Bill Frisell: Richter 858

Copy at Case Memorial Library
Ben Ratliff wrote in the New York Times: "Bill Frisell wrote some string quartet music for a CD to accompany a book of Gerhard Richter paintings in 2002. The paintings were all called '858,' so Mr. Frisell used the same title for his eight pieces and for the band itself. These works — played by Mr. Frisell on electric guitar, Jenny Scheinman on violin, Eyvind Kang on viola and Hank Roberts on cello — weren’t tunes so much as gestures: slow or frenetic, based on short figures. Looking at the wide, heavy paint-slicks on the canvases and thinking of music, he tried for something more sublime, dense and basically classical than what he’s associated with. The group outlived the project. Mr. Frisell has cultivated it onstage a bit since then, and the 858 Quartet has grown out of its original purpose into something else. At the Village Vanguard on Tuesday, the band played a wickedly beautiful first set of the week. … After a beginning of long, slow chords, with Mr. Frisell electronically setting up guitar loops — it sounded like a small slice from the Richter project — some blues harmony emerged. …" ("Painting Outside …," 4/17/08).