Biography of Bill Frisell

Guitarist. Frisell studied with Jim Hall and at the Berklee College of Music. His influences include Jim Hall, Wes Montgomery, and Jimi Hendrix. His many recordings for ECM have made him a sort of house guitarist for that label, doing successful work with Jan Garbarek and percussionist Paul Motian. He has also recorded duets with Tim Berne and John Scofield. Frisell blends jazz, rock, and avant-garde influences in an exuberant and unpredictable style. Perhaps his most distinctive quality as a guitarist is creative and tasteful use of synthesizers and electronic effects, creating sonorities like wind instruments and organs. ~ David Nelson McCarthy