special engagement
The Films of Bill Morrison: Music by Bill Frisell with Tim Angulo and Luke Bergman
in Collaboration with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Bill Frisell - Electric Guitar
Luke Bergman - Electric Bass
Tim Angulo - Drums
Composer/guitarist Bill Frisell and filmmaker Bill Morrison met over 30 years ago when they were both working at the Village Vanguard in the early 1990s, with Frisell on stage, and Morrison in the kitchen. Their decades-long friendship and collaboration has produced a number of films and live performances, including The Film of Her (1996), The Mesmerist (2003), The Great Flood (2013), and The Tank and The West (2021).
Frisell’s career as a guitarist and composer has spanned more than 40 years and many celebrated recordings. His catalog has been cited by Downbeat as "the best recorded output of the decade.” In recent years, Frisell has forged a distinctive and fruitful collaboration with the Blue Note label, releasing HARMONY, Valentine, FOUR, and most recently, Orchestras to great acclaim.
"Frisell has had a lot of practice putting high concept into a humble package. Long hailed as one of the most distinctive and original improvising guitarists of our time, he has also earned a reputation for teasing out thematic connections with his music...There’s a reason that Jazz at Lincoln Center had him program a series called Roots of Americana." - New York Times
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, Meet the Composer among others. In 2016, he was a beneficiary of the first FreshGrass Composition commission to preserve and support innovative grassroots music. Upon San Francisco Jazz opening their doors in 2013, he served as one of their Resident Artistic Directors. Frisell’s residency In 2019, Jazz at Lincoln Center showcased him as guest curator and featured performer for the above-mentioned programmed series of concerts, Roots of Americana. He is the subject of a documentary film by director Emma Franz, entitled Bill Frisell: A Portrait, which examines his creative process in depth, as well as an extensive biography by Philip Watson, Beautiful Dreamer: The Guitarist Who Changed The Sound of American Music.
Morrison has been called “the poet laureate of lost films” (New York Times, 9/21/2021). He is best known for two cult classics: Decasia (2002), the first film of the 21st century to be named to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, and Dawson City: Frozen Time (2016) which has often been listed as one of the best films of its decade (2010s). Incident (2023) won the International Documentary Association Award, Cinema Eye Honors in 2025, and was nominated for an Academy Award for in 2025. As a theatrical projection designer, Morrison has designed film and video to accompany large scale theatrical and music performance for over 30 different productions since 1990. For over 35 years he has consistently worked with some of the greatest composers and musical performers of our time. Recent projection design credits include Antony and Cleopatra by John Adams at the Met Opera in 2025.
Luke Bergman
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).
Tim Angulo
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.