• Advertise
  • Donate
  • Write
  • Intern
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact

The Austinot

Discover Austin Texas! An Austin blog with hundreds of unique articles.

  • Things To Do
    • Things To Do This Weekend
    • Things To Do This Week
    • Things To Do This Weekend With Kids
  • Discoveries
    • Austinot Loves
    • Activities
    • Day Trips
    • Local Business
  • Food & Drink
    • Food
    • Drink
  • Entertainment
    • Events
    • Film
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Theatre
  • Culture
    • Arts
    • History
    • Museums
  • Et Cetera
    • Non-Profits
    • Podcast
    • Archives

How The Old Remains New: Bill Frisell and the Big Sur Quintet

March 5, 2015 by J. Alan Nelson Leave a Comment

Bill Frisell and the Big Sur Quintet

Bill Frisell and the Big Sur Quintet will perform in Austin on Sunday, March 8th
(Credit: Monica Frisell)

The Cactus Cafe is bringing one of the world’s leading jazz guitarists, Bill Frisell, and the Big Sur Quintet to the Texas Union Ballroom this Sunday, March 8th, to examine the work of one of folk music’s preeminent figures: Woody Guthrie.

Frisell’s eclectic fountain of rock, country, progressive, jazz and blues music is well known in musician circles throughout the world. But Frisell is looking forward to his Austin gig.

“The first time I came to Austin was in the early ‘90s,” he shared. “I played at the Continental Club and that became, in a way, a home base for me. I’ve played there many, many, many times.”

As a leading jazz guitarists for forty years, this weekend’s Austin gig follows stops in Los Angles and Kansas City. “It’s a short little trip, but it’s a relatively new project,” Frisell said of his tour. His newest album, the Big Sur, was released in 2012 on Sony’s Okeh label.

“The music keeps evolving,” Frisell said when I asked him to talk about his newest release. “I’m not very good where you do the record and then you tour the record. I’ll do a record and by the time the record comes out, even with the same group, the music keeps changing and that’s definitely what has happened with this.”

A Constant Searching Thing

Jazz Guitarist Bill Frisell

Jazz guitarist Bill Frisell
(Credit: Monica Frisell)

Those who come to see the show on Sunday will have a one of a kind experience because each gig is a little different. “So much of it depends on where you are and when you’re there, and making something out of that. It doesn’t make sense for me to play the same thing every night,” Frisell said. “With music, you’re always reaching out for something thats just a little bit beyond your grasp, a constant searching thing that’s happening that keeps it going and going.”

Frisell’s history with his fellow band members extends back decades. “While one can ‘check out the sound’ by listening to the Big Sur, these are guys I’ve played with for years and years…Oh my God, I met [cellist Hank] Roberts in 1975 in Boston…that’s forty years. It’s a dream band for me.”

Because of the bond he’s formed with the other musicians, Frisell said he can “take more and more chances. Anyone in the band can jump off into unknown territory at any time and everyone else is there to rescue them. It’s like jumping off a cliff. You don’t know what’s going to happen, but all your friends are around you. It’s an amazing feeling.”He personally enjoys exploring familiar melodies because while people think melodies are old, “you find the melody will become new, and there’s all sorts of side roads that come with them. It’s astonishing.”

From Cardboards Guitars to NPR

Frisell, whose earliest memory is building a cardboard guitar with rubber bands as an extremely young child, has always been fascinated with the instrument and what it can do. Now as an adult, his cross country playlist on shuffle would feature everything from a Debussy orchestra piece to a Bartok string quartet, to The Beatles and Tom Staples. “I totally love music,” he told me. “For me, there’s no reason why it can’t all co-exist.”

Frisell has several IMDB credits for soundtrack and composing. But his fans know him predominately for his electric, eclectic riffs and meandering on different melodies. For example, you can pick up an NPR Tiny Concert he did on The Beatles’ “Nowhere Man.”

Sunday’s Show

Texas Union and UT Tower

Bill Frisell and the Big Sur Quintet will play at the Texas Union Ballroom
(Credit: Wally Gobetz via Flickr CC)

The Austin concert on Sunday will be a play on the folk music of Woody Guthrie and “the progeny that sprung from Guthrie, such as Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger and even Buffalo Springfield.” Audience members can expect to experience Frisell’s well known multitudinous effects from his guitar in wide-ranging interpretations of the American musical experience.

Perhaps a description from Rolling Stone several years ago sums up Bill Frisell best:

“Strange meetings of the mysterious and the earthy, the melancholy and the giddy, make perfect sense by Frisell’s deliciously warped way of thinking.”

Don’t miss Bill Frisell and The Big Sur Quintet, which includes violinist Jenny Scheinman, violist Eyvind Kang, cellist Hank Roberts and drummer Rudy Royston.

When: Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 7 PM

Where: Texas Union Ballroom, upstairs from The Cactus Cafe at 2247 Guadalupe Street

Tickets: Cactus Cafe website

 

@theAustinot wants to know: 

Are you attending Bill Frisell’s performance this weekend?

Filed Under: Entertainment, Events, Music

Best of The Austinot

We always have unique content on The Austinot and we love to give things away. You know, like concert tickets, gift cards, and other cool stuff. We only send out our “Best of the Austinot” newsletter twice a month. It’s where we give you a recap of our best articles and give stuff away. Interested? Subscribe to Best of The Austinot here!

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
guest
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Connect with Us

    Hyperlocal Blog About the City of A...

    Please enable JavaScript

    Hyperlocal Blog About the City of Austin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Things to do

Things to do in Austin this week

10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of August 8, 2022 include EPIC Sunset Bat Paddle, Carpenter Hotel BBQ Pool Party, and more!

Austin is now among the fastest-growing metroplexes in the US! Keeping up with the growth, luckily, there’s plenty going on in Austin all days of the week. There are things to do on Monday in Austin, of course, things to do in Austin on Saturday night, and everything in between! Some of you may be […]

Horse Riding Lessons in Austin - Texas Trail Rides

Horseback Riding in Austin: Horse Riding Lessons For Adults and Kids Near You

If you’ve always been captivated by cowboy movies about the Wild West and are looking for adult horse riding lessons near me, Austin is the place to be! There are a ton of places that offer horseback riding in Austin with a range of adult horseback riding lessons, including picking your own horse, learning different […]

Things to do in Austin

Top 10 things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of August 5, 2022 include Saturday Family Funday, Back to School Bash, and more!

If there’s one thing about this city, it’s that there is always something going on. So, if you’re looking for fun things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of August 5, 2022, there’s plenty of fun to be had, including the First Friday Ghost Tour, Disney’s Newsies, and more! Top Pick for Summer Camps […]

Things to do in Austin

10 Fun Things to Do in Austin This Weekend of August 5, 2022 Include Queer Yoga, Grounded Dance Cardio, and More!

  For summer camp information, check out our page for Best Summer Camps in Austin for 2022!  If you would like to discover more Things to do in Austin this Week & Things to do in Austin with Kids this Weekend, check out Facebook for immediate notifications.

Classic Game Fest 2022 in Austin

Classic Game Fest 2022 in Austin: A Can’t Miss Celebration of Retro Videogames

  Remember the good old days of videogames? You and your friends huddled around a tiny CRT TV kicking each other in Street Fighter, battling Bowser in Super Mario Bros, or blasting demons in Doom. Modern videogames offer best in class visuals and expansive experiences. But there’s nothing quite like blowing into a cartridge, slamming it […]

Recent Posts

  • 10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of August 8, 2022 include EPIC Sunset Bat Paddle, Carpenter Hotel BBQ Pool Party, and more!
  • Horseback Riding in Austin: Horse Riding Lessons For Adults and Kids Near You
  • Top 10 things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of August 5, 2022 include Saturday Family Funday, Back to School Bash, and more!
  • 10 Fun Things to Do in Austin This Weekend of August 5, 2022 Include Queer Yoga, Grounded Dance Cardio, and More!
  • Classic Game Fest 2022 in Austin: A Can’t Miss Celebration of Retro Videogames

Welcome to The Austinot

We are all about Austin: the vibe, the people and the uniqueness of the city. We love to explore. Get to know us! We’ll respond if you comment. Heck, we’ll probably invite you to come and hang out with us!

Follow along to help support and learn more about local businesses, artists, and events.

-The Austinot Team

Privacy Policy

Trending Posts

  • What’s Up With the ‘Live a Great Story’ Messages Around Austin?
  • Guide to Austin’s Dirty Sixth Street
  • 10 Best Lakes in and around Austin
  • Austin’s Speakeasy Secrets (Shhh): Floppy Disk Repair Co.
  • 20 Restaurants Open Late in Austin – Best Late Night Food Places For Tasty Eats

Copyright © 2022 · Log in

wpDiscuz