Bill Frisell – ein „zurückhaltender Einzelgänger, [der] einen gewaltigen Einfluss ausgeübt hat“ (The New Yorker) – blickt auf eine einzigartige musikalische Karriere zurück, die sich über mehr als vier Jahrzehnte erstreckt. Der Gitarrist wurde am 18. März 2026 75 Jahre alt und feiert seinen runden Geburtstag mit einer Reihe von Sonderkonzerten im Rahmen besonderer Projekte.

„Luke Bergman und Tim Angulo. Es dreht sich alles um die Musik. Großzügigkeit. Seit langer, langer Zeit bringt mich Luke Bergman aus dem Häuschen. Er zeigt mir Dinge. Harmonie. Da ist noch etwas anderes. Wie tief wird es noch gehen? Wir haben schon so viel gemeinsam gemacht, und doch fühlt es sich an, als hätten wir gerade erst begonnen, an der Oberfläche zu kratzen. Und dann ist da noch Tim Angulo. Bei den ersten Tönen, die wir zusammen spielten, fühlte ich mich wie zu Hause … aber gleichzeitig auf völlig unbekanntem Terrain. Geheimnis. Ein Traum. Ein guter Traum. Das Unerwartete. Keine Angst. Tim Angulo und Luke Bergman zusammen. Ich wusste, dass das passieren musste. Es gibt so viel, worauf man sich freuen kann. Abenteuer, die noch vor uns liegen. Luke und Tim sind meine Lehrer.“ Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 45 years and many celebrated recordings, whose catalog has been cited by Downbeat as “the best recorded output of the decade”. Frisell’s new album, “In My Dreams” released February ’26 by Blue Note Records to coincide with a series of concerts celebrating his 75th birthday throughout the U.S. and Europe. Produced by Lee Townsend, the album features Frisell’s long-time collaborators - Jenny Scheinman (violin), Eyvind Kang (viola), Hank Roberts (cello), Thomas Morgan (bass) and Rudy Royston (drums) - in an ensemble configuration that has never recorded together previously, performing largely original music written or newly arranged, especially for this project. Bill’s excitement for it is palpable. “I’ve been dreaming about this.”, he said. "A family gathering. A reunion. That’s what it feels like getting together with my closest friends. Our history goes back decades. Coming up on a half-century with Hank! I’ve spent so much time with these folks. Traveled many miles. But that doesn’t mean we’re done. There’s still much unfinished business. We’re just getting started." In March 2022, a biography on Frisell, entitled Beautiful Dreamer – The Guitarist Who Changed The Sound of American Music, written by Philip Watson was published by Faber and released in the UK, Europe, South, Central America & Asia. Through unprecedented access, and interviews with his close family, friends and collaborators, Philip Watson tells the story of the innovative and influential guitarist and composer.
Recognized as one of America’s 21 most vital and productive performing artists, Frisell was named an inaugural Doris Duke Artist in 2012. He is also a recipient of grants from United States Artists and Meet the Composer, among others. From 2013 – 2015, Bill was Resident Artistic Director for Jazz at Lincoln Center for their Roots of Americana series, and in 2016, he was a beneficiary of the first FreshGrass Composition commission to preserve and support innovative grassroots music. Upon SFJAZZ opening their doors in 2013, he served as one of their Resident Artistic Directors. Bill is also the subject of a documentary film by director Emma Franz, entitled Bill Frisell: A Portrait, which examines hiscreative process in depth. He has also received an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music.

Luke Bergman is a multi-instrumentalist based in New York City. He has worked with Bill Frisell as a bassist, guitarist and vocalist and appears on Frisell’s album “HARMONY”. As a pedal steel guitarist, he is known for his distinctive approach to the instrument, performing jazz and classical music alongside repertoire traditionally associated with that instrument. He has released two solo albums and one trio album with Jason Burger and Martin Nevin. He performs and records regularly in and around New York. Luke grew up in the Pacific Northwest. During his time there he was active in the band Heatwarmer as a composer, bassist and vocalist. He also contributed to Thousands (guitar and vocals), Lonesome Shack (bass and dobro) and The Cuong Vu 4-tet (bass).

Timothy Angulo is a drummer and composer based in NYC. Although his background is in jazz, Angulo has performed with a dizzying array of musicians including Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker, Ethiopian legend Mulatu Astatke, acclaimed trumpet player Ambrose Akinmusire and Mac Arthur fellow Craig Taborn, as well as jazz royalty Reggie Workman, Ravi Coltrane and Bill Frisell. He is a member of experimental group L’Rain and is as comfortable performing at North Sea Jazz Festival, The MET Museum and Billboard live Tokyo as he is on stadium stages like Forest Hills and Hollywood Bowl. Combining intuition and discipline to allow the music to reveal itself regardless of genre, Timothy Angulo is one of the most original, innovative and versatile drummers working today.