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Mid-Winter Inspiration

As February draws to a close I wanted to share a performance that I found truly unique and that brought some warmth to my winter.  Below is a video from NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert” featuring one of my favorite musicians: Bill Frisell.  I’ve been a big fan of his and this series for quite some time now.  What’s great about the series is that it brings the listener about as close to the artist as one could hope for via computer.  At the risk of sounding cliché: “You feel like you are there.” I could go on for pages about Bill Frisell but I don’t want to spoil it for those who might not have had the chance to hear him.

In this particular performance Mr. Frisell performs a few tunes by the Beatles on an electric guitar and it’s truly inspiring to witness him express his own take on these songs.  Having the opportunity to hear someone cover a song, can at times, offer a small window into what interests them—if you don’t like it, why would you want to cover it? It is also a chance to see an artist take an idea created by someone else and make it his or her own.  To quote Einstein: “If I’ve seen farther than others, it is because I was standing on the shoulders of giants.” It’s great to see Bill Frisell standing on the shoulders of, though I like to think that it’s actually beside, the Beatles sharing his own ideas about these songs.  I hope you enjoy them too!