ECM50 | 1982 Bill Frisell remembers the process of how his album, "In Line", came about

[@lindsayblack766]

If only all musicians could have the humility and grace of Bill Frisell. My hero.

[@imalouddj]

When Bill is speaking, it's like when Bill is playing... every phrase, every sentence, is heartfelt and sincere, and contains a truth you wouldn't have heard told by anyone else. It's a revealing piece of documentary, filmed and edited with the neatest willingness to share what is now a piece of history. Music can be muted for copyright reasons, and it stands to reason... but don't you be fooled by this disclaimer or statement: there's all the music of the world in this quart of an hour, and a great lessons in searching for your own voice, and place on this world, that can only come from him. Thank you for sharing this here!

[@markuselipka]

i`m sure, he wouldn`t agree with your 1st sentence. he doesn`t really like to talk actually...but nevertheless - nice thoughts.

[@jonathanedwards8696]

He speaks so slowly I almost feel like I'm going to have to reach down his throat to get the next words out.

[@jeffstanton5526]

Bill Frisell is a national treasure. If anyone deserves The Presidential Medal Of Freedom it's him.

[@markuselipka]

why the hell `national`? he is a treasure - fullstop.

[@jeffstanton5526]

@@markuselipka I think you get what I meant. ;)

[@riveravaldez]

Amazing piece of music history and also musicians as workers. Great document. Thanks a lot for sharing! PS: Bill couldn't be more lovable.

[@DoglessEndeavor]

What a great interview. I was at his Berlin show later that day. It's very humbling seeing one of your heroes say he has difficulty believing in himself. How inspiring!

[@colindawson6076]

Amazingly humble artist

[@cfibanez]

Thanks for this. Excellent to focus on one recording. Most interviewers go all over the place with Bill, and he has a hard time giving explanations for things that actually don't have any explanation. Focusing on this record and that moment in time allowed him to be more fluid and expose his beginnings in a very harmonic way. Thank you.

[@markdarnell614]

Bill is just The BEST! of all the ECM Guitarists, his voice is the most unique - despite what context he plays in. Aside from his early recordings with ECM, the 1st time I saw him play live was at the original Knitting Factory in NYC's Bowery District, with John Zorn's NAKED CITY. Fred Frith was the other Guitarist in that band. My favorite Moments of Frisell are his work with Eberhard Weber, Paul Motion - especially the "Fragments" album with John Surman, and Paul Bley...and his Solo on Robin Holcomb's "Waltz". I once ran into him in Seattle (where he was living) on the street one evening, and he actually stopped, and we had a friendly conversation. Super Nice Guy!

[@nikolademitri731]

Wow, what I’d give to have seen Naked City or Last Exit… I’m sure it was transcendent!!

[@3340steve]

Thank you for the excellent vibrations. Bill is such an inspiration to our community of string players.

[@stefanobonoli8783]

I saw him first time in Milano with Bass Desires in 1987 I believe. I immediately fell in love with Bill and his music. And then again on the Buster Keaton tour and many many times. He is umbelievable! ❤️

[@owenmcgee8496]

Nice interview. The first time I heard Frisell was hearing the "is that you?" album is the early 90s. I had a copy of that and lost it. Then I rediscovered him, in part from the ECM albums he did with Weber. And his collaboration with Mays. I didn't know there was an association of Metheny & Frisell going back to the early days: I thought the "sound of summer running" was a first meeting, when it came out in '98. But you know: Frisell & Mays: they did work together on Mays first two albums, but if they also teamed up as a duo with Eicher & ECM, something tells me that would have been something special.

[@cosmicpickle6562]

Great to see this. "In Line" is still my favorite of all his solo albums by far... In addition "Fluid Rustle" could be my very favorite Eberhard Weber recording (and he's made many classics).. It was through Weber's album that I discovered Frisell matter of fact... Just look at the number of classic albums he's played on: Garbarek's "Paths, Prints", Motian's "Psalm"-those 2 are probably my all-time favorite albums from those 2 artists as well...

[@jonasehnroth]

Wow, beautiful interview!

[@epserps5055]

I love his music. His one of the great master and so humble. Frisellogy.

[@danieljsanders]

Fantastic.

[@aspentreeisland8324]

Really great interview, fascinating to hear Bill´s thoughts on his early career and life in general in an unhurried environment. I have to investigate the albums he mentioned with Motian, Andersen, Garbarek etc. Thank you for sharing!

[@IJBiermann]

It took me a while to actually "discover" those albums with Paul Motian myself - even though I'd had some of them on my shelf for a while. They are really excellent!

[@jonathanedwards8696]

@@IJBiermann Did you interview Garbarek? I'd be interested to see that one.

[@IJBiermann]

@@jonathanedwards8696 I tried to get an appointment with him, but he declines all requests for interviews, I believe as a general rule.

[@jonathanedwards8696]

@@IJBiermann That's too bad. The man is such a mystery. I don't understand why he's so selfish with his thoughts. I've seen him 8 or 10 times and never heard him speak a word from the stage. Fans really enjoy listening to their favorite musicians talk about their work.

[@udomatthiasdrums5322]

still love your music!!

[@unclechristo]

Thank you again for a great video and interview. Always interesting to hear that musicians I heard in my youth talking of their early music days and were just as nervous and unsure of what they were doing as I was. To me these were accomplished polished ECM albums so one never thought at the time that the artist was unsure of themselves. I recall hearing John Abercrombie talking of his forst albums and I was so surprised to hear that he'd written so little at that time.

[@richardthurston2171]

Super.

[@BrianNeil]

Marvellous! Thank you.

[@What_If_We_Tried]

Awesome interview!

[@joemaynard4233]

what an incredibly appropriate environment in which to conduct a bill frisell interview 🤌

[@IJBiermann]

Not sure if this comment is supposed to be ironic, but either way, I could tell you the three-month long backstory of attempts to arrange this interview either in the US (which I'd have preferred) or in Germany (during his tour), before in the end the whole time slot I got was cut down to 30 minutes next to his hotel (which wouldn't allow any filming in their rooms) - that is between 2 pm and 2:30 from meeting to saying goodbye at the hotel reception.

[@laurentfontanel893]

Genius.

[@markwilliams3174]

Australia had a public radio broadcaster but jazz programs refused to embrace ECM Jazz. It wasn't until the 1990s that Cotmporary Jazz was played on Jazz Radio programs in Australia. So audiences were playing catch-up to much of ECM's signings.

[@jonathanedwards8696]

In the early 80s, I was a student at Berklee College of Music in Boston. We played all that old Blue Note stuff and it got so boring. I was collecting ECM albums the whole time. The professors at Berklee were clueless to the fact that there was a whole revolution going on in Europe.

[@sirrantsalotschitchat8914]

Shame in line has not got a vinyl reissue.

[@williamthaightii]

I own it on vinyl.

[@jonathanedwards8696]

It's interesting to note that neither David Torn nor Bill Frissell talked about working with Jan Garbarek.

[@IJBiermann]

I talked with Torn about it, very briefly only (my visit to his place was for about two hours). It was just that one album, and it's not one of the important ones to either of them.

[@IJBiermann]

I remember I also had that Garbarek album, "Paths, Prints", with me when I talked to Bill, but I don't remember if we talked about it. I think we did, very briefly only, and not as part of the "main" interview.

[@jonathanedwards8696]

@@IJBiermann That's my favorite Garbarek album. And the 1986 tour was incredible. It was the best I've ever seen Garbarek.

[@greglarry11]

I had no idea this man played with Ginger Baker. Damn.

[@danmartinazzi]

Ginger Baker trio Baker Frisell Haden ... Frankfurt concert example check it out, masterpiece

[@jazzman642]

I’ve got all the early ECM’s. Don’t recall Terry Gibbs playing on any. Refresh my memory, which one.

[@beyshore_]

he said mike gibbs.

[@jazzman642]

@@beyshore_ you’re right, he did say Mike Gibbs. Only thing I can think of is he wrote the last 2 songs on ecm 1030 but he wasn’t a musician on the date. Maybe Bill just misspoke.

[@metfan999]

He has such a moustache face. Grow it back!