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 In a career spanning more than 25 years and over 150 recordings - including over 25 albums of his own - guitarist, composer, and bandleader Bill Frisell has established himself as a visionary presence in American music. He has collaborated with a wide range of artists, filmmakers and legendary musicians. But it is his work as a leader that has garnered increasing attention and accolades.
The New York Times described Frisell’s music this way: “It’s hard to find a more fruitful meditation on American music than in the compositions of guitarist Bill Frisell. Mixing rock and country with jazz and blues, he’s found what connects them: improvisation and a sense of play. Unlike other pastichists, who tend to duck passion, Mr. Frisell plays up the pleasure in the music and also takes on another often-avoided subject, tenderness.”...more on Biography >> • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Bill Frisell Honored As Guitarist Of The Year At 2008 Jazz Awards On June 18, Bill Frisell was honored as Guitarist of the Year at the 2008 Jazz Awards. The Jazz Journalists Association’s 12th annual Jazz Awards ceremony took place in New York to celebrate and recognize the best in jazz and jazz journalism. Frisell beat out fellow guitarists Pat Metheny, Russell Malone and Lionel Loueke for the award – winners are based on votes cast by members of the Jazz Journalists Association. Catch Bill Frisell touring throughout the U.S. this year in support of his latest acclaimed release, History, Mystery...see tour dates >> • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Grammy Award-winning guitarist, composer and bandleader Bill Frisell’s new album History, Mystery will be released by Nonesuch on May 13, 2008. This two-disc set finds Frisell performing with a large band recorded in various combinations and contexts, live and in the studio. The CD features an octet of strings, horns, and rhythm section including some of Frisell’s closest collaborators - Jenny Scheinman (violin), Eyvind Kang (viola), Hank Roberts (cello), Ron Miles (cornet), Greg Tardy (clarinet and tenor saxophone), Tony Scherr (bass), and Kenny Wollesen (drums). History, Mystery debuts many recent Frisell compositions as well as a few of his arrangements of favorite pieces by other songwriters, ranging in style from soul pioneer Sam Cooke, to jazzmen Thelonious Monk and Lee Konitz. Bill Frisell was named Best Guitarist for the fourth year in a row (and seventh in 10 years) in the latest Downbeat Critics Poll and is also a three time Downbeat Readers Poll winner for Best Guitarist. Catch Bill Frisell on tour throughout 2008 in various band formats...see tour dates >> Raves for Bill Frisell's latest CD "History, Mystery"... "Some artists, as they grow older, have a tendency to retreat into a safety zone that displays their skill but doesn't expand their repertoire or provide impetus for keeping up. Not so guitarist Bill Frisell ... [H]e's been refining and expanding his palette with every release.... The whole album stands as yet another testament to the man's place at the very epicenter of modern American music. Yes, he's done it again." - Chris Jones, BBC The Guardian (London), in a four-star review of History, Mystery, says the album is "studded with gems," featuring a line-up of musicians that reviewer John L. Waters calls "a kind of roots-jazz-classical chamber hybrid, though with none of the hang-ups that might imply." Waters sees "a genuine thoughtfulness" from Bill, who, he writes, "has the surest touch as a musician." It is an attribute "that is true for his playing, where he can invest a single note with meaning, and it's true in the way he organizes his music and musicians." The Independent (London) calls History, Mystery the Jazz Album of the Week, with the paper's Tim Cumming calling it "extraordinarily eclectic" delivered in "an all but seamless suite that's full of musical contrasts, rich textures, lengthening shadows, and unexpected turns." Cumming says "it's consistently engaging" with a closing guitar solo that's "just wonderful." His colleague Nick Coleman adds that on this collection, listeners will find the "Frisell who makes great soundtrack music; the one who rejoices in sieving the Hot Club de Paris out of Thelonious Monk." • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • |
Bill Frisell's New CD "History, Mystery" In Stores May 13