Bill Frisell
Sound · b. 1951 · Baltimore, Maryland, USA
William Richard Frisell 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 has six Grammy nominations and one win.
Movies8
Movie7.2DocumentaryOnce the centre of the New York bohemia, Greenwich Village is now home to lux restaurants, and buzzer door clothing stores catering to the nouveau riche. But one shop in the heart of the Village remains resilient to the encroaching gentrification: Carmine Street Guitars. There, custom guitar maker Rick Kelly and his young apprentice Cindy Hulej, build handcrafted guitars out of reclaimed wood from old hotels, bars, churches and other local buildings. Nothing looks or sounds quite like a Rick Kelly guitar, which is the reason they are embraced by the likes of Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Jim Jarmusch, just to name a few. Featuring a cast of prominent musicians and artists, the film captures five days in the life of Carmine Street Guitars, while examining an all-too-quickly vanishing way of life.
Carmine Street Guitars
2018 · 10 votes
Movie6.8DocumentaryMusic for Black Pigeons is the first collaboration between Jørgen Leth and Andreas Koefoed. The film poses existential questions to influential jazz players such as Bill Frisell, Lee Konitz, Midori Takada and many others: How does it feel to play, and what does it mean to listen? What is it like to be a human being and spending your whole life trying to express something through sounds? The characters wake up, rehearse, record, perform and talk about music. In some moments they are on the edge, the edge of existence, constantly challenging themselves. They listen. They devote themselves to finding a space to create a connection to something bigger than themselves. Something that will outlast all of us.
Music for Black Pigeons
2023 · 6 votes
Movie7.6DocumentaryMusicThe complex and revolutionary music and lyrics of Marc Bolan and T. Rex, the glam rock powerhouse behind “Bang a Gong (Get it On)” and other iconic songs. Featuring archival performances and interviews with Elton John, Ringo Starr, and David Bowie, plus filmed musical interpretations by artists such as Nick Cave, John Cameron Mitchell, Joan Jett, Macy Gray, U2, and Father John Misty.
AngelHeaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex
2023 · 4 votes
MovieDocumentaryMusicInside Scofield is a feature documentary about master guitarist and touring musician John Scofield.
Inside Scofield
2022
MovieDocumentaryMotian In Motion is a documentary film about iconic jazz drummer Paul Motian, with rare footage of Paul playing and recording at the world renowned Village Vanguard, Birdland and other venues.
Motian in Motion
2020
Movie6.8DocumentaryMusicA rare peek into the working methods of John Zorn. Filmed over a ten year period, this documentary includes live footage of Masada, Naked City, Cobra, as well as improvisations, his classical work and rare interviews. A prize winner at European festivals, this film documents Heuermann's very personal, fifteen year odyssey with the music of John Zorn.
Movie6.0DocumentaryMusicSeattle’s swampy rivers and wild forests set an atmospheric scene for the tale of Earth – the slowest metal band on earth – which created the drone metal genre, was an inspiration to the grunge rock scene and had an unfortunate hand in Kurt Cobain’s death.
Even Hell Has Its Heroes
2023 · 1 votes
Movie5.8DocumentaryAn intimate, behind-the-music portrait of one of the most unassuming yet influential creative artists of our time, guitarist Bill Frisell. Frisell said of the film, “It’s like the inside of my brain!”
Bill Frisell: A Portrait
2017 · 4 votes