Good Dog, Happy Man Explained

Good Dog, Happy Man
Type:Album
Artist:Bill Frisell
Cover:frisell-good-dog-happy-man.jpg
Released:1999
Studio:O'Henry Sound (Burbank, California)
Genre:Folk jazz, new acoustic, Americana
Length:61:51
Label:Elektra Nonesuch
Producer:Lee Townsend
Prev Title:Gone, Just Like a Train
Prev Year:1998
Next Title:The Sweetest Punch
Next Year:1999

Good Dog, Happy Man is the 11th album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label. It was released in 1999 and features performances by Frisell, steel guitarist Greg Leisz, keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, bassist Viktor Krauss and drummer Jim Keltner with a guest appearance by Ry Cooder on slide guitar.[1]

Reception

JazzTimes called the album "the latest, logical extension in the saga of Frisell’s maturing voice." and summarized; "Triads galore, sweet tunes, organic funkiness, and a general laconic grace keep the music rooted, while also searching. What else could we ask for? Good Dog, Happy Man is a recording full of gentle things, bolstered by innate smarts and rugged musicality.[2] The Allmusic review by Richard S. Ginell awarded the album 4 stars, stating, "Again, Frisell often captures a loose, evolutionary jamming quality in these sessions, playing the country accents off of his jazz sensibilities. Unlike its predecessor, though, you can't imagine this being recorded on a backwoods front porch, for there are some production tricks and distant-sounding electronic loops that give away its Burbank studio origins. Purists on either side of the jazz/country divide are hereby warned to back off so that the rest of us can enjoy this".[3]

Track listing

All compositions by Bill Frisell except as indicated.

  1. "Rain, Rain" – 2:45
  2. "Roscoe" – 3:43
  3. "Big Shoe" – 3:49
  4. "My Buffalo Girl" – 8:50
  5. "Shenandoah" – for Johnny Smith (Traditional) – 6:09
  6. "Cadillac 1959" – 6:16
  7. "The Pioneers" – 5:16
  8. "Cold, Cold Ground" – 9:01
  9. "That Was Then" – 5:29
  10. "Monroe" – 4:19
  11. "Good Dog, Happy Man" – 2:33
  12. "Poem For Eva" – 3:41

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/good-dog-happy-man Nonesuch Records album info
  2. Woodard, Josef JazzTimes accessed October 6, 2019
  3. Ginell, R. Allmusic Review accessed June 20, 2011