When Arild Andersen was composing his dream band for his concert at Moldejazz 1981 he chose Bill Frisell as lead guitarist. The music was documented by ECM on the LP "A Molde Concert"; later re-released on CD. The year after Frisell visited Moldejazz with Jan Garbarek's group, and since he has become a frequent visitor of Molde; among other times on the famous concert with John Zorns Naked City in 1991. Over the last few decades Frisell himself has composed almost too many bands to count, all with their unique sound, and he has released more records with a broader range of content than perhaps any other guitar-player in the same period. Despite all the variation he has developed a genre-defining sound of his own which has inspired a whole generation of musical colleagues. With his alternation between virile wildness and subtle contemplation Frisell is a guitar-player whom you can always count on to deliver quality-music
For this years Moldejazz he'll bring the group Big Sur Sextet to their Norwegian premiere; a group where his own guitars are supplemented by drummer Rudy Royston and two of the most striking personalities in topical jazz with a flair of contemporary; viola-player Eyvind Kang and cello-player Hank Roberts. Violinist Jenny Scheinman is on the verge of creating her own career after many years of working closely with Frisell, and in Big Sur she's joined by colleague Carrie Rordriguez. We're promised genre-defying music with character and a sprawling expression!
