Current Projects:

Lee is currently working on the following projects:

• Frisell's "Beautiful Dreamers" set for Summer release on Savoy
  

Bill Frisell just signed with Savoy/429 Records and is preparing for the release of “Beautiful Dreamers” — a stunning recording consisting of new original compositions and striking reinterpretations featuring Eyvind Kang (viola) and Rudy Royston (drums).  Produced by Lee Townsend, engineered by Adam Muñoz at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley and mastered with Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound in New York, “Beautiful Dreamers” captures the magic of one of Frisell's most personal statements in seamless and stimulating musical dialogue with his band mates Kang and Royston.  “Beautiful Dreamers” will be released on the Savoy Jazz label on August 31st.

• Carrie Rodriguez

Carrie Rodriguez' new album, "Love and Circumstance", produced by Lee, has been released on Opus Music. It features interpretations of favorite songs by such illustrious songwriters as Lucinda Williams, Buddy and Julie Miller, Gillian Welch, M Ward, Richard Thompson, Townes Van Zandt, Merle Haggard, Little Village, Hank Williams, Sandrine, Carrie's aunt Eva Garza and her father, David Rodriguez. The album showcases Carrie's band - Hans Holzen (guitars), Kyle Kegerrels (bass) and Eric Platz (drums, percussion) - along with guests Greg Leisz, Aoife O'Donovan, Buddy Miller, Bill Frisell and Doug Wamble. It was engineered by Jason Lehning at Opus Studio and Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Ca.

“Cover albums by artists known for writing their own material can be double-edged swords. It's a tricky balance to put your own stamp on material that others have created without losing the original's unique qualities. Singer/songwriter Rodriguez gets it right, though...  Lee Townsend's classy production and veteran players such as pedal/lap steel master Greg Leisz , along with Bill Frisell, keep the sound fresh and vibrant....  Love and Circumstance is beautifully conceived and passionately performed.” - by Hal Horowitz,  All Music Guide “Albums of cover songs are curious things. An artist can often reveal more in the choice and interpretation of someone else's song than in an original composition -- a fact that comes to light in brilliant effect with Love and Circumstance, the new album from Carrie Rodriguez. Highly recommended.” - Direct Current “I’ve really pretty much had it with covers records —  but even I have to admit that not all of them are created equal, and very, very few of them boast pedigrees as stellar as Carrie Rodriguez’s Love and Circumstance... The result is a collection that does a wonderful job of paying tribute to some of roots rock’s leading lights. The band is marvelous, as you’d expect, and Rodriguez’s vocals have the sweetness and fine texture of dark honey. In fact, she damn near makes these songs her own... the ever-so-slightly burred edges of her voice hint at a spiritual depth beyond her 32 years, and musically, Love and Circumstance has more to offer than your typical covers project.  - Jeff Giles, CD Review Carrie Rodriguez doesn’t just cover the love songs in her fourth album, she inhabits them.  Rodriguez’s voice is arresting whether she’s slowing down Lucinda Williams’s “Steal Your Love,” giving a fresh interpretation to Richard Thompson’s “Waltzing’s for Dreamers,” or belting it out on “Big Love” (Little Village). This is masterful musicianship, with primacy given to the guitars, which blend beautifully yet inhabit different spaces within the songs, so that the character of each—tremolo, acoustic, electric, tenor—shines. There are lovely touches on every cut ...  A stunner. (Ninth Street Opus)  -  Celine Keating, Acoustic Guitar

 

• Doug Wamble
  
  Lee recently finished producing the eponymously titled new album by singer-songwriter and guitarist Doug Wamble.  Released on the E1 Music label,  the music on Doug Wamble is rootsy, urbane and rhythmically vital featuring Doug's rich, soulful voice, his distinctive songwriting, his astonishing guitar playing and his excellent band.   Recorded in New York and mixed in Nashville with Jason Lehning and mastered with Greg Calbi, guests include Carrie Rodriguez, Charlie Hunter and Jonah Smith.
  
  

  "For a jazz guitarist, Doug Wamble is one hell of a soul man -- not just his playing, but his writing, and especially his voice, which lies somewhere between Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder. His background is evident in some of the chords he uses, but he hides it well, and the songs come across as lovely soul, as on the delicious "Sweet Return to Madness" and "It May Be a Dream," where the violin and voice of Carrie Rodriguez add some lovely delicacy to the proceedings. Wamble's guitar work takes a back seat for some of the disc, although he takes off on slide on the gospel-flavored "Bitter Angels" and works with Charlie Hunter on the opener, "Think About It All," while the slow build of "Oh Heaven," with its piano backdrop, offers a superb frame for his restrained solo. But this is an album that's about the song, not playing technique, and Wamble shows himself to be a songwriter of true talent... It all closes with a cover of Fiona Apple's "I Know" that returns Wamble to acoustic guitar, his natural instrument, giving a spare, aching version of the song. It's a soft, ideal closer to a lovingly crafted disc." - Chris Nickson, All Music Guide

  
  
• Upcoming Projects

  Lee is currently at work on a new record by Brazilian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Vinicius Cantuaria in collaboration with Bill Frisell, the second project from Floratone, the debut recording of guitarist  Quentin Dujardin’s group Kalaban Koura and the first recording as a leader with Spanish guitar player David Soler.   Visit the links below to learn more about the Kalaban Koura project with Quentin Dujardin:

  www.quentindujardin.be
  www.youtube.com

  Lee is in the process of finishing the production of "Beautiful Dreamers", the new CD by Bill Frisell, featuring Eyvind Kang (viola) and Rudy Royston (drums). It was engineered by Adam Muñoz at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley and mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound in New York. It is scheduled for release later this year.

  Keep an eye out for more information as these projects progress through the production process.

"Like David Lynch, post jazz guitarist Bill Frisell has a knack for insinuating an odd haze around the most wholesome aspects of Americana. Disfarmer, named after the cranky Arkansas photographer who created gripping images of his neighbors, finds Frisell teamed with steel guitarist Greg Leisz, violinist Jenny Scheinman and bassist Viktor Krauss for a set of 26 evocative miniatures. Each one flits by like a half-remembered dream, yet paradoxically their sum amounts to one of Frisell's loveliest, most consistently affecting recent creations." - Steve Smith, Time Out, New York

"The music of omnivorous guitarist Bill Frisell reflects an eclectic range of influences .... On "Disfarmer," he draws inspiration from the Depression-era portraits of little-known Arkansas photographer Michael Disfarmer. The result is a provocative soundscape that features a mixture of acoustic and electric guitars.... Creatively restless, Frisell is best suited for exploring vast territory and responding with imaginative integrity, which is evidenced on "Disfarmer." - Dan Ouellette, Billboard

"Exquisite." - Independent on Sunday

"Frisell's filmic themes summon up the ghosts of a lost America. The results are gently beautiful." The Times

"The tunes prove so hauntingly evocative that they conjure the spirits of long-vanished people and places without the need for visual accompaniment." - Metro

"The hymns and hoedowns of 'Disfarmer' are both affectionate and atmospheric." - Daily Telegraph

"You practically feel the Arkansas soil slipping through your fingers." - The Sun

"Frisell's pacing is magnificent, and the album sweeps along with purpose like a gorgeous, spacious epic. It is full of sounds that suggest settings and characters, including the mysterious eccentric who inspired the recording." - Houston Chronicle

In the small mountain town of Heber Springs, the Arkansas artist known as Disfarmer captured the lives and emotions of the people of rural America between 1939-1945. Critics have hailed Disfarmer's remarkable black and white portraits as "a work of artistic genius" and "a classical episode in the history of American photography.Disfarmer's work has captivated the imagination of the celebrated guitarist and composer Bill Frisell, who has been inspired to write and perform music in concert with multiple projected images from this treasure trove of period portraits. Three long-time musical collaborators, violinist Jenny Scheinman, bassist Viktor Krauss and steel guitarist Greg Leisz, will share the stage in interpreting Frisell's music. Set and lighting designer Alex Nichols is on board to spearhead the visual treatments of the program.

This piece was premiered at the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio in March of 2007.   This project periodically tours and dates are posted on Bill's Tour page.

Bill Frisell Live In Montreal DVD

Released in July “Blues Dream Live ” the DVD featuring Bill Frisell’s live performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival, July 1st, 2002.   This DVD features Bill Frisell’s septet which includes Matt Chamberlain on drums, Billy Drewes on alto sax, Curtis Fowlkes on trombone, Greg Leisz on steel guitars and mandolin, Ron Miles on trumpet and David Piltch on bass.

Lee just finished Night of 1000 Stars by San Francisco band Blame Sally, creating an eclectic and undeniably original brand of folk pop that plays on the "indie edges of Americana".  Bringing together the four unique voices and musical personalities of Renee Harcourt, Monica Pasqual, Jeri Jones and Pam Delgado, Blame Sally has forged a cohesive musical identity that is compelling and instantly recognizable.  Night of 1000 Stars was engineered by Shawn Pierce and Adam Muñoz and mastered by Greg Calbi.

Buster Keaton with music from Bill Frisell on DVD

For a number of years, Bill has been performing his film scores for Buster Keaton movies live to enthusiastic audiences all over the world. Out now for the first time, his music for the Keaton classics Go West, The High Sign and One Week are being released with the films on DVD by Songtone/Tone Field Productions, available exclusively here. Bill's longtime musical colleagues Kermit Driscoll (bass) and Joey Baron (drums) join Bill in enhancing not only the well known slapstick and comedic aspects of Keaton's work, but the inherent pathos and social commentary, as well. Purchase a copy here!

"Evincing his best qualities as both guitarist and composer, Frisell harvests evocative, 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." - Billboard

Bill Frisell's Live Monthly Download Series
Songtone is pleased to announce what many of Bill’s fans have wanted for years! Live shows available to the public! This is a monthly release of live recordings from the console by Bill’s great long-time sound engineer, Claudia Engelhart.  The shows will be exclusively available here and will be made available in uncompressed FLAC files along with MP3 and AAC files.

Click here for song samples and more info.

Bill Frisell "Solos" DVD now available exclusively from billfrisell.com and songtone.com

Bill's 2004 solo session from the atmospheric Berkeley Church in Toronto is now available for the first time on DVD. Beautifully shot by Director Daniel Berman, it includes such beloved original compositions as "Keep Your Eyes Open", "Throughout", "Ron Carter", "Boubacar" and "Poem For Eva" as well as songs by other composers that have long been associated with Bill's most powerful performances like "Shenandoah", "Wildwood Flower", "I'm So Lonesome, I Could Cry", "Masters Of War" and "My Man's Gone Now". As such, it can be viewed as a definitive Frisell solo statement.

Click here for more info.

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