Frisell was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but spent most of his youth in the Denver, Colorado, area. He studied clarinet with Richard Joiner of the Denver Symphony Orchestra as a youth, graduated from Denver East High School, and went to the University of Northern Colorado to study music.
His original guitar teacher in the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area was Dale Bruning, with whom Frisell released the 2000 duo album Reunion. After graduating from Northern Colorado, where he studied with Johnny Smith, Frisell went to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied with Jon Damian and Jim Hall.
Frisell's major break came when guitarist Pat Metheny was unable to make a recording session, and recommended Frisell to Paul Motian who was recording Psalm (1982) for ECM Records. Frisell became ECM's in-house guitar player, and worked on several albums, most notably Jan Garbarek's 1981 Paths, Prints. Frisell's first solo release was In Line featured solo guitar and duets with bassist Arild Andersen.
Frisell's first group to receive much acclaim was a quartet with Kermit Driscoll on bass, Joey Baron on drums, and Hank Roberts on cello (later slimmed down to a trio when Roberts left). Many other albums with larger ensembles were recorded with this group as the core.
In the 1980s Frisell lived in New York City and was an active participant in the city's music scene. He forged an early partnership with John Zorn—including as a member of quick-change band Naked City—and performed or recorded with many others. He also became known for his work in drummer Paul Motian's trio, along with saxophonist Joe Lovano.
In 1988 Frisell left New York City and moved to Seattle, Washington. In the early 1990s Frisell made two of his best-reviewed albums: first, Have a Little Faith, an ambitious survey of Americana of all stripes, from Charles Ives and Aaron Copland (the entirety of Billy the Kid) to John Hiatt (the title song), Bob Dylan ("Just Like a Woman") and Madonna (a lengthy, psychedelic rock-tinged version of "Live to Tell"); and second, This Land, a complementary set of originals. During this time he performed with many musicians, including the more up and coming, such as Douglas September on album 10 Bulls. He also branched out by performing soundtracks to silent films of Buster Keaton with his trio, and contributed to Ryuichi Sakamoto's album Heartbeat.
In the mid-1990s, Frisell disbanded his trio. He continued the trend marked by Have a Little Faith by more explicitly incorporating elements of bluegrass and country music into his music. His friendship with Gary Larson led him to provide music for the TV version of The Far Side (released on the album Quartet along with music written for Keaton's Convict 13). Since 2000, Frisell has lived on Bainbridge Island, Washington, near Seattle.
Several of Frisell's songs, including his recording of "Over the Rainbow" and "Coffaro's Theme", were featured in the movie Finding Forrester (2000).
In 1999, Frisell was commissioned by the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota to compose Blues Dream, which he premiered on November 15, 1999. He later recorded the work for a 2001 release on Nonesuch.
Also in 1999, he released The Sweetest Punch which featured a seven-piece jazz ensemble reworking the tunes written and recorded by Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach on Painted from Memory.
Between 2003 and 2005 Frisell acted as musical director for Century of Song, a series of concerts at the German arts festival RuhrTriennale (produced by Lee Townsend). Frisell invited artists including Rickie Lee Jones, Elvis Costello, Suzanne Vega, Arto Lindsay, Loudon Wainwright III, Vic Chesnutt, Van Dyke Parks, Buddy Miller, Ron Sexsmith and Chip Taylor to perform their favorite songs in new arrangements.
In 2003, Frisell's The Intercontinentals was nominated for a Grammy award; he won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for his album Unspeakable. His 2008 album, History, Mystery was nominated for a 2009 Grammy award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group. Frisell was also a judge for the 6th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.
Frisell has united with Matt Chamberlain, Tucker Martine, and Lee Townsend in the Floratone band, and they have released an album on Blue Note (2007), featuring guest performance of Viktor Krauss, Ron Miles, Eyvind Kang.
In 2008, Frisell performed as a featured guest on Earth's album The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull.
In 2009, Frisell featured in a duet rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" with singer-songwriter, Sam Shrieve. The recording was released on Shrieve's debut album Bittersweet Lullabies.
In 2010, Frisell started working with the Savoy Jazz label and released Beautiful Dreamers in August 2010, then a second release of Sign of Life in April 2011. Also, on January 25, 2011, Bill Frisell and Vinicius Cantuária released Lágrimas Mexicanas on the E1 label.
In June, 2011, Frisell, Lee Townsend, and their frequent collaborator, Vinicius Cantuaria, participated in TEDx GoldenGateED's program, "Teaching Compassion" in Oakland, California. Frisell and Cantuaria performed separately, and Townsend assisted with technical aspects of the event.
In September 2011, Frisell released All We Are Saying, a full-length offering of his interpretations of John Lennon's music. Frisell's quintet includes violinist Jenny Scheinman, pedal steel and acoustic guitarist Greg Leisz, bassist Tony Scherr, and drummer Kenny Wollesen.
Live to Tell
Bill Frisell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well
I was not ready for the fall
Too blind to see the writing on the wall
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
It will burn inside of me
I know where beauty lives
I've seen it once, I know the warm she gives
The light that you could never see
It shines inside, you can't take that from me
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me
The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again
If I ran away, I'd never have the strength
To go very far
How would they hear the beating of my heart
Will it grow cold
The secret that I hide, will I grow old
How will they hear
When will they learn
How will they know
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me
The truth is never far behind
You kept it hidden well
If I live to tell
The secret I knew then
Will I ever have the chance again
A man can tell a thousand lies
I've learned my lesson well
Hope I live to tell
The secret I have learned, 'till then
It will burn inside of me
The lyrics to "Live to Tell" by Bill Frisell tell a story about the burden of keeping secrets and the fear of their disclosure. The opening lines suggest that there is something significant that the singer has kept hidden, but it becomes increasingly difficult to conceal. The next line, "I was not ready for the fall," implies that the singer has experienced some form of loss or consequence due to their secrecy. The line "too blind to see the writing on the wall" conveys a sense of regret for not having recognized the warning signs and taken action sooner.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of living to tell what the singer knows. While a person may be capable of lying endlessly, there is an inherent value in being honest and sharing the truth. The verse "I know where beauty lives, I've seen it once, I know the warmth she gives" may denote the beauty and vulnerability that the singer values and wishes to protect. Another possibility is that the beauty represents love or a personal connection that the singer has sacrificed to keep a secret.
Overall, "Live to Tell" speaks to the human experience of vulnerability, fear, and the hope for redemption. It touches on themes of betrayal, honesty, and the power of secrets.
Line by Line Meaning
I have a tale to tell
I have a story to share
Sometimes it gets so hard to hide it well
Sometimes it's difficult to keep my story hidden
I was not ready for the fall
I was not prepared for the consequences
Too blind to see the writing on the wall
I couldn't see the warning signs
A man can tell a thousand lies
People can deceive others many times
I've learned my lesson well
I understand the consequences of my actions
Hope I live to tell
I hope I stay alive long enough to share my story
The secret I have learned, 'till then
Until I share my story, it will remain a secret
It will burn inside of me
I will feel a great burden until I share my story
I know where beauty lives
I know where to find great beauty
I've seen it once, I know the warm she gives
I've experienced the warm feeling she gives
The light that you could never see
There is a light that is hidden from view
It shines inside, you can't take that from me
I carry a light within me that cannot be taken away
The truth is never far behind
The truth will always come out eventually
You kept it hidden well
You were good at hiding the truth
Will I ever have the chance again
Will I get the opportunity to act differently?
If I ran away, I'd never have the strength
If I tried to escape, I would not have the courage to succeed
To go very far
To make a meaningful escape
How would they hear the beating of my heart
How would they understand my emotions?
Will it grow cold
Will my heart become numb?
The secret that I hide, will I grow old
Will I take this secret to the grave?
How will they hear
How will others listen to me?
When will they learn
When will others understand?
How will they know
How will others comprehend?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Madonna Ciccone, Patrick Leonard
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Estúdio Monteverdi
This whole album is a masterpiece
mauro neghe
great album
lowrence mayfield
Who says the original version of a song is always the best ?
rillloudmother
I agree, Frisell has a valid argument for definitive version of this song.
Simon Barrow
@rillloudmother Absolutely. Adore this...
Ted Shredz
I know what I knew about the original Patrick Leonard/ Madonna piece and can hear her lyrics in my mind but, the melody presented in this way, let's my imagination appreciate it in a different way...making it new for me.
diego bianchini
11.450 visualizzazioni, Madonna è oltre gli 80 milioni. Bill dobbiamo recuperare!
Carlos J Dommar
bautiful
Sebastien Schoeler
#200!