BILL FRISELL AND THOMAS MORGAN

Everybody loves guitarist Bill Frisell. On his ECM recording debut of 1982, his pristine sound and sensitive selection of just the right notes were immediately captivating, whether unfolding lyrically or turning toward shy, sly fun. A fixture on that era’s “downtown” improvisers’ scene, he was simultaneously at the core of avant-garde composer and saxophonist John Zorn’s circle and heir apparent to guitarist Jim Hall, the epitome of selectivity and good taste. Frisell recorded with Hall, as he has with his colleagues John Scofield, Vernon Reid, Mike Stern, Vinicius Cantuária, and Jakob Bro, and such varied session leaders as New Orleans laureate Allen Toussaint, country-rock-roots singer Lucinda Williams, saxophonist Charles Lloyd, blueswoman Bonnie Raitt and Paul Simon. Through the years, Frisell has has adapted works by Charles Ives and scored the films of Buster Keaton, but his signature is that of a high plains drifter. First-call bassist Thomas Morgan has been a regular in Frisell’s recent groups. This is their first tour as a duet.