You probably know we love Bill Frisell at Popdose, but even if you own all of his records (and if you do, we’re definitely impressed), you still know more about the music than the man — and given that we’re talking about one of the more humble and hard-working guitarists in the business, we could all stand to learn a little more about what makes him tick.

Enter Bill Frisell the Movie, a documentary currently in the works from filmmaker Emma Franz. Promising to explore “Frisell’s ideas, music, history, events and the people who have been pivotal in his life as he helped to shape and reveal the potential of the guitar by developing his stunningly singular musical voice,” the movie includes interviews with Paul Motian, Ron Carter, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette, Joey Baron, Jim Hall, McCoy Tyner, Paul Simon, Jason Moran, Bonny Raitt, Mike Gibbs, Kenny Wollesen, Tony Scherr, Nels Cline, Hal Wilner, Greg Cohen, Hank Roberts, and Lucinda Williams, among others.

Of course, talking only goes so far when you’re trying to get inside a subject like this, and to that end, the Frisell film also includes footage from “the very last performance of Paul Motian’s Trio with Bill and Joe Lovano, Richter 858, the early days of the Beautiful Dreamers, a session at Fantasy Studios with Kenny Wollesen and Tony Scherr, a project with Mike Gibbs, Joey Baron and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jason Moran and the Majestic Strings with Buddy Miller and Marc Ribot.”

Franz has clearly done a lot of legwork — you can watch a few bits below — but she needs help getting the movie across the finish line, so she’s started an Indiegogo campaign to raise extra funds. Perks include DVDs, signed Frisell CDs (some of which include exclusive music), and even a Skype session with the master himself. Visit that link to chip in, and check out the campaign video right here.

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Jeff Giles

Jeff Giles is the founder and editor-in-chief of Popdose and Dadnabbit, as well as an entertainment writer whose work can be seen at Rotten Tomatoes and a number of other sites. Hey, why not follow him at Twitter while you're at it?

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