Review: Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamer: The Guitarist Who Changed the Sound of American Music by Philip Watson

"Is it true there's a biography coming out on you and your career?"

The rather straightforward question was posed to guitarist/composer/bandleader Bill Frisell during a phone interview late last year in anticipation of his then forthcoming Austin appearance in January, where he and his trio would be providing the live musical soundtrack for filmmaker Bill Morrison's documentary The Great Flood. Knowing full well Frisell's modesty and self-deprecating reticence, his response was not at all surprising.

"Wow, oh man, I don't know how that happened, but it is. Yeah, my friend Philip Watson, quite a few years ago, he said he wanted to write a book and I said, 'I don't know what you'd want to talk about but go on ahead.' So it actually happened."

Indeed, the Irish-based journalist/author Philip Watson found plenty to talk about in the 500-plus pages of his terrifically engrossing biography that covers the life, music, and philosophy of Bill Frisell, the highly acclaimed, Grammy-winning, and dearly beloved artist who we've been so fortunate to see here in Austin on a regular basis for the past 30 years.

And if you've seen Frisell play here, either solo, with one of his many bands, or as a sideman with the likes of saxophonist Charles Lloyd or drummer Andrew Cyrille, then you probably understand what an utterly unique talent he possesses.

As the book's title would imply, actual dreams play an important part of Frisell's story; in fact, the book opens with a description of a dream that would profoundly influence his whole outlook on making music. In it, every piece of music he's ever heard or imagined is playing simultaneously, yet coalescing into "the most harmonious, beautiful and perfect music." And while this dream may symbolize an artist's idealistic quest for perfection it has also proved to embody Frisell's evolving from a guitarist initially associated exclusively with the jazz world into an artist adept at blending a plethora of influences – rock, blues, Americana, bluegrass, world music, modern classical, and jazz – into a totally new and singular sound.

Perhaps Bon Iver's Justin Vernon provides the most insightful description of Frisell's contribution: "It's like he somehow developed both a new and an old approach to playing guitar. It was never about appearing so different from everybody that came before. It was like he took everything before him, spread it all out, mixed it up, and moved it on."

Watson employs a three-pronged approach to telling Frisell's story. The foundation is a standard, linear, factual examination of his life and accomplishments: a postwar, middle-class upbringing in Denver where he played clarinet throughout school, a switch to guitar and years of paying dues, an immersion into NYC's heady "downtown scene" of the Eighties amongst the likes of John Zorn and Paul Motian, his meteoric rise in the music world, his subsequent success as an internationally renowned artist, and discussions of his roughly 40 albums.

Every so often the author interjects a chapter about Frisell personally. One, for instance, examines his reserve and sweet nature as it affects his music and fellow musicians. Another chapter delves into the whole concept of whether or not Frisell is truly a jazz guitarist despite his venturing into so many other genres. Hint: "… No matter what anyone calls it … I approach my music from a jazz sensibility."

To spice up the narrative there are also near a dozen short chapters interspersed where artists – including the likes of producer Hal Willner, the aforementioned Vernon, filmmaker Gus Van Sant, and Paul Simon – listen to and comment upon a specific Frisell album, sharing their personal experiences with the guitarist along the way.

Quite simply, this book is a sumptuous feast for Frisell's many fans and perhaps an enticement for those who have yet to sip the Kool-Aid.

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Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamer: The Guitarist Who Changed the Sound of American Music

by Philip Watson
Faber & Faber, 560 pp., $30