Bill Frisell's latest Nonesuch CD release, Disfarmer, features reproductions of images by the 20th century American photographer Michael Disfarmer that inspired the music on the album. Chuck Helm, the Director of the Performing Arts at the Wexner Center in Columbus, Ohio, and a friend of Frisell's, first introduced the guitarist to Disfarmer’s work thinking that just such inspiration might take hold. The result was the multimedia performance piece Disfarmer Project, which premiered at the Wexner Center in March 2007, followed by a tour and last month's album release.

The Columbus Dispatch examines the local connection to the project in an article by writer Anna Sudar, which examines Disfarmer's life and traces the project from Helm's own introduction to the photographer's work. Frisell's own connection to the images becomes apparent as well. "Your imagination can really go far with any of them," he tells Sudar. "You wonder where these people came from and what's happening with their families. There are so many stories."

Read the article at dispatch.com.

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Three performances of Frisell's Disfarmer Project are scheduled for next month, beginning at the University of Illinois in Urbana's Krannert Center. Joining Bill will be steel guitarist Greg Leisz and bassist Viktor Krauss from the album and violinist Eyvind Kang, who replaces Jenny Scheinman.

It all follows Frisell's two-week stint at New York's Village Vanguard, which begins Tuesday night. For the residency, he joins the trio of drummer Paul Motian (his collaborator on an eponymous 2006 Nonesuch trio album with bassist Ron Carter) and saxophonist Joe Lovano.

For information on these and other upcoming tour dates, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.