This discography features albums released by American jazz guitarist Bill Frisell (born 1951), released recordings of bands and projects he was/is a member of, and albums on which he appears as guest musician. Labels and dates indicate first release.
Albums Albums TitleYearLabelIn Line1983ECMRambler1985ECMLookout for Hope1988ECMBefore We Were Born1989NonesuchIs That You?1990NonesuchWhere in the World?1991NonesuchHave a Little Faith1992NonesuchThis Land1994NonesuchGo West: Music for the Films of Buster Keaton1995NonesuchThe High Sign/One Week: Music for the Films of Buster Keaton1995NonesuchLive1995GramavisionQuartet1996NonesuchNashville1997 NonesuchGone, Just Like a Train1998NonesuchGood Dog, Happy Man1999NonesuchThe Sweetest Punch1999DeccaGhost Town2000NonesuchBlues Dream2001Nonesuch With Dave Holland and Elvin Jones2001NonesuchThe Willies2002NonesuchThe Intercontinentals2003NonesuchUnspeakable2004NonesuchRichter 858 2005SonglinesEast/West2005NonesuchFurther East / Further West (only available as a digital download)2005NonesuchBill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian2006NonesuchBill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian EP (only available as a digital download)2006NonesuchHistory, Mystery2008NonesuchDisfarmer2009NonesuchBeautiful Dreamers2010SavoySign of Life: Music for 858 Quartet2011SavoyAll We Are Saying2011Savoy Hunter S. Thompson – The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved 2012 429/ParisHal Willner production on Hunter S. Thompson, composed and conducted by Frisell, . The album was reissued as LP in 2022 on Shimmy Disc.Silent Comedy2013TzadikBig Sur2013OKehGuitar in the Space Age!2014OKehWhen You Wish Upon a Star2016OKehAlfie / I Love Lucy (limited 7 inch vinyl single)2016OKehSmall Town (with Thomas Morgan) 2016ECMMusic IS2018OKehEpistrophy (with Thomas Morgan) 2019ECMHarmony2019Blue NoteValentine2020Blue NoteFour2022Blue NoteOrchestras2024Blue NoteIn My Dreams2026Blue Note
Live Download Series The series is produced as a subsidiary label of Lee Townsend's Songline/Tone Field, and distributed online as lossless FLAC, MP3 and AAC files with printable cover art.
TitleYear#001 Live in Bochum, Germany – May 22, 20042008#002 Live in San Francisco, CA – March 16, 20072009#003 Live in San Francisco, CA – February 5, 2005, Set 22009#004 Live in New York, NY – May 1, 2004, Set 32009#005 Live in London, UK – November 15, 20052009#006 Live in Boulder, CO – November 5, 20032009#007 Live in Seattle, WA – February 21, 20062009#008 Live in New York, NY – September 26, 1996, Set 12010#009 Live in New York, NY – October 12, 19922010#010 Live in Oakland, CA – July 15, 19892010#011 Live in Budapest, Hungary – March 29, 20032010#012 Live in Seattle, WA – July 16, 20022010#013 Live in Tokyo, Japan – July 21, 20002010#014 Live in Chapel Hill, NC – March 22, 20092011#015 Live in Seattle, WA – August 6, 2011, Set 22011#016 Live in Florence, Italy – February 10, 19932012#017 Live in Portland, OR – February 25, 20122012#018 Live in Köln, Germany – March 27, 19952013 #019 Live in Santa Monica, CA – January 10, 1998, Set 22014#020 Live in Austin, TX – March 8, 20152015#021 Live in California – April 11, 2010 – April 13, 20102015#022 Hurricane Harvey Relief (download series compilation)2017
Compilations Works (ECM, 1988) A-Collection (WEA, 2000) Rarum: Selected Recordings of Bill Frisell (ECM, 2002) The Best of Bill Frisell, Vol. 1 – Folk Songs (Nonesuch, 2009)
Collaborations Theoretically with Tim Berne (Empire, 1984) Smash & Scatteration with Vernon Reid (Minor Music, 1985) Strange Meeting by Power Tools with Melvin Gibbs and Ronald Shannon Jackson (Antilles, 1987) Just So Happens with Gary Peacock (Postcards, 1994) American Blood/Safety in Numbers with Victor Bruce Godsey and Brian Ales (Intuition, 1995) Deep Dead Blue with Elvis Costello (Nonesuch, 1995) Time Again with Donald Rubinstein (Rhombus, 1997) Motion Pictures with Michael White (Intuition, 1997) Songs We Know with Fred Hersch (Nonesuch, 1998) Petra Haden and Bill Frisell with Petra Haden (True North, 2003) The Elephant Sleeps But Still Remembers with Jack DeJohnette (Golden Beams, 2006) Floratone with Matt Chamberlain, Lee Townsend, and Tucker Martine (Blue Note, 2007) Hemispheres with Jim Hall (ArtistShare, 2008) Floratone II with Matt Chamberlain, Lee Townsend, and Tucker Martine (Savoy, 2012) Lágrimas Mexicanas with Vinicius Cantuária (Naïve, 2011) Enfants Terribles with Lee Konitz, Gary Peacock, and Joey Baron (Half Note, 2012) Strata with Skúli Sverrisson (Newvelle, 2018) More Than Enough with Gregory Tardy (Newvelle, 2019) Clock Face with Elvis Costello (Concord, 2020) Americana with Grégoire Maret and Romain Collin (ACT, 2020) Life Lessons with Dale Bruning and Tim O'Brien (Wendell World, 2021) Breaking the Shell with Kit Downes, Andrew Cyrille (Red Hook, 2024)Breaking the Shell (RH1006) on the record label's website with extensive text, credits and excerpts of critics. Retrieved 1 November 2024. Live Forever, Vol. 3: Wayne Horvitz, Bill Frisell Duo: Frankfurt, Knitting Factory 89–90, (Wayne Horvitz, 2024)
With Paul Motian and Joe Lovano All albums with Paul Motian are with saxophonist Joe Lovano, except as noted. Psalm with Ed Schuller and Billy Drewes (ECM, 1982) The Story of Maryam with Ed Schuller and Jim Pepper (Soul Note, 1984) Jack of Clubs with Ed Schuller and Jim Pepper (Soul Note, 1985) It Should've Happened a Long Time Ago (ECM, 1985) Misterioso with Ed Schuller and Jim Pepper (Soul Note, 1987) Monk in Motian with Geri Allen and Dewey Redman (JMT, 1988) On Broadway Volume 1 (JMT, 1989) One Time Out (Soul Note, 1989) On Broadway Volume 2 with Charlie Haden (JMT, 1989) Worlds with the Joe Lovano Wind Ensemble (Label Bleu, 1989) Bill Evans with Marc Johnson (JMT, 1990) Motian in Tokyo (JMT, 1991) On Broadway Volume 3 with Lee Konitz and Charlie Haden (JMT, 1991) Trioism (JMT, 1994) At the Village Vanguard (JMT, 1995) Sound of Love (Winter & Winter, 1997) I Have the Room Above Her (ECM, 2005) Time and Time Again (ECM, 2007) The Windmills of Your Mind with Petra Haden and Thomas Morgan w/o Lovano (Winter & Winter, 2011)
With John Zorn Albums mostly written and produced by Zorn, in part with Zorn playing alto saxophone (or other instruments), sometimes conducting the ensemble. The Big Gundown: John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone (Elektra/Nonesuch, 1986) "Godard" on French compilation Godard ça vous chante? (Nato, 1986, Tzadik reissue on Godard/Spillane, 1999) Cobra (Hathut, 1987) Spillane (Elektra/Nonesuch, 1987) News for Lulu with George E. Lewis (Hathut, 1988) Filmworks VII: Cynical Hysterie Hour (CBS/Sony (Japan), 1989) More News for Lulu (Hathut, 1990) Filmworks 1986–1990 (Elektra Nonesuch, 1992) Filmworks III: 1990–1995 (Toys Factory, 1996) New Traditions in East Asian Bar Bands (Tzadik, 1997) Masada Guitars (Tzadik, 2003) Spinoza (Tzadik, 2022) Perchance to Dream (Tzadik, 2022) With Naked City Naked City (Elektra Nonesuch, 1989) Torture Garden (Shimmy Disc, 1990) Grand Guignol (Avant, 1992) Leng Tch'e (Toys Factory, 1992) Heretic (Avant, 1992) Radio (Avant, 1993) Absinthe (Avant, 1993) Live, Vol. 1: The Knitting Factory 1989 (Tzadik, 2002) Complete Studio Recordings (compilation, Tzadik, 2005)
With the Gnostic Trio (with Carol Emmanuel, Kenny Wollesen) The Gnostic Preludes (Tzadik, 2012) The Mysteries (Tzadik, 2013) In Lambeth (Tzadik, 2013) The Testament of Solomon (Tzadik, 2014) Transmigration of the Magus (Tzadik, 2014) The Mockingbird (Tzadik, 2016) The Book Beri'ah, Vol. 7: Netzach (Tzadik, 2019) Gnosis: The Inner Light (Tzadik, 2021)
With Julian Lage & Gyan Riley Nove cantici per Francesco d'Assisi (Tzadik, 2019) Virtue (Tzadik, 2020) Teresa de Avila (Tzadik, 2021) Parables (Tzadik, 2021) A Garden of Forking Paths (Tzadik, 2021) Nothing Is as Real as Nothing (Tzadik, 2023) Lamentations (Tzadik, 2024)
Albums featured