Guitarist, composer, and improviser Bill Orcutt uses only four strings of the guitar to shape his lyrical, stabby, and pattern-leaning compositions. He talks about technique, tunings, and musical systems in this interview recorded from the 2023 Big Ears Festival. Orcutt is an inveterate collaborator, known best for his remarkable duo with drummer Chris Corsano, but also working with musicians like cellist Okkyung Lee and fellow guitarists Michael Morley and Bill Nace. His Music for Four Guitars, was conceived as a work for other musicians, although he recorded all the parts himself. When it came time to put together the live quartet, the music was transcribed by Shane Parish, and Orcutt organized the ensemble forces of versatile guitarists Wendy Eisenberg, Ava Mendoza, and Parish – who performed at Big Ears, and are currently touring, (Big Ears Festival.) Listen to some of Bill Orcutt's jumpy stabbing phrases as he skips strings and the way he manipulates repetition and slow-moving shifts in a minimalist fashion from his electric recording, Music for Four Guitars, and some of his primal blues-leaning music from his acoustic record, Jump On It for this New Sounds. Also, Orcutt cites his use of hammer-ons and non-standard tunings, amongst other techniques, as he describes how he built the confidence to play solo, and express himself without a band. Plus, listen to “American Primitive” guitar hero John Fahey, Welsh guitar wizard Gwenifer Raymond, and crafty electric looping soundscapes by Robert Fripp, to round out the show. - Caryn Havlik Program #4749, With Bill Orcutt (First aired 5/9/23) ARTIST: Bill Orcutt QuartetWORK: Music for Four Guitars [1:04]RECORDING: Live at Big EarsSOURCE: John Schaefer's phoneINFO: https://bigearsfestival.org/event/bill-orcutt/ ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Only at dusk [2:50]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Two Things Close Together [2:31]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Seen from above [2:04]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Or from behind [2:00]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Or head on [1:53]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: What do you do with Memory [3:02]RECORDING: Jump On ItSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: https://billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/jump-on-it-2 ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Jump On It [3:00]RECORDING: Jump On ItSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: https://billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/jump-on-it-2 ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: A Natural Death [3:07]RECORDING: Jump On ItSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: https://billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/jump-on-it-2 ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Music That Fights Back [2:31]RECORDING: Jump On ItSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: https://billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/jump-on-it-2 ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: In The Rain [1:57]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars ARTIST: John FaheyWORK: The Assassination of Stephan [sic] Grossman [2:12]RECORDING: The Best of John Fahey 2 1964-1983SOURCE: Takoma /Fantasy 8916INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube ARTIST: Gwenifer RaymondWORK: Requiem for John Fahey 1 [3:04]RECORDING: You Were Never Much of a DancerSOURCE: Tompkins SquareINFO: gweniferraymond.bandcamp.com ARTIST: Robert Fripp & Brian EnoWORK: Evening Star [3:00]RECORDING: Evening StarSOURCE: Opal / DGM 0516 INFO: dgmlive.com OR enoshop.co.uk
Guitarist, composer, and improviser Bill Orcutt uses only four strings of the guitar to shape his lyrical, stabby, and pattern-leaning compositions. He talks about technique, tunings, and musical systems in this interview recorded from the 2023 Big Ears Festival.
Orcutt is an inveterate collaborator, known best for his remarkable duo with drummer Chris Corsano, but also working with musicians like cellist Okkyung Lee and fellow guitarists Michael Morley and Bill Nace. His Music for Four Guitars, was conceived as a work for other musicians, although he recorded all the parts himself. When it came time to put together the live quartet, the music was transcribed by Shane Parish, and Orcutt organized the ensemble forces of versatile guitarists Wendy Eisenberg, Ava Mendoza, and Parish – who performed at Big Ears, and are currently touring, (Big Ears Festival.)
Listen to some of Bill Orcutt's jumpy stabbing phrases as he skips strings and the way he manipulates repetition and slow-moving shifts in a minimalist fashion from his electric recording, Music for Four Guitars, and some of his primal blues-leaning music from his acoustic record, Jump On It for this New Sounds. Also, Orcutt cites his use of hammer-ons and non-standard tunings, amongst other techniques, as he describes how he built the confidence to play solo, and express himself without a band.
Plus, listen to “American Primitive” guitar hero John Fahey, Welsh guitar wizard Gwenifer Raymond, and crafty electric looping soundscapes by Robert Fripp, to round out the show. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4749, With Bill Orcutt (First aired 5/9/23)
ARTIST: Bill Orcutt QuartetWORK: Music for Four Guitars [1:04]RECORDING: Live at Big EarsSOURCE: John Schaefer's phoneINFO: https://bigearsfestival.org/event/bill-orcutt/
ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Only at dusk [2:50]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars
ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Two Things Close Together [2:31]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars
ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Seen from above [2:04]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars
ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Or from behind [2:00]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars
ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Or head on [1:53]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars
ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: What do you do with Memory [3:02]RECORDING: Jump On ItSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: https://billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/jump-on-it-2
ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Jump On It [3:00]RECORDING: Jump On ItSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: https://billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/jump-on-it-2
ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: A Natural Death [3:07]RECORDING: Jump On ItSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: https://billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/jump-on-it-2
ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: Music That Fights Back [2:31]RECORDING: Jump On ItSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: https://billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/jump-on-it-2
ARTIST: Bill Orcutt WORK: In The Rain [1:57]RECORDING: Music For Four GuitarsSOURCE: Palilalia RecordsINFO: billorcutt.bandcamp.com/album/music-for-four-guitars
ARTIST: John FaheyWORK: The Assassination of Stephan [sic] Grossman [2:12]RECORDING: The Best of John Fahey 2 1964-1983SOURCE: Takoma /Fantasy 8916INFO: Available at Amazon.com, AppleMusic, Spotify, YouTube
ARTIST: Gwenifer RaymondWORK: Requiem for John Fahey 1 [3:04]RECORDING: You Were Never Much of a DancerSOURCE: Tompkins SquareINFO: gweniferraymond.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Robert Fripp & Brian EnoWORK: Evening Star [3:00]RECORDING: Evening StarSOURCE: Opal / DGM 0516 INFO: dgmlive.com OR enoshop.co.uk