Bill Frisell & Bill Morrison — The Great Flood at SFJAZZ Spring Festival at Herbst Theater

Jazz and country music have long been seen as antithetical cultural forces, but don’t try telling that to guitar wizard Bill Frisell. Even before his pilgrimage to Music City to record the classic 1997 album Nashville, he’s long explored American roots music. Widely regarded as the most innovative and influential jazz guitarist to emerge in the 1980s, the restlessly creative Frisell has launched dozens of unique projects since, from his renowned 858 String Quartet to All We are Saying, his recent Savoy Jazz album exploring the music of John Lennon. But, Frisell always returns to the mysterious realm of the rural past...

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Jazz and country music have long been seen as antithetical cultural forces, but don’t try telling that to guitar wizard Bill Frisell. Even before his pilgrimage to Music City to record the classic 1997 album Nashville, he’s long explored American roots music. Widely regarded as the most innovative and influential jazz guitarist to emerge in the 1980s, the restlessly creative Frisell has launched dozens of unique projects since, from his renowned 858 String Quartet to All We are Saying, his recent Savoy Jazz album exploring the music of John Lennon. But, Frisell always returns to the mysterious realm of the rural past. His latest project, The Great Flood, is a multimedia investigation into the 1927 Mississippi River flood, an epic disaster that killed over 200 people across seven states. With big-screen film and staging by Bill Morrison, a celebrated filmmaker whose works incorporate found images and forgotten archival sources, The Great Flood draws on rarely seen historical footage. Featuring Frisell regulars Ron Miles (cornet), Tony Scherr (bass) and Kenny Wollesen (drums), the piece examines how the flood transformed American society and culture, jump-starting the Great Migration that eventually led millions of African-Americans to depart from the South.

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