Frisell as looper (was: livelooping article for guitar magazine...)

[ditch wrestler <ditchwrestler@yahoo.com>]

 

Coming in a bit late here but...

 

I think a distinction between Bill Frisell and somebody like David Torn or Tony Conrad is that Bill usually uses his looper to make an interesting intro/outro or create a background wash, not try to support an entire song as some of the more experimental users do.

 

Does that diminish Bill's contribution to looping?  No, it's just a different application, just like Rothko and Picasso both used paint brushes.  Bill's still using it in a very creative way, though - love the way he cycles through the double & reverse function of a DL4 to make a nice 'shimmer'...

 

It's been a while since I listened to Smash & Scatteration (the recording he did with Vernon Reid) but I recall that as being relatively gear oriented.  Also, very nice looping on Ghost Town - but being a solo disc, it's hard to separate looping from individual tracks.

 

 

ted h.

Or would you sing somethin' different. Somethin' real. Somethin' *you* felt. Cause I'm telling you right now, that's the kind of song people want to hear. That's the kind of song that truly saves people. It ain't got nothin to do with believin' in God, Mr. Cash. It has to do with believin' in yourself. Sam Phillips, "Walk the Line"

--- On Tue, 5/31/11, andy butler <akbutler@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:

From: andy butler <akbutler@tiscali.co.uk>
Subject: Re: livelooping article for guitar magazine...
To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
Received: Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 1:20 AM

Rick Walker wrote:
> On 7/22/64 11:59 AM, andy butler wrote:
>> Not saying that he isn't, I'm not that familiar with his work.
>> ...but to make a point surely it's desirable to list his
>> innovations.
>>
>> andy
> That is a hard one to put into words,  Andy.
> I think he is more innovative, musically speaking than technologically speaking.

...but I think that to be innovative as a looper it's actually necessary to invent a loop technique, or to apply that technique in a new way, or to bring those
results that others have achieved into a different musical context.

Not the same as being innovative *and* a looper.

andy