Review of The Sweetest Punch
Dagbladet, 1999-11-16
- Terje Mosnes; translated by David Christoffer Lier

 

Bill Frisell

Intelligent pop music performed luxuriously.

5/6
By Terje Mosnes

 This is guitarist Bill Frisell’s instrumental arrangements of the music by Burt Bacharach/Elvis Costello’s exalted "Painted from Memory" CD, recorded in New York simultaneously with Bacharach and Costello completing their album in Los Angeles. Frisell has invited clarinet expert Don Byron, master of drumming Brian Blade, and the fine trumpeter Ron Miles, amongst others, to his party, and the outcome is intelligent pop music, occasionally brilliant and never worse than good. Costello and Cassandra Wilson add some brief vocal performances, which is well done, but the highlight of this record is the harmonising and orchestration by Frisell & co., and their expression of the melodies and intentions of Bacharach’s compositions.