There are only a handful of guitarists who can be said to have significantly changed the way subsequent players have approached the instrument: Charlie Christian, Jimi Hendrix, and Eddie Van Halen are among them.
And so is Bill Frisell.
Just as a generation of metal guitarists tapping away can be credited to Eddie, the current generation contains more than a few who play jazz-influenced versions of pop and country tunes on Telecasters, thanks to Bill. In the must-see movie, Bill Frisell: A Portrait, Nels Cline says, “He has had one of the loudest impacts on creative guitar.”
Over four decades—and on more than 100 recordings—this unique artist has brought his unmistakable sound to a wide variety of music, including jazz, country, pop, rock, and noise—sometimes all in the same band (check out John Zorn’s Naked City). He has also managed to fit his personal approach and distinctive musical vision into the equally defined art of such diverse employers as Allen Toussaint, Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, Earl Klugh, Paul Simon, Salief Keita, Rickie Lee Jones, Loudon Wainwright III, Renee Fleming, Marianne Faithful, David Sylvian, and David Sanborn.
What brings artists at the top of their games to enlist his aid? In the same documentary, producer Hal Wilner gives some insight: “He just makes everything better, and takes it to a whole other level.”
Throughout a career of working with exceptional musicians, Frisell has released very few records featuring him alone. The first record under his own name, 1983’s In Line, started as a solo record, but eventually added bassist Arild Andersen to some of the tunes. In 1999, Ghost Town appeared, and a quickie, solo-free improv session for John Zorn’s Tzadik label, Silent Comedy, slipped in under the radar