*** Bill Frisell

GONE, JUST LIKE A TRAIN

(Nonesuch)

Reminiscent of the guitarist's remarkable trio work with Ginger Baker and Charlie Haden, the 15-track Gone, Just like a Train glides along on almost-telepathic interaction. That helps the CD maintain its rhythmic groove and melodic focus despite playing hopscotch with styles -- from crowing Chicago blues to lazy lullabies, from post-fusion jugband jazz to claustrophobic ambient tensions. Sinewy rock vet Jim Keltner (Lennon, Dylan, Clapton) and Alison's bassist brother Viktor Krauss (Lyle Lovett) support the push-pull dynamic of Frisell's watery C&E (country-and-Eastern) clusters, as all three players explore unpredictable textural combinations. The nimble Krauss, who pumped the low end on Frisell's 1997 CD Nashville, maneuvers his upright bass as if it were an electric. His pouncing riff on "Lookout for Hope" sparks Frisell's shimmering, out-from-the-clouds volleys against Keltner's crunching swing before easing the eerie 10-minute epic back into the haze. The rest of Gone boasts similar charms, the trio weaving a balance of eloquence and grit that few can match.

-- Tristram Lozaw