Lookout for Hope

The emphasis on this 1987 session is Bill Frisell's broadening range as a composer and his increasing use of strange elisions between materials, adding the darkest clouds to greeting-card-perfect sunny days. "Little Brother Bobby" is a good example, mixing bright, country-simple parts with a dissonant countertheme that suggests a darkened cabaret. Even the very pretty "Lonesome," with its mix of near pedal-steel and acoustic guitar textures, resonates with a strange undercurrent from the reverberant bass. The band is Frisell's working quartet of the time, with cellist Hank Roberts, bassist Kermit Driscoll, and drummer Joey Baron, but the sonic resource can suggest a much larger group, the sustained tones and pitch-bending of Frisell and Roberts magnifying the sound. The title tune has Frisell's guitar line soaring over a backdrop of almost orchestral density, thanks largely to Roberts's cello. Driscoll often uses the lower register of his electric bass to add tremendous gravity, and Baron employs highly varied percussion. The only non-Frisell piece is Thelonious Monk's "Hackensack," a playfully bouncing version that makes the most of the unusual instrumentation. --Stuart Broomer