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
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- 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
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- 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.
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Bill
Frisell "Disfarmer" - What the Critics Have To Say
"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. |
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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.
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Blame
Sally "Night of 1000 Stars"
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. |
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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 |
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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.
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011 Live
In Budapest, Hungary 3/29/03
010 Live
In Oakland, CA 7/15/89
009 Live
In New York, NY 10/12/92
008 Live
In New York, NY 9/26/96
007 Live
In Seattle, WA 2/21/06
006 Live
In Boulder, CO 11/05/03
005 Live
In London, UK 11/15/05
004 Live
In New York, NY 5/1/04
003 Live
In San Francisco, CA 2/5/05
002 Live
In San Francisco, CA 3/16/07
001 Live
In Bochum, Germany 5/22/04 |
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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