Born in Baltimore (18 March, 1951), Bill Frisell played clarinet throughout his childhood in Denver, Colorado. His interest in guitar began with his exposure to pop music on the radio. Soon, the Chicago Blues became a passion through the work of Otis Rush, B.B. King, Paul Butterfield and Buddy Guy. In high school, he played in bands which covered pop and soul classics, James Brown songs and other dance material. Later, Bill studied music at the University of Northern Colorado before attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studied with John Damian, Herb Pomeroy and Michael Gibbs. In 1978, Frisell moved for a year to Belgium where he concentrated on writing music. In this period, he toured with Michael Gibbs and first recorded with German bassist Eberhard Weber. In 1979 Bill moved to the New York metropolitan area, where he lived until 1989, when he moved to Seattle, Washington.

"When I was 16, 17, I was listening to a lot of surfing music, a lot of English rock. Then I saw Wes Montgomery and somehow that kind of turned me around and fitted it all together. Jim Hall made a big impression on me and I took some lessons with him. I suppose I play the kind of harmonic things Jim Hall would play but with a sound that comes from Jimi Hendrix", Frisell told Wire. Besides Hendrix, Hall and Montgomery, Bill lists Paul Motian, Thelonious Monk, Charles Ives, Sonny Rollins, John Zorn, various kinds of World Music and his teacher, Dale Bruning, among his musical influences.

Bill has performed on dozens of recordings as a sideman, featured player or co-leader. He recorded his first three albums as sole leader on ECM. The first, In Line, subdued and lyrical in nature, employed both electric and acoustic guitars in a series of solos (including some overdubbing) and duets with bassist Arild Andersen. It was followed by Rambler, which featured Kenny Wheeler, Bob Stewart, Jerome Harris and Paul Motian. Fanfare reviewed it as follows: "Bill Frisell has built a little masterpiece here - not just a showcase for his own instrumental creativity (of which there is much in evidence), but a clever and poetic whole." People described Rambler as a "synthesis of sophistication and simplicity - what the best of 80's jazz is all about."

Frisell's third album, Lookout for Hope marked the recording debut of the Bill Frisell Band. The material was diverse - ranging from country swing to reggae, quasi-heavy metal and backbeat rock (with a twist) to Thelonious Monk's Hackensack. Nevertheless, the record possessed the cohesive and unmistakable personality of a working band on to a sound of its own. High Fidelity called it "the fullest showing of Frisell's ability to date, especially his compositional range." The Chicago Tribune said, "'Lookout for Hope' offers one of the most hopeful signs that contemporary jazz can evolve with dignity, wit and charm."

Before We Were Born, Frisell's 1989 debut recording for Elektra, featured him in three different musical settings: Peter Scherer and Arto Lindsay produced, co-arranged and performed on three Frisell compositons - "Before We Were Born", "The Lone Ranger" and "Steady, Girl". "Some Song and Dance" is a suite of four pieces performed by the Bill Frisell Band with a saxophone section featuring Julius Hemphill as soloist, produced by Lee Townsend. "Hard Plains Drifter or: before my eyes" is an extended work of Frisell's music shaped, produced and arranged by John Zorn, also performed by the Bill Frisell Band.

Bill's second Elektra album, Is That You?, features nine of Frisell's original compositions, one by producer Wayne Horvitz and two cover tunes - "Chain of Fools" and "Days of Wine and Roses". It is a highly personal record with Frisell playing guitars, bass, banjo, ukulele and even clarinet. Is That You? demonstrates with great clarity the celebrated guitarist/composer's pan-stylistic, yet strangely unified musical vision. He is joined throughout by band member Joey Baron on drums as well as Horvitz on keyboards.

Frisell's third album for Elektra, Where in the World?, was the band's final recording with cellist Roberts. Also produced by Horvitz, the album was described as follows: "There is nothing standard about 'Where in the World?'... Frisell is not only a master of an unusual guitar-based sonic tapestry, he's one of the few composers capable of writing for an interactive ensemble.".

Have a Little Faith, Frisell's 1992 Elektra recording, was something of a tribute album. Here, he interpreted the music of a number of American composers whose music had inspired him - Aaron Copland, Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, John Hiatt, Sonny Rollins, Stephen Foster, Charles Ives, Victor Young, Madonna and John Philip Sousa. The extent to which Bill has made this music his own demonstrates the completeness of its link to his own compositional approach. For this recording Frisell's Band was augmented by Don Byron (clarinet, bass clarinet) and Guy Klusevsek (accordion). The San Francisco Bay Guardian said, "Frisell treats each piece with typical earnestness and lyricism, breaking into wrenching distortion and stormy group improv only after breathing the original full of a softly glowing life." 

This Land, Frisell's fifth Elektra Nonesuch recording, consists of all original material with the band and a horn section of Don Byron (clarinets), Billy Drewes (alto saxophone) and Curtis Fowlkes (trombone). The album readily displays the connection between Frisell's own writing and the composers' work to whom he pays tribute on his previous Have a Little Faith. From the standpoint of synthesizing his celebrated composing and arranging talents with exuberant improvising and spirited band interaction, it is a landmark recording, which prompted the following response from Rolling Stone: "Strange meetings of the mysterious and the earthy, the melancholy and the giddy, make perfect sense by Frisell's deliciously warped way of thinking. The warpage is catching on and not a moment too soon."

In 1994, Frisell recorded a pair of recordings of music that he composed for three silent Buster Keaton films - The High Sign, One Week and Go West. The band premiered this music along with the films to a spirited and sold-out audience at St. Ann's in Brooklyn in May '93. The pairing displayed a natural affinity between work of both artists. Their works together possess an undeniable sense of adventure and penchant for the unexpected that only enhances the warmth and humanity of both the musical elements and the films themselves. It has proven to be the rare case where the whole truly transcends the sum of its parts. Of the "Go West" recording , Billboard noted: "With this set of music for the classic Buster Keaton film, 'Go West', Bill Frisell has crafted one of his finest, most evocative albums. Evincing his best qualities as both guitarist and composer, he harvests melancholy Americana from deceptively modest, episodic themes. Coloring the scenes with acoustic as well as his trademark electric, Frisell produces strangely cinematic motifs on guitar, and his rhythm cohorts - longtime bassist Kermit Driscoll and drummer Joey Baron - provide abundant narrative drive."

Frisell's success with the Keaton films has led him to other film-related projects. He scored the music for Gary Larson's "Tales From the Far Side" animated television special and Danile Luchetti's Italian feature film, "La Scuola." Some of the music from these projects has been recorded by Frisell and can be heard on Quartet, Frisell's Nonesuch recording released in April '96. 

The formation of the Quartet, with Ron Miles (trumpet), Eyvind Kang (violin) and Curtis Fowlkes (trombone), is a new working band for Frisell, who had been backed up by the telepathic rhythm combination of Kermit Driscoll and Joey Baron for nearly ten years. Frisell told Down Beat: "It's so different from the traditional guitar-bass-drum thing, even though Joey Baron, Kermit Driscoll and I never played like a typical jazz trio. This group, with violin and brass, can play an orchestral range of sounds. It's gigantic. It's given me a chance to write and arrange in an even bigger way. I do have a lot less freedom for what I can play because there's a lot more to negotiate with four people than three. But it's also put right in my face certain musical challenges, such as the time factor. You know, making sure a tune doesn't slow down or speed up. That's the reason I got all these guys. They all have a great sense of rhythm."

Quartet, was quickly hailed by critics. The New York Times declared: "'Quartet' may be his masterpiece." The new format also drew praise from Billboard: "'Quartet' makes the most out of a variety of feelings. The composer has equal acumen in waxing forlorn and waxing frivolous," adding that "Frisell's instrument is one of contemporary jazz's utterly singular voices."

In the midst of touring with his working Quartet, Nonesuch released Nashville in April of 1997. Recorded in Nashville with members of country bluegrass singer Allison Krauss' Union Station band, mandolin player Adam Steffey and banjo player Ron Block the project also features her brother and Lyle Lovett's bass player Viktor Krauss, dobro great Jerry Douglas, vocalist Robin Holcomb and harmonica player Pat Bergeson. "Comprising acoustic instrumental folk tunes with unpredictable stylistic accents, Nashville boasts a dreamy, seductive grandeur. The backing mandolin/dobro/bass interplay simmers…Frisell himself picks and strings and most of all floats, laying out liquid tones that settle over the melodies like heat haze on a swampy, swimmerless lake." swooned Glen Hirshberg of the LA Weekly. - Steve Davis of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution summed it up simply as, "Frisell's nod to Nashville is Americana at its best."

In January of 1998 Frisell's next project Gone, Just Like A Train came out. On this exceptionally melodic and rhythmic instrumental collection of original compositions, Frisell is joined by Viktor Krauss and by Jim Keltner, all star drummer of choice for Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, T-Bone Burnett, George Harrison, John Lennon and The Traveling Wilburys. Andrew Bartlett of The Rocket in Seattle wrote, "Frisell has managed to pull together an ad hoc super trio of musicians from drastically different pasts, and they manage to assemble a machine of colossal proportions: part skewered jazz, part roadside folk blues, part gritty rock... 'Gone' presents Frisell at a creative apex. He's integrated a thoroughly unique understanding of so much American Music... And it's all gift-wrapped in a lean, unimposing trio framework that conveys sheer genius in a million directions... It flies with shining power."

Other recent collaborations include a November `96 week long tour of England with Marty Ehrlich and the Creative Jazz Orchestra performing the music of Julius Hemphill. Frisell and Joey Baron performed Stephen Mackey's "Deal", a concerto for guitar and drums, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, New York's American Composer's Orchestra and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. 1995 saw Frisell and Elvis Costello on stage together at the Meltdown Festival in London. A recording of the concert is available in Europe only, as a special edition CD, jointly released by Warner Brothers and Nonesuch. Frisell also recently composed for Gary Larson's second animated film project to be aired in 1998.
updated March 1998

BILL FRISELL & THE WILLIES
with Danny Barnes, Eyvind Kang, Chris Leighton and Keith Lowe

Guitarist Bill Frisell plunges deeper into developing his unique compositional and improvisational style with this brand new group featuring Danny Barnes, Eyvind Kang and Keith Lowe. The instrumentation of guitar, banjo, violin and bass, together with the diverse backgrounds of these musicians make for a fertile setting in which to explore his latest compositions, new interpretations of the music found on Bill's two recent CDs Gone Just Like A Train and Nashville, and traditional bluegrass favorites.

The New York Times wrote: "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." Over the years, Frisell has contributed to the work of such collaborators as Paul Motian, John Zorn, Elvis Costello, Ginger Baker, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Marianne Faithful, John Scofield, Wayne Horvitz, Hal Wilner, Robin Holcomb, The Frankfurt Ballet, and numerous others. This work has established Frisell as one of the most sought-after guitar voices in contemporary music. The breadth of such performing and recording situations is a testament not only to his singular guitar conception, but his musical versatility as well. In recent years, it is Frisell's role as composer and band leader which has garnered him increasing notoriety.

Banjo player Danny Barnes grew up in Central Texas spending his youth playing bluegrass and Texas fiddle tunes with old guys in his neighborhood. In 1980 he graduated from the University of Texas getting his degree in audio engineering. Following that he lived in and around Austin playing with Ronnie Lane's Slim Chance (Ronnie was in The Faces with Ron Wood and Rod Stewart), Antones'/Discovery artist Steve James, Alejandro Escovedo's Orchestra, J.D. Foster (from Dwight Yoakam's band), and Rich Bortherton (from Robert Earl Keen's band) and he lead a regional band called the Barnburners. Currently Danny is the songwriter, singer, banjo player, record producer and recording engineer for Bad Livers who record for Sugar Hill. The Livers have played 1710 shows across the U.S., Canada and Europe and put out three CDs. On one particular weekend they opened for the Butthole Surfers on Friday and the Dillards on Saturday. Danny also composed and performed the score for the 20th Century Fox film, "Newton Boys", and engineered a Grammy nominated CD by Santiago Jiminez, the San Antonio Tex-Mex legend.

Violinist Eyvind Kang grew up in Canada and started playing the violin at the age of six. He began with classical studies under Dr. Howard Leighton Brown and was composing by the age of seven. In 1992, Kang moved to Seattle, where he met and studied with Michael White, who emphasized the "multi-dimensional" nature of the instrument. Kang's current release as a leader, Theater of mineral NADES came out in 1998 on John Zorn's Tzadik label. His previous two releases were 7 NADES, a 23-part recording and live performance project also on Tzadik (1996) and Dying Ground featuring Kato Hideki and Calvin Weston which was released on Avant in 1997. Eyvind has great interest in dance and theater which has led to work with the New City Dance Theatre, the Pat Graney Dance Company and Stephanie Skura and Cranky Destroyers. He recorded and toured for two years with The Bill Frisell Quartet and has worked with John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz, Julian Priester, members of Mr. Bungle, The Sun City Girls and, currently, the Secret Chiefs. Eyvind spent much of the last year touring internationally and began studies with violinist N.Rajam in Bombay with whom he plans to continue studying in the future.

Drummer Chris Leighton has been active in the Nortwest music community for thirty years as a drummer, percussionist, producer, and instructor. He has played with a long list of regional legends as well as national artists such as Randy Bachman, Ann & Nancy Wilson, Diane Schuur, Herb Ellis, Floyd Standifer, Lightin' Hopkins, Long John Baldry, Ben E.King, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and Linda Tillery. Hi is presently a member of Laura Love's touring and recording band, with whom he has recorded two critically acclaimed releases on Mercury: Shum Ticky (1998) and Octoroon (1997). Chris is well known for his unusual approach - incoporating a steel drum and 20-gallon barrel into his drum kit - and his ever present groove. He received the Washington Blues Society's "Best Drums" Award in 1991 and 1998 and is presently a nominee for the 1999 award.

Bass player Keith Lowe is a classically trained Seattle native. Recently he, Frisell and drummer Chris Leighton performed and sold out audience in his hometown. Besides newly working with Frisell he has toured with Fiona Apple for the last two years and performed with Wayne Horvitz' Zony Mash as well as playing country music with a Buck Owen Tribute Band and the Big Pipe Boys. He also worked for 13 years with blues singer Duffy Bishop.

Biographies courtesy of Songlines/Tonefield Productions, Berkeley CA (USA).

BILL FRISELL's DISCOGRAPHY

As leader:
Gone, Just Like a Train - Nonesuch
Nashville - Nonesuch
Quartet - Nonesuch
Bill Frisell/Kermitt Driscoll/Joey Baron Live - Gramavision
Music for the Films of Buster Keaton - "Go West" - Elektra/Nonesuch
Music for the Films of Buster Keaton - "The High Sing" and "One Week" - Elektra/Nonesuch
This Land - Elektra/Nonesuch
Have a Little Faith - Elektra/Nonesuch
Where in the World? - Elektra/Nonesuch
Is That You? - Elektra/Nonesuch
Before We Were Born - Elektra/Nonesuch
Lookout For Hope - ECM
Rambler - ECM
In Line - ECM

As co-leader:
Songs We Know (w/ Fred Hersch) - due out in Sept. 98 Nonesuch
Deep Dead Blue (w/ Elvis Costello) - Warner/Nonesuch
American Blood Safety in Numbers (w/ Victor Godsey, Brian Alves) - VeraBra
Strange Meeting (w/ Power Tools) - Antilles
News For Lulu Again (w/ John Zorn, George Lewis) - HatART
News For Lulu (w/ Zorn, Lewis) - HatART
Smash & Scatteration (w/Vernon Reid) - Minor Music/Ryko
Theoretically (w/ Tim Berne) - Minor Music/Empire

With Paul Motian:
Trioism - JMT
Motian in Tokyo - JMT
Bill Evans - JMT
Paul Motian on Braodway - Vols. 1,2, & 3 - JMT
Monk In Motian - JMT
Misterioso - Soul Note
It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago - ECM
Jack of Clubs - Soul Note
The Story of Maryam - Soul Note
Psalm - ECM

With John Zorn:
Naked City: Grand Guignol - DIW/Avant
Filmworks - Elektra/Musician
Naked City - Elektra/Musician
Spillane - Elektra/Nonesuch
Cobra - HatART
The Big Gundown - Elektra/Nonesuch

With Robin Holcomb:
Rockabye - Elektra/Musician
Robin Holcomb - Elektra/Nonesuch
Todos Santos - Sound Aspects

With Don Byron:
Music for Six Musicians - Elektra/Nonesuch
Tuskegee Experiments - Elektra/Nonesuch

With Wayne Horvitz/The President:
Miracle Mile - Elektra/Nonesuch
The President - Dossier

With Marc Johnson’s Bass Desires:
Second Sight - ECM
Bass Desires - ECM

With Paul Bley:
The Paul Bley Quartet - ECM
Fragments - ECM

With Jan Garbarek:
Wayfarer - ECM
Paths, Prints - ECM

With Lyle Mays:
Street Dreams - Geffen
Lyle Mays - Geffen

With Billy Hart:
Rah - Gramavision
Oshumare - Gramavision

With Bob Moses:
The Story of Moses - Gramavision
Visit with the Great Spirit - Gramavision
When Elephants Dream of Music - Gramavision

With Eberhard Weber:
Later that Evening - ECM
Fluid Rustle - ECM

With Ginger Baker & Charlie Haden:
Going Back Home - Atlantic
Falling Off the Roof - Atlantic

With others:
Michael White: Motion Pictures - Intuition
Joey Baron: Down Home - Intuition
Kenny Wheeler: Angel's Song - ECM
Gabriela: Détras del Sol - Intuition
William S.Burroughs: Naked Lunch - Warner Audio Video Entertainment
Joe Lovano Wind Ensemble: Worlds - Evidence
Jerry Granelli: A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing - Evidence
John Scofield: Grace Under Pressure - Blue Note
Rinde Eckert: Finding My Way Home - DIW
Gary Peacock: Just So Happens - Postcards
David Sanborn: Another Hand - Elektra/Musician
various: The Weird Nightmare - a tribute to Charles Mingus - CBS/Sony
various: Stay Awake - various interpretations of the music of vintage Disney films - A&M
various: Amarcord Nino Rota - Hannibal
Arild Anderson: A Molde Concert - ECM
Gavin Bryars: After the Requiem - ECM
Marianne Faithful: Strange Weather - Island
Allen Ginsberg: The Lion for Real - Great Jones/Island
Julius Hemphill: J.H. Big Band - Elektra/Musician
Michael Shrieve: Fascination - CMP
Caetano Veloso: Estrangeiro - Elektra/Musician

Visit www.geocities.com/bryaaker for a more detailed discography.