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This is a great beginning album for people just starting to get into Frisell as is his album "Good Dog, Happy Man."The musicianship, as with any Frisell album, is top-notch. You can really hear his mark on this album's production. The music, as always with Frisell, is very hard to categorize.
All the other musicians are fantastic, but it seems these musicians really took this session to another level.The audio quality of this recording is also very well done. Townsend has been producing Frisell's albums for many, many years now and always does a fine job.If you enjoyed his albums "Good Dog, Happy Man" and "The Intercontinentals" then this would be a welcome addition to your collection. This album is again produced by Lee Townsend, whom I feel is just as important as any of the musicians.
"Blues Dream" released in 2001 on Nonesuch is one of Frisell's best efforts as a leader. I was particuarly impressed with drummer Kenny wollesen, pedal-steel guitarist Greg Leisz, and trumpeter Ron Miles. Very highly recommended.
It's essentially blues-jazz combined with folk, bluegrass, country, and a touch of avant-garde, because we all know Frisell favors a little bit more dissonance than other jazz guitarists. Bill has a talent for finding just the right musicians to play his music.
I found it innovative in the way Frisell used Blues, Jazz, and Country elements to weave an evocative soundscape This is wonderful music.
This album was not my first Frisell, and I was looking, when getting it, for something rather specific that, IMHO, only Frisell can do with the richness it deserves- the extended ballad, and this album has what is, again IMHO, his finest, and probably _the_ finest and most achingly gorgeous piece of emotive completeness- What Do We Do.Scintillatingly marvelous.
Blues Dream is a progressive 'jazz-like' fusion of a few musical styles, but one which never fails to lose the sound, or the mood, of it's traditional American roots. The resultant sounds paint relaxing (and sometimes hypnotic) sketches of a musical Neo Americana. I was new to Bill Frisell and after reading some reviews and listening to the sound clips on Amazon, I purchased this CD. I have absolutely NO regrets.Although I am not a huge fan of country or bluegrass music, Blues Dream is a delightfully progressive fusion of those, along with a healthy portion of folk, rock and blues added.
For those looking to buy one or two of his recent works, I'd go with Ghost Town and Intercontinentals (or Nashville). I'm a Frisell fan, and while there are a few gorgeous tracks on this, it doesn't fulfill the promise of the title. For those who collect Frisell, go ahead and get it.
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