In 2005, Bill Frisell won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for his album "Unspeakable".

William Richard "Bill" Frisell, along with Pat Metheny and John Scofield, is probably the most representative guitarist of his generation. Frisell, began his professional career in 1979, when Pat Metheny recommended him to Manfred Eicher's ECM, Frisell became the resident guitar player of the label. His solo career began in 1983, with the album "In Line", in this period, he started also lasting collaborations, including the quartet with Kermit Driscoll on bass, Joey Baron on drums and Hank Roberts on cello, the trio of Paul Motian, Joe Lovano on saxophone, Wayne Horvitz, John Zorn's Naked City, Bobby Previte, Tim Berne and others. Since the early nineties, Frisell has developed also his interests for the classic American styles, blues, country, bluegrass. Often, he collaborates with several artists also of pop rock music scene, including, Elvis Costello, David Sylvian, Suzanne Vega and Ryuichi Sakamoto.