Current Projects:

Lee is currently working on the following projects:

• Doug Wamble
  
  Lee just finished producing the eponymously titled new album by singer-songwriter and guitarist Doug Wamble, who was recently signed by E1 Music.  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.  Keep an eye out for it in early 2010. | www.dougwamble.com
  
  
• Carrie Rodriguez

Lee has finished the production of Carrie Rodriguez' new album, "Love and Circumstance", to be 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. and is due for release in April, 2010.

• 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

  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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