Bill Frisell - In My Dreams (LP Vinyl)

Read Jeff Tamarkin's review of Bill Frisell's In My Dreams from February 27, 2026, on relix.com.

In My Dreams is both familiar Bill Frisell and brand-new Bill Frisell. The renowned guitarist, who is quite successful at never determinedly repeating himself, has recorded before in a trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Rudy Royston, beginning with 2016's When You Wish Upon a Star, and he's also made music before with violinist Jenny Scheinman, violist Eyvind Kang and cellist Hank Roberts, going back two decades to the album Richter 858.

There have been occasions when the six have nearly coalesced — all but Morgan accompany Frisell on 2013's Big Sur — but not until now has he brought the two entities together in the studio. While that might seem to be obvious — creating a new sextet from favored players — the result is anything but that. Frisell and his collaborators go to places as an expanded unit that they haven't separately, and it's all quite exhilarating and magnificent.

Not every track on the Lee Townsend-produced, Frisell-arranged set utilizes the entire crew. Frisell himself sits out the opening track, "Trapped in the Sky," although he wrote it — the recording features only viola and violin. But from there, most of the music features the full ensemble, some recorded live, some in the studio, some written by Frisell, others not (like their excellent, ethereal take on "Home on the Range").

Among the live tracks, the original "Again," which spotlights Royston, migrates from audacious to subtle, while Duke Ellington's "Isfahan" is sweet and airy, Frisell taking liberties with melody and form. "Why?" and "Never Too Late," both originals, are studio highlights — the former playful and mesmerizing, the latter symphonic in its breadth. Hopefully, now that they've gone there, we'll be hearing more from this sextet.