FEATURE > BILL FRISELL
Photo by Michael Wilson
For many of us, 6: 50 a.m. on a Monday morning would
probably be the last choice of times
to schedule an interview. But for
Grammy-winning guitarist and
composer Bill Frisell, this criminally
early time was his only opening in
the midst of a whirlwind tour, so we
jumped at the opportunity to chat
premierguitar.com
while he was waiting to board a plane
at Los Angeles International Airport.
As one of the most sought-
after guitarists in a wide variety
of styles, demand spreads him so
thin he literally doesn’t have a sec-
ond to spare. To give an idea, in
a five-week span around the time
of our interview, he debuted and
conducted a score based on Allen
Ginsberg’s Kaddish (commissioned
by and performed at the Park
Avenue Armory in New York City),
then flew out to Oregon the next
day to lead three group projects—a
quartet performing the music of
Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West,
a quintet performing the music of
PREMIER GUITAR JUNE 2012 95
