Bill Frisell
In Line

Ethereal and evanescent, the guitars of Bill Frisell in his first solo album, released in 1983. Soft sounds fill the space until it is saturated.

Nine tracks, it could be considered a unique instrumental. Yet the traditional division into tracks of popular music is maintained. Something "In Line" certainly is not, at least not in the most trivial and commercial sense of the term.

A few years later, Frisell would become one of the most authoritative and renowned guitarists in jazz and fusion, not hesitating to venture into many other paths at the same time. But this first work of his does not enter those territories, it remains in an area difficult to frame, it could easily be defined as ambient, this music. Or, what about atmospheric?

ECM sound, if you're familiar. Frisell: you can let his music loop, and he will always remain a bit elusive, like Pat Metheny.

The session musician Arild Andersen accompanies him on bass (acoustic and electric) and double bass in five of the nine tracks of the album. These are subtle brush strokes that add to the palette of colors prepared by Frisell and his guitars, already very rich in effects even from this first trial (for example, in the use of the volume pedal).

"In Line", there's not much more to say. Already from the next solo album ("Rambler", 1985), the music changes and perhaps becomes a bit less personal and original, albeit still of high quality. Let's get back to listening to this one, then.