Lee Townsend is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 independent music producer, curator, artist manager and co-owner of Songline/Tone Field Productions, specializing in recordings of singer-songwriters, bands, contemporary composers, improvising musicians and cross-cultural musical collaborations.

Background and career

Since 1983, Townsend has produced recordings of artists including Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell

William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...

, John Scofield

John Scofield

John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...

, Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Wainwright III

Loudon Snowden Wainwright III is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, folk singer, humorist, and actor. He is the father of musicians Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche, brother of Sloan Wainwright, and the former husband of the late folk singer Kate McGarrigle.To...

, Kelly Joe Phelps

Kelly Joe Phelps

Kelly Joe Phelps is an American musician and songwriter. His music has been characterized as a mixture of delta blues and jazz.-Career:...

, Rinde Eckert, Vinicius Cantuaria

Vinicius Cantuária

Vinicius Cantuária is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, guitarist, drummer and percussionist. He is associated with Bossa nova and Brazilian jazz. Originally from the Amazonian city of Manaus, Cantuária grew up in Rio and relocated to New York City in the mid-1990s...

, Shweta Jhaveri, Dino Saluzzi

Dino Saluzzi

Timoteo "Dino" Saluzzi is an Argentine musician.The son of popular carpero composer and instrumentalist Cayetano Saluzzi, Dino played the bandoneón since his childhood...

, Gabriela, Petra Haden

Petra Haden

Petra Haden is an American violinist and singer. She is or has been a member of several bands, including That Dog, Tito & Tarantula, and The Decemberists; has contributed to recordings by The Twilight Singers, Beck, Mike Watt, Luscious Jackson, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Queens of the Stone Age,...

, Viktor Krauss

Viktor Krauss

Viktor Karl Krauss is a bassist.He has worked with Peter Rowan and Lyle Lovett, among other musicians.He is the brother of bluegrass musician Alison Krauss. He has played on some of his sister's albums, together with those of her dobro player, Jerry Douglas.-External links:*...

, Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...

/Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell

William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...

, Choying Drolma & Steve Tibbetts

Steve Tibbetts

Steve Tibbetts is a Saint Paul-based American guitarist known for an original approach to both composing and sound-forming. Tibbetts views the recording studio as a tool for creating sounds...

, Pat Metheny

Pat Metheny

Patrick Bruce "Pat" Metheny is an American jazz guitarist and composer.One of the most successful and critically acclaimed jazz musicians to come to prominence in the 1970s and '80s, he is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works and other side projects...

/John Scofield

John Scofield

John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...

, Joey Baron

Joey Baron

Joey Baron is an American avant-garde jazz drummer probably best known for his work with Bill Frisell, Stan Getz, Steve Kuhn, and John Zorn...

, Charlie Hunter

Charlie Hunter

for the New Zealand racehorse trainer and driver see: Charlie HunterCharlie Hunter is an American guitarist, composer and bandleader....

, T.J.Kirk, Dave Holland

Dave Holland

Dave Holland is an English jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader who has been performing and recording for five decades. He has lived in the United States for 40 years....

, Hank Jones

Hank Jones

Henry "Hank" Jones was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award...

, John Abercrombie

John Abercrombie (guitarist)

John Abercrombie is an American jazz guitarist, whose work often explores jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie has played with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker...

, Jerry Granelli, Marc Johnson, Jonah Smith

Jonah Smith

Jonah Smith is an American musician.He recorded his first indie album, Industry Rule, in 2000 at engineer Matt Stein's studio in New York...

, Noe Venable

Noe Venable

Noe Venable is an experimental folk/pop singer-songwriter. She has earned a loyal fan base in her native San Francisco, in part through frequently performing in small, intimate venues...

, Crooked Still

Crooked Still

Crooked Still is an alternative bluegrass band consisting of vocalist Aoife O'Donovan, banjo player Dr. Gregory Liszt, bassist Corey DiMario, cellist Tristan Clarridge and fiddler Brittany Haas...

, Paul Dresher

Paul Dresher

Paul Joseph Dresher is an American composer. Dresher received his B.A. in music from the University of California, Berkeley and his M.A. in composition from the University of California, San Diego, where he studied with Robert Erickson, Roger Reynolds, Pauline Oliveros, and Bernard Rands.He also...

, Marty Ehrlich

Marty Ehrlich

Marty Ehrlich is a multi-instrumentalist and is considered one of the leading figures in experimental or avant-garde jazz....

, Dusan Bogdanovic

Dušan Bogdanovic

Dušan Bogdanović is a Serbian-born American composer and classical guitarist. He has explored musical languages which are reflected in his style today: a unique synthesis of classical, jazz and ethnic music...

, Paul Sprawl, and Stephen Yerkey, among others.

Townsend is a member of the cooperative group, Floratone, along with Frisell, Matt Chamberlain

Matt Chamberlain

Matthew Chamberlain is an American drummer, producer and sound engineer. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...

 and Tucker Martine

Tucker Martine

Tucker Martine is an American, Grammy nominated record producer, musician and composer who has worked with artists such as My Morning Jacket, Mudhoney, Bill Frisell, The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, R.E.M., Laura Veirs, Spoon, and Tift Merritt...

. He has also collaborated on motion picture soundtracks and theater music. Additionally, he has been producer of the "Century of Song" program for the Ruhr Triennale Arts festival in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Vice President of Artists and Repertoire for Verve/Polygram Records in New York, General Manager and Director of United States Operations at ECM Records in New York, Guest Curator and Producer of Music Programming at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, California

Saratoga, California

Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census....

, and a staff producer at National Public Radio affiliate, KCRW

KCRW

KCRW is a public radio station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, carrying a mix of National Public Radio news, talk radio and freeform music format. The general manager of KCRW is Jennifer Ferro...

-FM in Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...

.

Discography

Bill Frisell

Bill Frisell

William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...

• Sign Of Life (Savoy Jazz, 2011)
• Lagrimas Mexicanas (Bill Frisell & Vinicius Cantuaria / E1 Music / 2011)
• Beautiful Dreamers (Savoy Jazz, 2010)
• Disfarmer (Nonesuch, 2009)
• All Hat (Motion picture soundtrack, Universal, 2008)
• History, Mystery (Nonesuch, 2008) Double CD
• Floratone (Bluenote, 2007)
• Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian (Nonesuch, 2006)
• Frisell/Carter/Motian e.p. (Nonesuch, 2006) Download-only
• East/West (Nonesuch, 2005) Double CD
• Further East/Further West (Nonesuch, 2005) Download-only
• The Intercontinentals (Nonesuch, 2003)
• The Willies (Nonesuch, 2002)
• With Dave Holland and Elvin Jones (Nonesuch, 2001)
• Blues Dream (Nonesuch, 2001)
• Ghost Town (Nonesuch, 2000)
• Good Dog, Happy Man
  Good Dog, Happy Man
  Good Dog, Happy Man is the eleventh album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label. It was released in 1999 and features performances by Frisell, Greg Leisz, Wayne Horvitz, Viktor Krauss and Jim Keltner with a guest appearance by Ry Cooder on guitar.-Reception:The Allmusic...
  
   (Nonesuch, 1999)
• Gone, Just Like a Train (Nonesuch, 1998)
• Quartet (Nonesuch, 1996)
• The High Sign/One Week {Keaton} (Nonesuch, 1995)
• Go West: Music for the Films of Buster Keaton (Nonesuch, 1995)
• This Land (Nonesuch, 1994)
• Before We Were Born
  Before We Were Born
  Before We Were Born is the first album by Bill Frisell to be released on the Elektra Nonesuch label. It was released in 1989 and features performances by Frisell, Hank Roberts, Kermit Driscoll, and Joey Baron with guest appearances by Arto Lindsay, Peter Scherer, Julius Hemphill, Billy Drewes, Doug...
  
   (Nonesuch, 1989)
• Lookout for Hope (ECM, 1987)

Bill Frisell / Elvis Costello

• The Sweetest Punch (w/ Cassandra Wilson) (Decca / '99)
• Deep Dead Blue (Nonesuch / '95)

Petra Haden and Bill Frisell

• Petra Haden and Bill Frisell (True North, 2003 / Skip, 2004)

Carrie Rodriguez

• We Still Love Our Country (Ninth Street Opus / 2010)
• Love and Circumstance (Ninth Street Opus / 2010)

Blame Sally

• Night of 1000 Stars (Ninth Street Opus / 2009)

Kelly Joe Phelps

• Tap the Red Cane Whirlwind (True North, Rykodisc / 2005)
• Slingshot Professionals (Rykodisc / 2003)

Loudon Wainwright III

• Here Come the Choppers (Sovereign Artists / 2005)

Jonah Smith

• Jonah Smith (Relix / 2006)

Doug Wamble

• Doug Wamble (Blue Note / 2009)

John Scofield

• Bump (Verve, 2000)
• A Go Go (w/ Medeski, Martin and Wood) (Verve / '98)
• Groove Elation (Blue Note / '95)
• Hand Jive (w/ Eddie Harris) (Blue Note / '94)

John Scofield / Pat Metheny

• I Can See Your House from Here (Blue Note / '94)

Rinde Eckert

• Story In, Story Out (Intuition - Songline / Tone Field series, '97)
• Do the Day Over (City of Tribes, '95)
• Finding My Way Home (DIW, '92)

Shweta Jhaveri

• Anahita (Intuition - Songline / Tone Field series, '99)

Choying Drolma/Steve Tibbetts

• Selwa (Six Degrees Records, 2004)

Dino Saluzzi / Anthony Cox / David Friedman

• Rios (Intuition, '95)

Gabriela

• El Viaje (Intuition, 2006)
• Viento Rojo (Intuition - Songline / Tone Field series, '99)
• Detras del Sol (Intuition - Songline / Tone Field series, '97)

Vinicius Cantuaria

• Vinicius (Transparent Music, 2001)
• Lagrimas Mexicanas (E1 Music)

Viktor Krauss

• II (Back Porch/EMI, 2007)
• Far From Enough (Nonesuch / 2004)

Joey Baron

• We'll Soon Find Out (Intuition - Songline / Tone Field series, 2000)
• Down Home (Intuition - Songline / Tone Field series, '97)

Dave Holland

• Triplicate (ECM, '88)

Hank Jones / Dave Holland / Billy Higgins

• The Oracle (Polygram Jazz, '90)

Charlie Hunter

• Friends Seen and Unseen
  Friends Seen and Unseen
  Friends Seen and Unseen is a studio album by Charlie Hunter Trio, released in 2004. The Trio is composed of Charlie Hunter playing 8-string guitar, John Ellis - various wind instruments and Derrek Phillips - drums.-Track listing:...
  
  (Ropeadope, 2004)
• Return of the Candyman (Blue Note / '98)
• Natty Dread (Blue Note / '97)
• Ready...Set...Shango (Blue Note / '96)
• Bing, Bing, Bing (Blue Note / '95)

T.J. Kirk

• If Four was One (Warner Bros., '96)
• T.J. Kirk (Warner Bros., '95)

Marc Johnson

• The Sound of Summer Running (Verve, '98)
• Right Brain Patrol (JMT, '92)

Jerry Granelli

• Sand Hills Reunion (Songlines, 2004)
• Broken Circle (Intuition - Songline / Tone Field series, '96)
• News from the Street (Intuition, '95)
• Another Place (Intuition, '94)
• A Song I Thought I Heard Buddy Sing (ITM, '93)

John Abercrombie

• Getting There (ECM, '88)

Crooked Still

• Shaken By A Low Sound (Signature Sounds, 2006)

Noe Venable

• No Curses Here (Intuition - Songline / Tone Field series, '99)

Paul Sprawl

• Blue Suitcase (Intuition - Songline / Tone Field series, '99)

Dusan Bogdanovic

• Yano Mori (Intuition - Songline / Tone Field series, '99)
• Early to Rise (Palo Alto, '84)

Will Bernard

• Medicine Hat (Verve / Antilles, '98)

Pothole

• Dirty Picnic (Intuition - Songline / Tone Field series, '97)

Stephen Yerkey

• Confidence, Man (Heydey, '94)

Zubot and Dawson

• Chicken Scratch (True North/ 2002)

Laughing Stock

• Underskin (Poor Me Music / 2003)

Fred Hersch / Bill Frisell

• Songs We Know (Nonesuch / '98)

Finding Forrester (film soundtrack featuring music by Bill Frisell)

• Finding Forrester (Sony, 2001)

All Hat (film soundtrack featuring music by Bill Frisell)

• All Hat (Universal / 2008)

Living Daylights

• Electric Rosary (Liquid City, 2000)

External links

• Songtone.com
• Billfrisell.com
• Floratone.com