Bill Frisell

Start with In Line, released by ECM in 1983, because it presents Frisell's spacious guitar language with very little clutter. If you want the more chamber-like side of his ECM period, also try Rambler from 1985.

Frisell often folds country, folk, blues, and early rock textures into improvisation, especially on albums like Nashville from 1997. That record includes musicians from the Nashville scene and makes his guitar sound closer to American roots music than standard bebop guitar.

Yes. Frisell was part of Paul Motian's influential trio with saxophonist Joe Lovano, a group that helped define a loose, melodic modern jazz sound in the 1980s and 1990s.

His sound often uses sustain, delay, volume swells, and a clean but atmospheric electric-guitar tone. On records such as Good Dog, Happy Man, released on Nonesuch in 1999, the phrasing is as important as the notes.