Bill Frisell
Photo: Schorle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Guitarists · b. 1951

Bill Frisell

American jazz guitarist

Born
18 March 1951
Baltimore
Country
United States
Active
1982–
Record labels
ECM Records, Savoy Records, EMI
Discography
63 albums

Biography

Bill Frisell is a jazz musician who plays guitar and electric guitar. Bill Frisell was born on 18 March 1951 in Baltimore. The music is usually filed under jazz, post-bop and progressive jazz. Record labels: ECM Records, Savoy Records and EMI. The discography here lists 63 albums, from “In Line” (1983) to “In My Dreams” (2026).

William Richard Frisell ( frih-ZEL; born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist. He first came to prominence at ECM Records in the 1980s, as both a session player and a leader. He went on to work in a variety of contexts, notably as a participant in the Downtown Scene in New York City, where he formed a long working relationship with composer and saxophonist John Zorn. He was also a longtime member of veteran drummer Paul Motian's groups from the early 1980s until Motian's death in 2011. Since the late 1990s, Frisell's output as a bandleader has also integrated prominent elements of folk, country, rock 'n' roll, and Americana. He holds six Grammy nominations and one win.

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Discography

Studio and live albums

In Line 1983
Rambler 1985
Smash & Scatteration 1985
Before We Were Born 1989
Is That You? 1990
Have a Little Faith 1993
This Land 1994
American Blood Safety in Numbers 1995
Deep Dead Blue: Live 25 June 95 1995 · Live
Go West: Music for the Films of Buster Keaton 1995
Live 1995 · Live
The High Sign / One Week: Music for the Films of Buster Keaton 1995
Quartet 1996
Nashville 1997
Gone, Just Like a Train 1998
Good Dog, Happy Man 1999
Ghost Town 2000
Acceptance 2001 · Live
Bill Frisell with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones 2001
Blues Dream 2001
The Willies 2002
Petra Haden and Bill Frisell 2003
The Intercontinentals 2003
Unspeakable 2004
East/West 2005 · Live
Further East / Further West 2005 · Live
RICHTER 858 2005
Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian 2006
All Hat 2008
Disfarmer 2008
History, Mystery 2008
Jazz Standard New York City, NY May 1st, 2004 Set 3 2009 · Live
Live at The Barbican, London, UK, November 15, 2005 2009 · Live
Beautiful Dreamers 2010
Live in Budapest, Hungary, 3/29/03 2010 · Live
Live in Tokyo, Japan, 07/21/00 2010 · Live
Sign of Life 2010
All We Are Saying… 2011
Live in Seattle, WA, 08/06/11 Set 2 2011 · Live
Lágrimas mexicanas 2011
Live In Portland, OR 2012 · Live
Solos - The Jazz Sessions 2012
Big Sur 2013
Silent Comedy 2013
Guitar in the Space Age! 2014
Live in Austin, TX, 03/08/15 2015 · Live
Live in California 04/11/2010 - 04/13/2010 2015 · Live
When You Wish Upon a Star 2016
Small Town 2017 · Live
Live at Jazz Middelheim 2018 · Live
Music IS 2018
Sign Of Life: Music For 858 Quartet 2018
Epistrophy 2019 · Live
Harmony 2019
Valentine 2020
Strata 2021
Four 2022
Breaking the Shell 2024
Orchestras 2024 · Live
It Happened Again 2025
Sound & Fury 2025
For All Your Flowers 2026
In My Dreams 2026 · Live

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Frequently asked questions

What instrument does Bill Frisell play?

Bill Frisell is known for playing guitar and electric guitar.

When and where was Bill Frisell born?

Bill Frisell was born 18 March 1951 in Baltimore.

What are Bill Frisell's best-known albums?

Albums in our database include In Line (1983), Rambler (1985), Smash & Scatteration (1985), Before We Were Born (1989) and Is That You? (1990).

External links

Data compiled from open sources; see the source links below. Spotted an error? Let us know.