WATCH: Bill Frisell revisits the music of his youth on ‘Guitar in the Space Age!’

by JAY LUSTIG
BILL FRISELL

PAUL MOORE

BILL FRISELL

Bill Frisell was born in 1951, and started getting interested in music about a decade later. “It was before the Beatles. John Kennedy was still alive,” he told Fretboard Journal. “I just remember being so fired up about the music of that time.”

The critically acclaimed jazz guitarist revisited the rock, pop, blues and country of his youth on his 2014 album, Guitar in the Space Age!, offering fresh takes on everything from Link Wray’s “Rumble” to Merle Travis’ “Cannonball Rag” and The Beach Boys’ “Surfer Girl.” He will play songs from it Thursday night at The South Orange Performing Arts Center.

Joining him will be Greg Leisz on electric and pedal steel guitars, Tony Scherr on bass and Kenny Wollesen on drums. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Here are some video that give a taste of what Frisell is up to on the album. These are obviously not straightforward covers, but inventive performances that take these familiar songs in new, unexpected directions.

“MESSIN’ WITH THE KID”

“CANNONBALL RAG”

“SURFER GIRL”

“REBEL ROUSER”

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