Four - Bill Frisell (2LP Vinyl)

Four by Bill Frisell.

There are records that announce themselves loudly, and then there are records like this one, which arrive with the warmth of a familiar voice picking up a conversation that never really ended. "Four" by Bill Frisell is a work built on connection, dedicated in memory of Ron Miles and offered to dear old friends. That sense of intimacy runs through every groove, spread generously across four sides of vinyl housed in a gatefold sleeve.

The album opens with "Dear Old Friend (For Alan Woodard)," a title that sets the tone for everything that follows. From there the first side moves through "Claude Utley" and "The Pioneers," compositions that unfold with the unhurried patience Frisell has long made his signature. All of these pieces are published by Friz-Tone Music, BMI, the mark of a musician who has spent decades shaping a language entirely his own.

The second and third sides deepen the mood. "Holiday" and the tender "Waltz For Hal Willner" give way to "Lookout For Hope," while side three gathers "Monroe," "Wise Woman," "Blues From Before," and the aching "Always." These are pieces that reward close listening, the kind of music that seems to expand the longer you sit with it, revealing detail and feeling in equal measure. The blues here is felt more than declared, woven quietly into the fabric of the playing.

The closing side carries a wry affection all its own, from "Good Dog, Happy Man" through "Invisible" to the closing "Dog On A Roof." It is a fitting way to draw the record to a close, playful and heartfelt, the final word in a set that never loses sight of the human warmth at its center.

The craft behind this pressing matches the care in the music. "Four" was recorded at The Samurai Hotel in Astoria, NY, and mixed at Reservoir Studios in New York, NY. Mastering was handled at Sterling Sound in Edgewater, NJ, with vinyl mastering completed at Cohearant Audio in North Hills, CA. All runouts are etched, a small detail that speaks to the attention lavished on the physical object itself.

Released by Blue Note Records in 2022 and made in the EU, this is a record that belongs on the shelf of anyone who values the quieter, more searching corners of contemporary jazz. It is Bill Frisell at his most generous and most personal, a tribute to friendship and memory rendered in sound. For collectors and listeners alike, "Four" is a rewarding addition, a gatefold set that invites you back again and again.

Pressing Details:
In memory of Ron Miles.
To dear old friends.

Recorded at The Samurai Hotel, Astoria, NY
Mixed at Reservoir Studios, New York, NY
Mastered at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, NJ
Vinyl mastered at Cohearant Audio, North Hills, CA.

All compositions published by Friz-Tone Music, BMI.

℗ © 2022 Blue Note Records.
Made in the EU.

Gatefold sleeve, all runouts etched

Track Listing:
A1. Dear Old Friend (For Alan Woodard)
A2. Claude Utley
A3. The Pioneers
B1. Holiday
B2. Waltz For Hal Willner
B3. Lookout For Hope
C1. Monroe
C2. Wise Woman
C3. Blues From Before
C4. Always
D1. Good Dog, Happy Man
D2. Invisible
D3. Dog On A Roof

Artist: Bill Frisell

Format: 2LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Blue Note

Catalog Number: B003528601

Release Year: 2022

Country: United States

Condition: Sealed (New)