Bill Frisell

Say you're a famous jazz guitar player. Say you've got a unique, totally identifiable personal sound. Say you've played for years in one of the most respected contemporary jazz groups. What would set you free? How about playing music so ingrained in everyone's consciousness that a single line of melody would set people humming, their feet tapping. Guitarist Bill Frisell used a request to play some John Lennon music at an event in Paris to begin exploring the iconic musician's songbook. The result is this tribute: heartfelt, endearing interpretations of some of Lennon's most notable compositions. Frisell's nuanced touch and phrasing make melodies like "Imagine" and "In My Life" sing. And his lines are matched, echoed and harmonized with emotion by steel guitarist Greg Leisz and violinist Jenny Scheinman. Tunes like "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," "Come Together" and "Give Peace a Chance" are among 16 works given loving, resonant treatment by musicians for whom Lennon's music was mother's milk to their artist growth and maturation. Recommended.