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.
Over the Rainbow
Bill Frisell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
The song “Over the Rainbow” is a powerful and poignant ballad that speaks to the human desire to seek out someplace more perfect than the world we live in. The song was originally written for the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, where it was performed by Judy Garland. In this song, the main character of the movie, Dorothy, sings about her desire to go to someplace more perfect than the terrifying and overwhelming world that surrounds her. The song speaks to the universal human desire to escape the struggles of life and find someplace utopian, where the skies are blue and the dreams we dream really do come true.
The lyrics of the song paint a vivid picture of this paradise, using powerful imagery to conjure up visions of a perfect world. The idea of dreaming is also central to the song, with the lyrics suggesting that it is only through dreaming that we can hope to find a better place. This is reflected in the iconic line, “And the dreams that you dare to dream / really do come true.” The song offers hope to its listeners, suggesting that even if we cannot find this paradise, we can still have hope for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There is a place far away, high in the sky
There's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby.
There is a mythical land he has heard about in a sweet song
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue
The skies are always blue and beautiful in the land
And the dreams that you dare to dream,
Really do come true.
In this land, dreams you dare to dream really happen
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me.
He hopes to visit this land and leave all his problems behind
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
High above the chimney tops,
That's where you'll find me.
In this land, problems vanish like magic and he is happiest at the highest point
Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
Blue birds can fly to the special land, so he wonders why he cannot too
If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?
He imagines that the bluebirds are happy to fly over the rainbow to reach the land, and he feels he should be able to do the same
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Yip Harburg, Harold Arlen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@briangroover7515
Possibly the most brilliant piece of musical avoidance I have ever heard. There are no words to describe the poignant beauty of this interpretation.
@ianbishop6950
'musical avoidance' – I like that!
@michaelmathis6002
My mother wanted this song to be played when we buried her in south GA. Blessed be her soul!
@sph33_
Bill Frisell is a treasure.
@donjuancontreras5034
This song has an air of opulence and connectedness of senses. This touched my soul.
@88sublunaire
Absolument merveilleux. Épuré, essentiel, quintessentiel même....merci Mr Frisell
@debydav
Finding Forrester brought me here.
Movie currently airing/available for viewing on Cinemax cable network.
Favorite Quote:
"The rest of those who have gone before us
cannot steady the unrest of those to follow."
@foxonesplash
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole – 'Over The Rainbow' & 'What A Wonderful World' Medley – 1993
This is who you heard in, "Finding Forrester" not Bill Frisell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z26BvHOD_sg
@tsiem88
Foxonesplash - Yes to your first statement, no to your second. This Bill Frissell song plays while Jamal is flipping through William's family book, while William is sleeping. Very moving scene
@david57strat
I don't think foxonesplash even watched the movie, @Tex 88. I think he just looked up Over the Rainbow Finding Forrester, on YouTube, and came across the other version of Over the Rainbow, by Israel (that also happened to be in the movie, but at the very end), and incorrectly assumed that was the only version that was in the movie.
Bill Frisell's version can be found on Track 6, of that CD soundtrack album. The track is entitled "Over the Rainbow (Photo Book), and he is credited for the performance as well.
It was recorded in Los Angeles at Fantasy Studios, in Berkeley, and Mixed at Prime Post, in Los Angeles, California.
https://imgur.com/MUv3pOF
As a matter of fact, I bought the sound track on CD, especially because I loved this song so much. Unfortunately, his version of the song, in that particular movie, can't be found (at least, as of this moment) on YouTube, or on Apple Music - which is very sad, because I believe that's the most beautiful solo guitar version of the song that I've ever heard in my life, and all the more powerful than this particular studio version that is linked here, if you can believe it.It really is an amazing and very poignant piece that was included in one of the most touching scenes in this unforgettable movie.