SIFF 2017 Trailer: Bill Frisell, A Portrait

Australia | 2017 | 114 minutes | Emma Franz

The normally reclusive Grammy-winning guitarist and Seattle native steps out of the shadows for a layered exploration of his life, work, and collaborative process, including how he developed a unique sonic voice that blends jazz with folk, rock, classical, and avant-garde.

Bill Frisell is not simply a universally admired guitarist and composer—and very possibly the world's nicest person, as Emma Franz's doc suggests—but a living embodiment of the inadequacy of the labels we attach to musical genres. He comes from the jazz world, but, especially in recent years, those who try to describe his output are as apt to mention country or Americana. Music that has germinated his abundantly imaginative improvisations includes the work of John Lennon, Aaron Copland, and Madonna; among his collaborators over the years have been Renee Fleming, Lucinda Williams, and the BBC Symphony—shown here in a generous amount of rehearsal footage for one of Frisell's compositions. Franz also visits him at his Bainbridge Island home, full of his recordings (when Frisell says he's made hundreds of albums, he's not kidding) and his guitars (each one has a story). The talking heads here wax rapturous about not only Frisell's versatility but, conversely, the personal, unmistakable style and sound he brings to everything he plays; fellow guitarist John Abercrombie perhaps sums it up best when he says "You hear the history of the guitar when he plays."

[BmakinFilm]

Frisell changed my life and my drumming when I first heard him perform in Denver in the early 90s w Joey Baron and Kermit Driscoll. Thanks Bill!

[Andrés_Solo]

Few guitarists who know much are capable of playing as if they knew much less. Bill Frisell is one of them. And, so that there are no doubts, this is a compliment of the fat ones. We had a kind of epiphany with Bill some time ago, on a VHS recording of the nineties. It comes out playing alone. A chair, an acoustic and his teacher's face. With that a version of Just like a woman is cooked really wonderful, in its musicality and its apparent simplicity. Later we saw him explain, with great conviction, his belief in simplicity. Instead of exploiting a standard with inversions and voicings, he left it in the marrow of his melody and bass line. It was "beautiful" simply with that, Bill said. Dives one on their records and gives with country textures, open chords; almost no phrase played at full volume. And it is surprising because, we are going to say it again, it is very rare that a guitarist with the resources of a millionaire chooses to develop simply, away from ostentation and lust.
A big piece of respect for Bill Frisell.

[rebelreddog]

bill frisell is all they say and more. great guitar player..

[TheodorusRex]

When/Where can I see this?  Atlantic Beach, FL.