Released by Elektra Nonesuch in April 1997, Nashville was guitarist Bill Frisell's first album recorded in the city, cut at Sound Emporium in two sessions (September 1995 and October—November 1996) and produced by Wayne Horvitz. Frisell assembled a roots ensemble around himself: bassist Viktor Krauss, Jerry Douglas on dobro, Adam Steffey on mandolin, Ron Block on banjo and acoustic guitar, with Robin Holcomb adding vocals on three tracks and Pat Bergeson on harmonica. The record sits in Frisell's discography between Quartet (1996) and Gone, Just Like a Train (1998), marking a deliberate turn toward American roots material that he would continue to explore.
Reception was strong: AllMusic's Jason Ankeny gave it 4½ stars, calling its sound "both genuine and alien" and describing the album as a cinematic variation on country and western forms. While built largely from a progressive-bluegrass and folk-jazz instrumentation, the record reflects Frisell's avant-garde sensibility more than any bluegrass tradition, and it is generally filed as jazz or Americana rather than bluegrass proper.
Tracklist
- 1 Gimme a Holler Source Recording 5:05
- 2 Go Jake 4:27
- 3 One of These Days 4:52
- 4 Mr. Memory 3:59
- 5 Brother 6:03
- 6 Will Jesus Wash the Bloodstains from Your Hands 3:09
- 7 Keep Your Eyes Open 3:30
- 8 Pipe Down 6:50
- 9 Family 5:22
- 10 We're Not from Around Here 4:27
- 11 Dogwood Acres 5:29
- 12 Shucks 4:15
- 13 The End of the World 3:33
- 14 Gone 2:00
