Intercontinentals
Bill Frisell took the Downtown New York jazz scene toNashville, andMarc Ribotdid the same thing for Cuba with hisLos Cubanos PostizosandMuy Divertido. But until Frisell'sThe Intercontinentalsthe robust, haunting sound of Malian blues guitar was largely untouched by six-stringing jazzoids. The aptly named Frisell ensemble here includes Brazilian guitar and vocal greatVinicius Cantuaria(playing solid drums half the time), Mali's premier percussionist Sidiki Camara, Greek oud and bouzouki virtuoso Christos Govetas, pedal steel guitarist Greg Leisz, and violinist Jenny Scheinman. Rather than cover all the band's continents, though, the focal point is largely singular:  "Boubacar" (in honor of Malian guitar pioneerBoubacar Traore) opens the set and has its vibe continued with a cover of his "Baba Drame," and everywhere the notes are hit and moods invoked as ifAli Farka Tourewere looking on from Timbuktu. This is, though, still Frisell. An American earthiness crops up in Leisz's steel, as does the Mediterranean in Govetas's oud. And Frisell's sampled loops create an atmospheric cloudiness grounded by Camara's calabash and djembe and Cantuaria's drumming. In the constant sonic middle ground are the trifecta of oud, violin, and bass, merging the melody and rhythm brilliantly. Rootsy and undeniable,The Intercontinentalsis yet another Frisellian work of genius.--Andrew Bartlett