A fan favorite and widespread critical success, Frisell’s foray into orchestral arrangements of his back catalog were first introduced on Quartet, featuring the strings of Frisell’s guitar and Kang’s violin and the brass of Miles’ cornet and Fowlkes’ trombone. You can tell how much fun Frisell had arranging these tunes, most of which were conceived as soundtracks to films, including this CD-opening homage to his good friend Gary Larson’s famous line of cartoons. An up-tempo, sweeping waltz in which the strings create a bed for the long-toned, two-horned melody, “Tales from the Far Side” retains and explores the sinister yet comical mood of Larson’s work. Bigger and bolder than most other Frisell arrangements, Quartet is a fun listen that, upon its release, the New York Times claimed, “just may be his masterpiece.”
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