Remember Ross Porter and "After Hours" the late night jazz show that was a must listen on CBC radio back in the 90s. It's where I first heard Bill Frisell's " Blues for Los Angeles", the lead track to his 1998 album "Gone, Just Like a Train". Wasn't really jazz (the title sort of gives that away) and the song wasn't really what Bill Frisell's all about. I was new to this guy and he was already pushing 50 and closing in on 20 records.

I bought that album, 1999's Good Dog, Happy Man and have listened to a geat deal of 2005's "East West". As I write this I'm listening to ECM's selected recordings of his work on that label from 1981-1996 and I still don't have my head around what Bill Frisell is supposed to sound like. I'm not sure that I love what he does, it doesn't move me in any meaningful way, but I do find it interesting at times. There is an expansiveness to his sound that is very warm and inviting. Unfortunately there is also a tendency at times for the music to feel rather noodly.

That though could simply be a problem I have with much of the jazz-guitar catalogue. Listened to Stanley Clarke's 2010 disc today and I almost left the office at a run. Still to do Frisell any justice at all I'll need to listen to much more than 3 or 4 albums of a catalogue that's 10 times as big.