The Sweetest Punch
Encyclopedia
The Sweetest Punch is a 1999 album by Elvis Costello
and Bill Frisell
, released as a companion album to 1998's Painted from Memory
. Many of the earlier album's songs are featured with new arrangements by Frisell, and mostly in instrumental versions.
Vocals for three of the tracks are also featured, with Costello on "Toledo", Cassandra Wilson
on "Painted From Memory", and Costello and Wilson in a duet on "I Still Have That Other Girl".
and Burt Bacharach
, except "Vamp Dolce".
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
and Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
, released as a companion album to 1998's Painted from Memory
Painted from Memory
Painted from Memory is a collaboration between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach. It was released September 29, 1998 on Mercury Records, a division of Universal Music Group....
. Many of the earlier album's songs are featured with new arrangements by Frisell, and mostly in instrumental versions.
Vocals for three of the tracks are also featured, with Costello on "Toledo", Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson
Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. Described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating country, blues and folk music into her...
on "Painted From Memory", and Costello and Wilson in a duet on "I Still Have That Other Girl".
Track listing
All songs written by Elvis CostelloElvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
and Burt Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
, except "Vamp Dolce".
- "The Sweetest Punch" - 4:44
- "Toledo" - 5:25
- "Such Unlikely Lovers" - 5:43
- "This House Is Empty Now" - 5:03
- "Painted from Memory" - 4:10
- "What's Her Name Today?" - 4:58
- "In the Darkest Place" - 5:55
- "Vamp Dolce" - 3:25
- "My Thief" - 4:31
- "I Still Have That Other Girl" - 2:22
- "Painted from Memory (Reprise)" - 3:36
- "Long Division" - 3:59
- "Tears at the Birthday Party" - 3:44
- "I Still Have That Other Girl (Reprise)" - 1:52
- "God Give Me Strength" - 4:42
Personnel
- Bill FrisellBill FrisellWilliam Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
— electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound... - Brian BladeBrian BladeBrian Blade in Shreveport, Louisiana is an American jazz drummer, composer, session musician, and singer-songwriter.-Early years:...
— drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, percussion - Don ByronDon ByronDon Byron is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. He primarily plays clarinet, but has also used bass clarinet and saxophones....
— clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, bass clarinetBass clarinetThe bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet... - Billy Drewes — alto saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Curtis FowlkesCurtis FowlkesCurtis Fowlkes is an American jazz trombonist. In 1987 he founded, together with saxophonist Roy Nathanson, The Jazz Passengers, an eclectic group dedicated to putting entertainment and humor back into jazz. The two had met performing in John Lurie's The Lounge Lizards, a group that shares a...
— tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate... - Viktor KraussViktor KraussViktor Karl Krauss is a bassist.He has worked with Peter Rowan and Lyle Lovett, among other musicians.He is the brother of bluegrass musician Alison Krauss. He has played on some of his sister's albums, together with those of her dobro player, Jerry Douglas.-External links:*...
— bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles... - Ron Miles — trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
Charts
Album| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Top Jazz Albums |
5 |
| 2000 | Billboard Top Jazz Albums | 23 |