Inside Voice / Outside Voice

...something new, something different...tonal washes of unforgettable warmth and density. This is outstandingly good music. Do not hesitate.
Gregory Applegate Edwards

From classical music, a certain rigor in training and form, and respect for precedent; from jazz, spontaneity, invention and risk-taking; and from folk music, a resonance that rests in the bones and psyche and passes easily from one soul to another. Bassist Michael Bisio and guitarist/vocalist Timothy Hill have both lived in these lands. For these two, musical communication is not a matter of styles or genres, but of unique perspectives. This recording - made one afternoon in New York's Hudson Valley in one continuous, unedited take - was born out of affection for music and the magic that it makes, and for the musicians who have walked the not-always-easy path of dedication to their art. Included are three ballads from the Great American Songbook, and three standards by giants of improvised music: John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and bassist Henry Grimes.

"(Timothy Hill is) a virtuoso of the Tibetan chanting technique..." Robert Palmer, New York Times

"The physicality of Mr. Bisio's bass playing puts him in touch with numerous predecessors in the avant-garde but his expressive touch is distinctive..." Nate Chinen, New York Times

Production Info:

Produced by Michael Bisio and Timothy Hill
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Dave Cook
at Area 52 Studios, Saugerties, NY
Recording date: March 31, 2022
Cover image: Tim Wilson / personamedia
still from Fez Festival of World Sacred Music / Vision TV (Canada)
Cover design & layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Inside Voice / Outside Voice

Applegate Blog (Grego Applegate Edwards)
As we play out our lives in real time we trace the unfolding trajectory of the musical artists we gladly follow, so that each new album for example is not set in stone but plays upon the possibilities made available to the musical artist at any given point. In the case of bassist-bandleader Michael Bisio the new one is rather unexpected and in no w ...

WTJU (Russell Perry)
Bassist Michael Bisio (Matthew Shipp, Kirk Knuffke, Whit Dickey) and guitarist / singer Timothy Hill have released a very idiosyncratic disc with equal parts ballads from the Great American Songbook (For All We Know, I Fall in Love To Easily), classics of the edges of modern jazz (Coltrane's Wise One, Ornette's Law Years, Henry Grimes's For Django) ...

Jazz Views (UK) (Ed Sapiega)
This is a very intriguing album. The two artists blend elements of classical, jazz, and folk music. Bisio is a melodic and immensely talented bassist. Listing Hill as "voice" is too simplistic. He sings and chants as a lead and as an accompaniment. The Tibetan chanting, referred to as throat singing, coupled with a jazz bass gives this album an ...

Jazz Weekly (George W Harris)
Michael Bisio's bass joins with Timothy Hill's guitar and voice on a surprisingly wide range of moods and colors for two to share. The gents create a musical gallery of sorts, with minimalism on "Bridge" featuring Bisio's lonely and lovely bass, while John Coltrane's "Wise One" has Hill's voice sounding like a Tibetan Monk chant. Instrumentally, th ...

Something Else! ( S. Victor Aaron )
Bassist Michael Bisio and acoustic guitarist/vocalist Timothy Hill recently got together to make a delightful, instinctive record that neither could have made with anyone else. Recorded as a single continuous take without any edits, Inside Voice / Outside Voice (Origin Records) is a communion between two seasoned souls who have each led long, va ...

The Absolute Sound (Derk Richardson)
Covering standards can be risky business, especially when someone has previously put an indelible stamp on a tune, the way Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane did on "My One and Only Love" and Chet Baker on "I Fall in Love Too Easily." But on this cleverly titled recording with Michael Bisio, singer/guitarist Timothy Hill takes possession of those ...

Chronogram (Peter Aaron)
The title of this heart-stopping collaboration by Gloversville bassist Michael Bisio (Matthew Shipp Trio) and Beacon vocalist and acoustic guitarist Timothy Hill is rich in layered meaning. Recorded in one continuous take—with no edits or pauses—this sublime set takes its sweet, soft time meandering through jazz standards (Coleman's "Law Years, ...