When You Wish Upon a Star (album)

When You Wish Upon a Star
Studio album by
Bill Frisell
ReleasedJanuary 29, 2016
Recorded2015
StudioFlora Recording & Playback, Portland, OR
GenreJazz
Length64:25
LabelOKeh
ProducerLee Townsend
Bill Frisell chronology
Guitar in the Space Age!
(2014) 		When You Wish Upon a Star
(2016) 		Small Town
(2017)

When You Wish Upon a Star is an album of motion picture themes by Bill Frisell which was released on the OKeh label in 2016.[1][2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
PopMatters[3]
All About Jazz[4]
The Independent[5]
Tom HullB[6]

In his review for PopMatters, John Paul wrote, "Frisell explores the world of television and film themes on his latest, When You Wish Upon a Star. With each, Frisell takes the most recognizable elements of each, building around this central theme and then subjecting each to a funhouse mirror approach that extends and distorts melodies and motifs to create an often gloriously mutated, albeit gentle, impression of the familiar".[3] On All About Jazz, John Kelman said "With When You Wish Upon a Star, Frisell can add a collection of film and television music to his body of work; an album that, in its own inherent diversity and performed by a stellar group that features, for the first time, a vocalist in his lineup, ranks not only as one of the guitarist's best albums in recent years, but one of his best recordings ever".[4] Andy Gill of The Independent wrote, "Frisell is meticulous throughout, never playing more than necessary, and slanting the arrangements to bring out the themes' essential characters."[5]

Track listing

  1. "To Kill a Mockingbird Part 1" (Elmer Bernstein) – 3:10
  2. "To Kill a Mockingbird Part 2" (Bernstein) – 4:52
  3. "You Only Live Twice" (John Barry, Leslie Bricusse) – 5:10
  4. "Psycho Part 1" (Bernard Herrmann) – 1:58
  5. "Psycho Part 2" (Herrmann) – 2:07
  6. "The Shadow of Your Smile" (Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster) – 5:10
  7. "Bonanza" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston) – 1:35
  8. "Once Upon a Time in the West (Theme)" (Ennio Morricone) – 4:09
  9. "As a Judgement" (Morricone) – 4:30
  10. "Farewell to Cheyenne" (Morricone) – 4:35
  11. "When You Wish Upon a Star" (Leigh Harline, Ned Washington) – 3:08
  12. "Tales From the Far Side" (Bill Frisell) – 4:59
  13. "Moon River" (Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer) – 3:46
  14. "The Godfather" (Nino Rota) – 9:32
  15. "The Bad and the Beautiful" (David Raksin) – 2:56
  16. "Happy Trails" (Dale Evans) – 1:49

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Bill Frisell website, accessed October 30, 2017
  2. ^ Okeh Records website, accessed October 30, 2017
  3. ^ a b PopMatters Review, accessed October 30, 2017
  4. ^ a b All About Jazz Review, accessed October 30, 2017
  5. ^ a b The Independent Review, February 12, 2016
  6. ^ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Bill Frisell". Tom Hull. Retrieved July 27, 2020.



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