The Mississippi River Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in American history. In the spring of 1927, the river broke out of its banks in 145 places and inundated 27,000 square miles to a depth of up to 30 feet.

Part of it enduring legacy was the mass exodus of displaced sharecroppers. Musically, the “Great Migration” of rural southern blacks to Northern cities saw the Delta Blues electrified and reinterpreted as the Chicago Blues, Rhythm and Blues, and Rock and Roll.

Using minimal text and no spoken dialog, filmmaker Bill Morrison and composer / guitarist Bill Frisell have created a powerful portrait of a seminal moment in American history through a collection of silent images matched to a searing original soundtrack.

Released by Icarus Films in 2014

PURCHASE CD PURCHASE VINYL ITUNES SPOTIFY Produced by Lee Townsend
Bill Frisell – electric guitar
Greg Leisz – pedal steel, electric guitar
Tony Scherr – bass
Kenny Wollesen – drums

Recording Engineer: Tucker Martine
Mixing Engineer: Adam Muñoz
Mastering Engineer: Greg Calbi
Assistant Engineer at Flora: Michael Finn
Production Assistance: Adam Blomberg
Recorded at Flora Recording & Playback, Portland, OR
Mixed at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA
Mastered at Sterling Sound, New York

Art direction, design and photography: Paul Moore (StudioMoore.com)

JAZZ TIMES / by Evan Haga 6/13/14

“Does it help to let you know I was born in 1951?” asked Bill Frisell last Friday at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Appel Room, before easing into the second show of “Guitar in the Space Age,” a program of the postwar country, blues and rock ’n’ roll that inspired him as a boy. Accompanying Frisell were Greg Leisz on pedal steel and guitar, Tony Scherr on upright and electric basses and Kenny Wollesen on drums and vibraphone—longtime collaborators with an especially developed understanding of the leader’s style-melding, chamber-like take on American music.

To know that Frisell is a baby-boomer was important, yes. The music he played, by the Beach Boys, Duane Eddy, the Chantays, […]

PURCHASE CD PURCHASE VINYL ITUNES SPOTIFY

Produced by Lee Townsend
Arranged by Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell – electric and acoustic guitar
Eyvind Kangz – viola
Thomas Morgan – bass
Rudy Royston- drums, percussion

Recording Engineer: Tucker Martine
Mixing Engineer: Adam Munoz
Mastering Engineer: Greg Calbi
Recorded at Flora Recording and Playback, Portland, OR
Mixed at Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA
Mastered at Sterling Sound, NYC Production
Assistance: Adam Blomberg
Assistant Engineers (Flora): Michael Finn and Keegan Curry
Art Direction.
Design and Photography (inlay): Paul Moore (StudioMoore.com)
Photography (booklet spread): Paul Hicks
Photography: Monica Jane Frisell

All songs written by Bill Frisell except: To Kill a Mockingbird, Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 (Elmer Bernstein); You Only Live Twice (John Barry / Leslie Bricusse); Psycho, Pt. 1 and Pt.2 (Bernard Herrmann); The Shadow of Your Smile (Dave Heywood / Leroy Heywood / Johnny Mandel / Paul Webster); Bonanza (Jay Livingston / Ray Evans); Once Upon a Time in the West(Theme) (Ennio Morricone); Once Upon a Time in the West (As a Judgement)(Ennio Morricone); Once Upon a Time in the West (Farewell to Cheyenne) (Ennio Morricone); When You Wish Up on a Star (Leigh Harline / Ned Washington); Moon River (Henry Mancini / Johnny Mercer / James McMillan […]