The Westerlies: Have You Heard: The Music of Bill Frisell, Vol. 1
Westerlies Records

How wonderful to see The Westerlies honouring Bill Frisell, not as a guitarist but as a writer. Trumpeter Riley Mulherkar's contention that “Bill's singular mastery of his instrument means he isn't adequately considered as a composer” is astute, though to be clear it's not that the quality of his writing isn't appreciated but that the sound and style of his guitar playing has been so game-changing it tends to overshadow everything else. A quick scan of his many recordings reveals a wealth of classic compositions that carry his voice as distinctly as his playing. However, this set of Frisell material doesn't draw from that voluminous archive; instead, eleven new pieces created (with one exception) during the pandemic were created by Bill and given to the group to record. All stem from 2020-21 but for “A Wonderful Day,” the date of its creation January 2024.

While The Westerlies aren't credited as co-composers (instead, arrangers), the group did considerably more than execute charts given to them in a completed form. Frisell himself acknowledges that what he gave the four were “little sketches” that in some cases amounted to little more than “a line.” He also refrained from dictating the direction the music would take by providing no instructions, content to let the group take what he'd provided and work its magic. Wholly satisfied with the results, Frisell states, admiringly, “They turned a line or a drawing into a painting.”

Have You Heard is a special recording for a number of reasons, then. First, all of the compositions are world premiere performances and recordings; best of all, in their melodies and sensibilities these pieces are instantly identifiable as Frisell compositions. The Westerlies' playing is terrific, and after fifteen years of existence the band—Mulherkar plus fellow trumpeter Chloe Rowlands and trombonists Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon—has hit that sweet spot where every moment of performance is marked with authority and confidence. They've never sounded more comfortable in each other's company and attack each piece with excitement.

The project evolved easily, originating out of conversations the group had with Frisell in 2024 and a folder of new material being handed to them shortly thereafter. In the year-and-a-half that followed, the sketches were developed and arranged into a workable performance form with thought given to where improvisations might fall. At every moment, the group never wavered from its desire to honour Frisell and the music he'd so generously shared with them. Produced and mixed by Clausen, Have You Heard is a superb tribute to the guitarist but even more a tremendous document of The Westerlies' artistry.

That ten compositions were written during the isolating days of the pandemic might suggest that the tone of the material would be lugubrious, and certainly some tracks align with that expectation. Feelings of desperation and anguish permeate “Never Ever Forever” as it builds to a huge wail; it's hard not to also detect some semblance of defeat in the opening minutes of “Understand (ing) Struggle” before the piece grows into a blues-drenched expression of defiance and determination.

Yet while melancholy does emerge in some pieces, it's telling that the set begins with one that couldn't be more life-affirmingly titled, “A Wonderful Day.” A boppish intro by unaccompanied trumpet initiates the performance, which blossoms thereafter into unison trumpet statements and then funky quartet playing. Much like a string quartet in a classical context, the four excel at playing contrapuntally without losing the swing feel that's so much a part of the group's identity. Individual soloists emerge fluidly out of the arrangements before reinserting themselves as seamlessly. The group's at its bluesiest and gut-punching during “Dose,” all four players growling and moaning like their lives depended on it. At such moments, the group's playing is more raw than polite.

With instruments muted and wheezing sleepily, “Madness Hopeless” exudes an almost Ellington-like early Sunday morning vibe, the music stately and hymnal and vividly emblematic of Frisell's writing style. Similarly pitched, “Early Winters” sees breath-blowing tactics used to tone painting effect until the music slowly awakens from slumber. The four even get up to a bit of hocketing on “Father's Day,” their voices overlapping and interspersing with clockwork precision. While the album generally sidesteps political themes, the message behind the plaintive plea “Impeach” is crystal clear when the date of its writing is February 2021 (the triumphant tone it rises to hints at the imagined outcome).

June 2026