Of the celebrated triumvirate of John Scofield, Pat Metheny, and Bill Frisell—the most original and influential jazz guitarists of the past 50 years—none is more distinctive, or self-effacing, than Frisell, a true changeling of the guitar.
Frisell is a jazz-based musician, but his music crisscrosses genres, and his guitar playing isn’t bound to or limited by a specific technique. He’s a master illusionist, able to alter a song’s meaning far beyond its original intent with the aid of a Telecaster guitar, a modest effects chain, and, most importantly, his rich imagination.
In concert—as I heard at a 2014 Lincoln Center performance with singer-guitarist-songwriter Buddy Miller and vocalist-fiddler Carrie Rodriguez—Frisell creates virtual worlds in which his audience experiences interstellar vistas, country music–flecked nostalgia, and Hendrix-caliber experimentation.
Highlights of Frisell’s discography, which…
