Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamer

The definitive biography of guitar icon and Grammy Award-winning artist Bill Frisell.

FEATURING EXCLUSIVE LISTENING SESSIONS WITH: Paul Simon; Justin Vernon of Bon Iver; Gus Van Sant; Rhiannon Giddens; The Bad Plus; Gavin Bryars; Van Dyke Parks; Sam Amidon; Hal Willner; Jim Woodring; Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill

'A beautiful and long overdue portrait of one of America's true living cultural treasures . . . a brilliant book.'

JOHN ZORN

'Wonderful. It captures exactly the Bill I know.'

GAVIN BRYARS

'The perfect companion-piece to the music of its subject.'

MOJO

Over a period of forty-five years, Bill Frisell has established himself as one of the most innovative and influential musicians at work today.

Growing up playing clarinet in orchestras and marching bands, Frisell has progressed through a remarkable range of musical personas - from devotee of jazz master Jim Hall to 'house guitarist' of estimable German label ECM, from edgy New York downtown experimentalist to plaintive country and bluegrass picker. He has been a pioneering bandleader and collaborator, a prolific composer and arranger and a celebrated Grammy Award winner.

A quietly revolutionary guitar hero who has synthesised many disparate musical elements into one compellingly singular sound, Frisell connects to a diverse range of artists and admirers, including Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Lucinda Williams, Gus Van Sant, Marianne Faithfull and Justin Vernon, many of whom feature in this book.

Through unprecedented access to the guitarist and interviews with his close family, friends and associates, Philip Watson tells Frisell's story for the first time.

'A revelatory, roots and branches portrait of one of America's greatest synthesisers of musical ideas.'

IAN PATTERSON, ALL ABOUT JAZZ