurry of furious staccato runs. While you might have to listen to the notes a player like Frisell isn’t playing, Di Meola’s speed can be so overpowering that it can be a daunting task listening to the notes Di Meola is playing. That said, Di Meola’s style is arguably just as powerful, and his appearances with his new World Sinfonia at the Dakota right before Halloween were a testament to just that.  

Along with long-time percussion sideman Gumbi Ortiz, guitarist Peo Alfonsi and accordion virtuoso Fausto Beccalossi the quartet jumped into the rhythms of Argentina and Spain, highlighting much of the influence of Di Meola’s long time hero, Asto Piazolla.  

Di Meola remarked to the audience about how long it had been since he’d appeared in Minneapolis and a debate went on as to whether or not he hit the decade mark (Di Meola said he didn’t think it had been that long). It was obvious as Di Meola and Beccalossi began arpeggiating the minor lick at the beginning of the set that it had been too long. What became evident quickly, to my surprise and delight, was the reserve and economy Di Meola was employing in his playing. While his rhythm and sparring with the clave was obvious, Di Meola wasn’t playing lighting fast runs all the time. Sure, there was plenty of that, but it was obvious he didn’t need to flex his chops all the time, instead relying on musicality and what best fit at the tune. Often during leads and solos, Beccalossi would sing along and harmonize with his accordion playing. When it was time for speed, Becalossi would put the pedal to the metal and match Di Meola’s leads note for note. One could go on and on about the highlights of the concert: the dynamic subtleties, Di Meola’s amazing ability to fill space with a flat pick, Ortiz’s rhythmic splashes and grooves, whole tone runs, rhythmic urgency or intervallic pulses. But the truth is, the concert was incredibly musical and tight as hell. As a fan of Di Meola’s older Columbia recordings, the highlight came with the Di Meola/Paco De Lucia tune, “Mediterranean Sundance/Rio Ancho.” The evening wasn’t about shred or chops or technique, but about music. And that’s the way it should be.  

Govt Mule (O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, 31 October 2007)                                                                                                             

Government Mule - Photo from www.mule.net

And what Di Meola was to the ‘70s, and Frisell was to the ‘80s, Warren Haynes may be to the ‘90s. The Les Paul toting, Marshall stack roaring blues/rock maestro is sadly almost without peers these days. Aside from Joe Bonamassa, no one is playing rock music the way it was meant to be played. Tearing it up with the Allman Bros., in his own solo endeavors and in the Mule, Haynes is the whole package: songwriter, singer and fiery guitar slinger. Which is why it was pretty bizarre to hear the quartet (filled out by bassist Andy Hess, Drummer Matt Abts and keyboardist Danny Louis) start out their first set at O’Shaughnessy with the dub-influenced wah-laced “Play With Fire.” It’s always a chilling sign when bands come out with a slow or mid-tempo tune, and I was already afraid. Thankfully, the band picked up the pace and dynamics with “Time To Confess,” which saw Haynes playing some trademark chopping rhythms and a spirited if not amazing solo. The band hit its stride, however, with “Rocking Horse.” The tune featured Haynes doing a finger-style intro riff up-and-down with dynamics and key changes. But what really set the tune apart was watching Haynes’ tonal manipulation. Countless times during his solo, which slowly built up steam to a blistering crescendo with Abts, Haynes would switch from his biting bridge pickup to the buttery singing tones of his neck pickup to get precisely the musical phrase he wanted across. More than maybe any other play I’ve seen, Haynes has an uncanny ability to know exactly the tone he needs to execute his phrases, and accesses it at anytime. 

After a set break, the band came out with guest guitarist Audley Freed and jumped into what was billed as “The Holy Haunted House” set: a cover of the entire Led Zeppelin Houses of the Holy album. The stage was adorned with hanging symbols (a tribute to Zeppelin) and the Mule logo had the Houses of the Holy cover shined on it. Throughout the set, Haynes employed a 12-string Les Paul for most tunes, and often deferred to Freed for the leads, sometimes dropping the guitar for just the vocals. It was obvious how fresh it was for the band—Haynes had lyrics he was reading from a music stand as Freed took the leads. The most refreshing part of the show was hearing Haynes, an incredibly gifted singer himself, insert a little bit more gruff masculinity into the squealing screeches of Robert Plant. Unless you consider a cover a trick, the St. Paul audience was left with no tricks and a treat of a long and solid, if not mind-blowing two sets from one of the best rock bands on the road today. 

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Artist Info: Al Di Meola, Bill Frisell, Government Mule

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