Bill Frisell Trio

Bill Frisell’s trio featuring bassist Thomas Morgan and Rudy Royston on drums is musically nimble enough to go anywhere with Frisell in the most spontaneous manner. They have a command of the sizable ouevre of Frisell compositions, as well as the popular, folk and standard songs that Bill enjoys interpreting on an ongoing basis. The trio’s method is interactive, conversational and ready to groove at any moment, yielding fresh and surprising performances at every stop along the way.

Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 45 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalogue has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade”. Frisell’s new album, In My Dreams released February ’26 by Blue Note Records to coincide with a series of concerts celebrating his 75th birthday throughout the U.S. and Europe. Produced by Lee Townsend, the album features Frisell’s long-time collaborators – Jenny Scheinman (violin), Eyvind Kang (viola), Hank Roberts (cello), Thomas Morgan (bass) and Rudy Royston (drums) – in an ensemble configuration that has never recorded together previously, performing largely original music written or newly arranged, especially for this project. Bill’s excitement for it is palpable. “I’ve been dreaming about this.”, he said. “A family gathering. A reunion. That’s what it feels like getting together with my closest friends. Our history goes back decades. Coming up on a half-century with Hank! I’ve spent so much time with these folks. Traveled many miles. But that doesn’t mean we’re done. There’s still much unfinished business. We’re just getting started.”

In March 2022, a biography on Frisell, entitled Beautiful Dreamer – The Guitarist Who Changed The Sound of American Music, written by Philip Watson was published by Faber and released in the UK, Europe, South, Central America & Asia. Through unprecedented access, and interviews with his close family, friends and collaborators, Philip Watson tells the story of the innovative and influential guitarist and composer.

Recognized as one of America’s 21 most vital and productive performing artists, Frisell was named an inaugural Doris Duke Artist in 2012. He is also a recipient of grants from United States Artists and Meet the Composer, among others. From 2013 – 2015, Bill was Resident Artistic Director for Jazz at Lincoln Center for their Roots of Americana series, and in 2016, he was a beneficiary of the first FreshGrass Composition commission to preserve and support innovative grassroots music. Upon SFJAZZ opening their doors in 2013, he served as one of their Resident Artistic Directors. Bill is also the subject of a documentary film by director Emma Franz, entitled Bill Frisell: A Portrait, which examines his creative process in depth. He has also received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.