Fred Frith
Fred Frith performing at the Moers Jazz Festival, June 1998. (© Alexander Kurz)
Background information
Birth name	Fred Frith
Born	February 17, 1949 (1949-02-17) (age 58) Heathfield, Sussex, England
Genre(s)	Avant-progressive rock, Experimental, Free improvisation, Contemporary classical
Occupation(s)	Musician, Composer, Professor of Composition
Instrument(s)	Guitar, Violin, Bass guitar, Keyboards, Percussion
Years active	1968 – present
Label(s)	Caroline, Ralph, RecRec, Recommended, Fred, Tzadik, Winter & Winter
Associated acts	Henry Cow, Art Bears, Massacre, Skeleton Crew, Keep the Dog, Chris Cutler, John Zorn
Website	www.fredfrith.com

Fred Frith (born February 17, 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 401 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (594 × 887 pixel, file size: 77 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... The Parish of Heathfield and Waldron is in East Sussex, some 16 miles from the coastal town of Eastbourne and 17 miles from the historic spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent. ... Sussex is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Avant-progressive rock is a style of art music based on rock music that explores unconventional territory, often incorporating non-standard chord progressions, tempo changes within a piece, odd time signatures, avant garde passages and complex horn and orchestral arrangements. ... For experimental rock music, see experimental rock. ... Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the taste or inclination of the musician(s) involved; in many cases the musicians make an active effort to avoiding overt references to recognizable musical genres. ... In the broadest sense, contemporary music is any music being written in the present day. ... “Instrumentalist” redirects here. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, popping or using a pick. ... Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... “Percussion” redirects here. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Caroline Records was a subsidiary of Richard Bransons Virgin Records label during the early to mid 1970s. ... Ralph Records was The Residents original record label, the name coming from the somewhat colorful phrase calling Ralph on the porcelain telephone. ... RecRec Music was a Swiss independent record label created in 1983 by Daniel Waldner. ... Recommended Records (RēR) is a British independent record label and distribution network founded by Chris Cutler in 1978. ... Fred Records is a British independent record label created in 2002 by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith to re-release his own back catalogue of recordings and previously unreleased material. ... Tzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. ... Winter & Winter is a record label that specializes in jazz and improvised music. ... Henry Cow was an English avant-garde rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. ... The Art Bears formed out of what was left of the disassembly of the Progressive Rock group Henry Cow in 1978. ... Massacre was a United States improvising rock band from New York City formed in 1980 by guitarist Fred Frith with bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Fred Maher. ... Skeleton Crew in 1982. ... Keep the Dog was a United States experimental rock touring band from New York City formed in 1989 by English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Chris Cutler (born January 4, 1947) is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. ... John Zorn (born September 2, 1953 in Queens, USA) is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. ... is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments. ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... Improvisation is the practice of acting and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of ones immediate environment. ...

Probably best-known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-garde rock group Henry Cow. Frith was also a member of Art Bears, Massacre and Skeleton Crew. He has collaborated with a number of prominent musicians, including Robert Wyatt, Brian Eno, Lars Hollmer, The Residents, Lol Coxhill, John Zorn, Bill Laswell, Derek Bailey, Iva Bittová and Bob Ostertag. He has also composed several long works, including Traffic Continues (1996, performed 1998 by Frith and Ensemble Modern) and Freedom in Fragments (1993, performed 1999 by Rova Saxophone Quartet). For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... A work similar to Marcel Duchamps Fountain Avant garde (written avant-garde) is a French phrase, one of many French phrases used by English speakers. ... Henry Cow was an English avant-garde rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. ... The Art Bears formed out of what was left of the disassembly of the Progressive Rock group Henry Cow in 1978. ... Massacre was a United States improvising rock band from New York City formed in 1980 by guitarist Fred Frith with bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Fred Maher. ... Skeleton Crew in 1982. ... Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945, in Bristol) is an English musician, and a former member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine. ... Brian Eno (pronounced ) (born Brian Peter George St. ... Lars Hollmer is a Swedish musician (primarily accordion and other keyboards) and composer whose work has drawn on influences from Nordic folk tunes to progressive rock. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Lowen Coxhill, almost universally known as Lol Coxhill, born September 19, 1932, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, is a free improvising saxophonist. ... John Zorn (born September 2, 1953 in Queens, USA) is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. ... Bill Laswell (born February 12, 1955 in Salem, Illinois and raised in Albion, Michigan) is an American bassist, producer and record label owner. ... Derek Bailey pictured at the Vortex Club, Stoke Newington, 1991. ... Iva Bittová (born July 22, 1958) is a Czech avant-garde violinist, singer and composer. ... Bob Ostertag (b. ... Ensemble Modern is a chamber ensemble dedicated to the music of modern composers. ... Freedom in Fragments is a studio album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... The Rova Saxophone Quartet is a San Francisco-based all-saxophone band formed in October 1977 at the same time as their less-adventurous but better known colleagues the World Saxophone Quartet. ...

Frith is the subject of Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel's award-winning 1990 documentary film Step Across the Border. He has contributed to a number of music publications, including New Musical Express and Trouser Press, and has conducted improvising workshops across the world. Frith's career spans over three decades and he appears on over 400 albums. He still performs actively throughout the world. ^[1] Step Across the Border is a 1990 avant-garde documentary film on English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a weekly magazine about popular music published in the UK. It is unlike many other popular music magazines due to its intended focus on guitar-based music and indie rock bands, instead of mainstream pop acts. ... Cover of the April 1983 issue of Trouser Press magazine (#84) Trouser Press was a rock and roll magazine started in 1974 by editor/publisher Ira Robbins. ...

Currently Frith is Professor of Composition in the Music Department at Mills College in Oakland, California. He lives in the United States with his wife, German photographer Heike Liss and their children, Finn Liss (b. August 22nd 1991) and Lucia Liss (b. January 8th, 1994). Founded in 1852 and established in Oakland, California, in 1871, Mills College is an independent liberal arts womans college, with graduate programs for women and men. ... “Oakland” redirects here. ...

Frith is the brother of Simon Frith, a well-known music critic and sociologist, and Chris Frith, a psychologist working at University College London. Simon Frith is a former rock critic and a sociologist who specializes in popular music culture, and the brother of guitarist Fred Frith and psychologist Chris Frith. ... A music critic is someone who reviews music (including printed music, performances and recorded music) and publishes writing on them in books or journals (or on the internet). ... Sociology (from Latin: socius, companion; and the suffix -ology, the study of, from Greek λόγος, lógos, knowledge) is an academic and applied discipline that studies society and human social interaction. ... Chris Frith (born March 16, 1942, United Kingdom - ) is a psychologist working at the Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London. ... A psychologist is a scientist or clinician who studies psychology, the systematic investigation of the human mind, including behavior and cognition. ... Affiliations University of London Russell Group LERU EUA ACU Golden Triangle G5 Website http://www. ...

Biography

Frith was born in Heathfield in Sussex, England into a family where music was considered an essential part of life. He started violin lessons at the age of five and became a member of his school orchestra. But at 13 he switched to guitar after watching a group imitating a popular instrumental band at the time, The Shadows. He decided he had learn how to play guitar and get into a band. Frith taught himself guitar from a book of guitar chords and soon found himself in a school group called The Chaperones, playing Shadows and Beatles covers. But when Frith started hearing blues music from the likes of Snooks Eaglin and Alexis Korner it changed his whole approach to the guitar, and by the time he was 15, The Chaperones had become a blues band. Frith's first public performances were in 1967 in folk clubs in the North of England, where he sung and played traditional and blues songs. The Parish of Heathfield and Waldron is in East Sussex, some 16 miles from the coastal town of Eastbourne and 17 miles from the historic spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells in Kent. ... Sussex is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... The Shadows were an English instrumental rock n roll group active from the 1950s to the 2000s. ... Fingering for an open-position C Major chord (with the 5th, a G note, in the bass) played on a six-string acoustic guitar. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays only cover songs. ... “Blues music” redirects here. ... Snooks Eaglin (born January 21, 1936 in New Orleans, Louisiana) is a guitarist and singer in New Orleans. ... Alexis Korner (born Alexis Andrew Nicholas Korner, 19 April 1928 in Paris, France - died on 1 January 1984 in Westminster, London, England) Korner is probably best remembered as the Founding Father of British Blues and a pioneering blues musician. ... Folk clubs (as distinct from American folk-music nightclubs) were primarily an urban phenomenon of 1960s and 1970s Britain. ...

Besides the blues, Frith started listening to any music that had guitar in it, including folk, classical, ragtime and flamenco. He also listened to Indian, Japanese and Balinese music and was particularly drawn to East European music after a Yugoslav school friend taught him folk tunes from his home. Frith went to Cambridge University in 1968 where his musical horizons were expanded further by the philosophies of John Cage and Frank Zappa's manipulation of rock music. Frith graduated from Cambridge with a BA (English Literature) in 1970, and an MA (English Literature) in 1974, but the real significance of Cambridge for him was that that was where the seminal avant-garde rock group Henry Cow were formed. Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the... This article is about Western art music from 1000 AD to the 2000s . ... Look up ragtime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Flamenco is a Spanish musical genre. ... This article is about the Indonesian island. ... Pre-1989 division between the West (grey) and Eastern Bloc (orange) superimposed on current national boundaries: Russia (dark orange), other countries of the former USSR (medium orange),members of the Warsaw pact (light orange), and other former Communist regimes not aligned with Moscow (lightest orange). ... Yugoslavs (Bosnian: Jugosloveni; Macedonian, Serbian Cyrillic: Југословени; Latinic: Jugosloveni; Croatian: Jugoslaveni, Slovenian: Jugoslovani) is an ethnic designation used by some people in former Yugoslavia, which continues to be used in some of its successor countries. ... The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University), located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and has a reputation as one of the worlds most prestigious universities. ... For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ... For the Mortal Kombat character, see Johnny Cage. ... Frank Vincent Zappa[1] (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, musician, and film director. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... A B.A. issued from the University of Tennessee. ... The term English literature refers to literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; Joseph Conrad was Polish, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, Salman Rushdie is Indian, V.S... A Master of Arts is a postgraduate academic masters degree awarded by universities in North America and the United Kingdom (excluding the ancient universities of Scotland and Oxbridge. ... A work similar to Marcel Duchamps Fountain Avant garde (written avant-garde) is a French phrase, one of many French phrases used by English speakers. ... Rock band (or rock group) is a generic name to describe a group of musicians specializing in a particular form of electronically amplified music. ... Henry Cow was an English avant-garde rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. ...

Henry Cow

Main article: Henry Cow

Frith met Tim Hodgkinson, a fellow student, in a blues club at Cambridge University in 1968. "We’d never met before, and he had an alto sax, and I had my violin, and we just improvised this ghastly screaming noise for about half an hour." ^[2] But something clicked and recognizing their mutual open-minded approach to music, Frith and Hodgkinson formed a band there and then. They called it Henry Cow and they remained with the band until its demise in 1978. Henry Cow was an English avant-garde rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. ... Tim Hodgkinson Tim Hodgkinson (born 1 May 1949) is a British experimental composer and performer, principally on keyboards and reed instruments. ...

Frith composed a number of the band's notable pieces, including "Nirvana for Mice" and "Ruins". While guitar was his principal instrument, he also played violin (drawing on his classical training), bass guitar, piano and xylophone. Over its ten years Henry Cow released six albums, toured Europe extensively and produced a body of music that was challenging, provocative and influential for years to come. The music also challenged the capabilities of the musicians themselves, forcing them to learn new techniques and play their instruments in ways never done before. Frith relished these opportunities to explore and experiment, and began pushing his guitar to the limit. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

Guitar Solos

Main article: Guitar Solos (album)

After Henry Cow's first album, Frith released Guitar Solos in 1974, his first solo album and a glimpse at what he had been doing with his guitar. The album comprised eight tracks of unaccompanied and improvised music played on prepared guitars. It was recorded in four days at the Kaleidophon Studios in London without any overdubbing. Guitar Solos is a 1974 solo album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Guitar Solos is a 1974 solo album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Musical improvisation is the spontaneous creative process of making music while it is being performed. ... A prepared guitar is a guitar which has had its timbre altered by placing various objects on or between the instruments strings, including other extended techniques. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Overdubbing is a technique used by recording studios to add a supplementary recorded sound to a previously taped musical recording. ...

When it was released, Guitar Solos was considered a landmark album ^[3] because of its innovative and experimental approach to guitar playing. The January 1983 edition of Down Beat magazine remarked that Guitar Solos "... must have stunned listeners of the day. Even today that album stands up as uniquely innovative and undeniably daring." ^[4] It also attracted the attention of some "mainstream" musicians, including Brian Eno, resulting in Frith playing guitar on two of Eno's albums, Before and after Science (1977) and Music for Films (1978). Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to jazz. ... Brian Eno (pronounced ) (born Brian Peter George St. ... The Other House by Peter Schmidt Before and after Science is a 1977 album by Brian Eno. ... Music for Films (1978) is one of Brian Enos ambient albums. ...

In the mid-1970s, Frith contributed a series of articles to British weekly music magazine, New Musical Express entitled "Great Rock Solos of our Time". In them he analysed prominent rock guitarists of the day and their contribution to the development of the rock guitar, including Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. For other uses, see NME (disambiguation). ... Steve Howe playing lead guitar for Yes in 1977 A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ... Jimi Hendrix (November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter. ... Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945), nicknamed Slowhand, is a Grammy Award winning English guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer. ...

Post Henry Cow

While recording Henry Cow's last album, differences emerged between the group members over the album's content. Frith and Chris Cutler favoured song-oriented material, while Hodgkinson and Lindsay Cooper wanted purely instrumental compositions. As a compromise, Frith and Cutler agreed, early in 1978, to release the songs already created on their own album, Hopes and Fears, under the name Art Bears (with Dagmar Krause). The instrumental material was recorded by Henry Cow on Western Culture later that year, after which the band split. The Art Bears trio continued purely as a studio group until 1981, releasing two more albums, Winter Songs in 1979 and The World as It Is Today in 1981. Chris Cutler (born January 4, 1947) is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. ... Lindsay Cooper (born 3 March 1951) is a British bassoon and oboe player, composer and political activist. ... Hopes and Fears is the first album by English avant-garde rock group Art Bears. ... The Art Bears formed out of what was left of the disassembly of the Progressive Rock group Henry Cow in 1978. ... Dagmar Krause (b. ... Western Culture is an album by British avant-garde rock group Henry Cow, recorded at Sunrise Studios in Kirchberg, Switzerland in July and August 1978. ... Winter Songs is the second album by English avant-garde rock group Art Bears. ... The World as it is Today is the last studio album from the Art Bears. ...

During this time Frith also released Gravity (1980), his second solo album, recorded at Norrgården Nyvla in Uppsala, Sweden with Swedish group Samla Mammas Manna, and at the Catch-a-Buzz studio in Rockville, Maryland with United States band The Muffins. It showed Frith breaking free from the highly structured and orchestrated music of Henry Cow and experimenting with folk and dance music. "Norrgården Nyvla" was also the title of one of the tracks on the album and is considered one of Frith's most recognisable tunes. Gravity is a 1980 solo album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Uppsala (older spelling Upsala) is a city in central Sweden, located about 70 km north of Stockholm. ... Samla Mammas Manna was a Swedish progressive rock band, often characterized by its virtuoso musicianship, circus references and silly humour. ... Location in the State of Maryland Coordinates: Country United States State Maryland County Montgomery County Founded 1717 Incorporated 1860  - Mayor Larry Giammo Area    - City  13. ...

New York

Towards the end of 1979 Frith relocated to New York City where he immediately hooked-up with the local avant-garde scene. The impact on him was uplifting: "... New York was a profoundly liberating experience for me; for the first time I felt that I could be myself and not try to live up to what I imagined people were thinking about me." ^[5] Frith met and began recording with a number of musicians and groups, including Henry Kaiser, Bob Ostertag, Tom Cora, Eugene Chadbourne, Zeena Parkins, Ikue Mori, The Residents, Material, The Golden Palominos and Curlew. He spent some 14 years in New York, during which time he joined a few bands, including for John Zorn's Naked City (in which Frith played bass) and French Frith Kaiser Thompson (consisting of John French, Frith, Henry Kaiser and Richard Thompson). Frith also started three bands himself, namely Massacre, Skeleton Crew and Keep the Dog. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... A work similar to Marcel Duchamps Fountain Avant garde (written avant-garde) is a French phrase, one of many French phrases used by English speakers. ... Henry Kaiser, born in Oakland, California, on 19 September 1952, is a widely-recorded experimental guitarist and frequent collaborator with other musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area. ... Bob Ostertag (b. ... Tom Cora at the Moers Jazz Festival 1997. ... Eugene Chadbourne (January 4, 1954 in Mount Vernon, NY) is a USA composer, improvisor, guitarist and banjoist. ... Zeena Parkins (born Detroit, MI) is a harpist active in rock music, free improvisation and jazz. ... Ikue Mori (もりいくえ Mori Ikue, born 1953 in Tokyo, Japan) is a drummer, composer, and graphic designer. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Material is a musical group formed in 1979 and led by bass guitarist Bill Laswell. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Curlew is an experimental free jazz group founded by saxophone player George Cartwright in 1979. ... John Zorn (born September 2, 1953 in Queens, USA) is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. ... This article is about the band. ... French Frith Kaiser Thompson was a United States experimental rock quartet comprising John French, Fred Frith, Henry Kaiser and Richard Thompson. ... John (Drumbo) French is an American drummer and musician. ... For other persons named Richard Thompson, see Richard Thompson (disambiguation). ... Massacre was a United States improvising rock band from New York City formed in 1980 by guitarist Fred Frith with bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Fred Maher. ... Skeleton Crew in 1982. ... Keep the Dog was a United States experimental rock touring band from New York City formed in 1989 by English multi-instrumentalist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ...

Massacre was formed in 1980 with bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Fred Maher. A high energy experimental rock band, they toured the United States and Europe in 1980 and 1981, and released one album, Killing Time (1981), recorded at Martin Bisi's later-to-be historic studio in Brooklyn. Massacre split in 1981 when Maher left, but later reformed again in 1998 when drummer Charles Hayward joined. The new Massacre released three more albums. Bill Laswell (born February 12, 1955 in Salem, Illinois and raised in Albion, Michigan) is an American bassist, producer and record label owner. ... American musician and record producer. ... Experimental rock or Avant rock is a type of art music based on rock and roll which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, and/or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique. ... Fred Records chronology CD releases Fred Records CD release. ... Martin Bisi is an American producer and songwriter. ... This article is about the borough of New York City. ... Charles Hayward (1952–) was the leader of experimental rock group This Heat. ...

Skeleton Crew, a collaboration with Tom Cora from 1982 to 1986, was an experimental group noted for its live improvisations where Frith (guitar, violin, keyboards, drums) and Cora (cello, bass guitar, homemade drums and contraptions) played a number of instruments simultaneously. They performed extensively across Europe, North America and Japan and released Learn to Talk in 1984. Zeena Parkins (electric harp and keyboards) joined in 1984 and the trio released The Country of Blinds in 1986. For experimental rock music, see experimental rock. ... Learn to Talk is a studio album by American experimental rock and jazz band Skeleton Crew, recorded at Sunrise Studio, Kirchberg, Switzerland, between Christmas and New Year 1983/1984. ... The Country of Blinds is a studio album by American experimental rock and jazz band Skeleton Crew, recorded at Sunrise Studio, Kirchberg, Switzerland, December 1985 and January 1986. ...

Frith formed Keep the Dog in 1989, a sextet and review band for performing selections of his extensive repertoire of compositions from the previous 15 years. The lineup was Frith (guitar, violin, bass guitar), René Lussier (guitar, bass guitar), Jean Derome (winds), Zeena Parkins (piano, synthesizer, harp, accordion), Bob Ostertag (sampling keyboard) and Kevin Norton (drums, percussion). Later Charles Hayward replaced Norton on drums. The group existed until mid-1991, performing live in Europe, North America and the former Soviet Union. A double CD, That House We Lived In, from their final performances in Austria, Germany and Italy in May and June 1991, was released in 2003. A Sextet is a formation containing exactly six members. ... René Lussier (born April 15, 1957) is a musician based in the province of Québec, Canada. ... Jean Derome (born June 29, 1955) is a French Canadian avant-garde saxophonist, flautist and composer. ... That House We Lived In is a double live album by the United States experimental rock band Keep the Dog. ...

Other projects

During the 1980s, Frith began writing music for dance, film and theatre, and a number of his solo albums from this time reflect this genre, including The Technology of Tears (And Other Music for Dance and Theatre) (1988), Middle of the Moment (1995), Allies (Music for Dance volume 2) (1996) and Rivers and Tides (2003). Exploring new forms of composition, Frith also experimented with chance or accidental compositions, often created by building music around "found sounds" and field recordings, examples of which can be found on Accidental (Music for Dance volume 3) (2002) and Prints: Snapshots, Postcards, Messages and Miniatures, 1987-2001 (2002). The Technology of Tears (And Other Music for Dance and Theatre) is a double album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Fred Records chronology Re-issues Fred Records re-issue (2004). ... Fred Records chronology Re-issues Fred Records re-issue (2004). ... For the film of the same name, see Rivers and Tides. ... A found object, in an artistic sense, indicates the use of an object which has not been designed for an artistic purpose, but which exists for another purpose already. ... Field recording is the technique for capturing the audible illustration of an environment, produced outside of a recording studio. ... Fred Records chronology Accidental (Music for Dance volume 3) is a studio album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Fred Records chronology Prints: Snapshots, Postcards, Messages and Miniatures, 1987-2001 is a 2002 album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith, and his first album of songs since Cheap at Half the Price (1983). ...

As a composer, Frith began composing works for other musicians and groups in the late 1980s, including the Rova Saxophone Quartet, Ensemble Modern and Arditti Quartet. In the late 1990s, Frith established his own Fred Frith Guitar Quartet consisting of Frith, René Lussier, Nick Didkovsky and Mark Stewart. Their guitar music, varying from "tuneful and pretty, to noisy, aggressive and quite challenging" ^[6], appears on two albums, Ayaya Moses (1997) and Upbeat (1999), both on Lussier's own Ambiances Magnétiques label. The Rova Saxophone Quartet is a San Francisco-based all-saxophone band formed in October 1977 at the same time as their less-adventurous but better known colleagues the World Saxophone Quartet. ... Ensemble Modern is a chamber ensemble dedicated to the music of modern composers. ... The Arditti Quartet is an internationally acclaimed string quartet founded in 1974. ... The Fred Frith Guitar Quartet was a United States-based contemporary classical and experimental music guitar quartet comprising Fred Frith, René Lussier, Nick Didkovsky and Mark Stewart. ... Nick Didkovsky is a composer, guitarist, computer music programmer, and leader of the band Doctor Nerve. ... Mark Stewart is a New York City based multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer and instrument designer. ... Ambiances Magnétiques is a non-profit, Canadian musical collective, which was formed in 1983 by a group of Montreal independent musicians and producers. ...

Fred Frith and Chris Cutler, partners in time for over three decades.

The ex-Henry Cow members have always maintained close contact with each other and Frith still collaborates with many of them, including Chris Cutler, Tim Hodgkinson and Lindsay Cooper. Cutler and Frith have been touring Europe, Asia and the Americas since 1978 and have given dozens of duo performances. Three albums from some of these concerts have been released by Recommended Records. In December 2006, Cutler, Frith and Hodgkinson performed together at The Stone in New York City, their first concert performance since Henry Cow's demise in 1978. ^{[7] [8]} Image File history File links Fred_Frith_and_Chris_Cutler_(ReR_2001_Catalogue). ... Image File history File links Fred_Frith_and_Chris_Cutler_(ReR_2001_Catalogue). ... Chris Cutler (born January 4, 1947) is an English percussionist, composer, lyricist and music theorist. ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... Recommended Records (RÄ“R) is a British independent record label and distribution network founded by Chris Cutler in 1978. ... The Stone is a not-for-profit experimental music performance space located in the Alphabet City neighborhood in New York City. ...

In 1995 Frith moved to Stuttgart in Germany to live with his wife, German photographer Heike Liss and their children Finn and Lucia. Between 1994 and 1996, Frith was Composer-in-Residence at L’Ecole Nationale de Musique in Villeurbanne, France. , City Center seen from Weinsteige Road Castle Solitude The 1956 TV Tower The Weissenhof Estate in 1927 Stuttgart (IPA: []) is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. ... Villeurbanne is a city and commune in eastern central France. ...

In 1997 Frith relocated to the United States to become Composer-in-Residence at Mills College in Oakland, California. In 1999 he was appointed the Luther B. Marchant Professor of Composition in the Music Department at Mills where he currently teaches composition, contemporary performance and improvisation. ^[9] While he had never studied music in college, Frith's credentials of over forty years of continuous practice and self-discovery got him the position. He has, however, maintained that "most of my students are better qualified to teach composition than I am," and that he learns as much from them as they learn from him. ^[10] Founded in 1852 and established in Oakland, California, in 1871, Mills College is an independent liberal arts womans college, with graduate programs for women and men. ... “Oakland” redirects here. ...

Equipment

Fred Frith performing at Mills College, Oakland, California in October 2005.
(© Aram Shelton)

Fred Frith has used a number of different guitars, including homemades, over the years, depending on the type of music he is playing. For the more structured and refined music he has often used a Gibson 345, for example on his solo album, Gravity. For the heavier "rock" sound, as in Massacre, he has used an old 1961 solid body Burns guitar, created by the British craftsman Jim Burns. On his landmark Guitar Solos album, Frith used a modified 1936 Gibson K-11 guitar (q.v. for details). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 249 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 249 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Founded in 1852 and established in Oakland, California, in 1871, Mills College is an independent liberal arts womans college, with graduate programs for women and men. ... “Oakland” redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Gravity is a 1980 solo album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Massacre was a United States improvising rock band from New York City formed in 1980 by guitarist Fred Frith with bassist Bill Laswell and drummer Fred Maher. ... Guitar Solos is a 1974 solo album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ...

For Frith's early unstructured music, as with Henry Kaiser on With Friends Like These, and his early table-top guitar solo performances, he used a homemade six- and eight-string double-neck guitar, created by a friend Charles Fletcher. Frith told Down Beat magazine in 1983: "It was the one and only guitar that he ever built ... he constructed it mainly out of old pieces from other guitars that I had, and for the body I think he used an old door." ^[4] The possibilities offered by homemade instruments prompted Frith to start creating his own guitars, basically slabs of wood on which he mounted a pickup, a bridge, and strings stretched over metal screws. "The basic design of the instrument is supposed to be as rudimentary and flexible as possible," Frith said, "so I can use an electric drill to bore holes into the body of it to achieve certain sounds ... ." ^[4] Henry Kaiser, born in Oakland, California, on 19 September 1952, is a widely-recorded experimental guitarist and frequent collaborator with other musicians from the San Francisco Bay Area. ... Steve Vai playing a twin-necked Ibanez A double neck guitar is a guitar that has two necks. ... Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to jazz. ... Three magnetic pickups on an electric guitar. ... A Violin Bridge blank and finished bridge A bridge is a device for supporting the strings on a stringed instrument and transmitting the vibration of those strings to some other structural component of the instrument in order to transfer the sound to the surrounding air balls. ... The strings of a harp A string is the vibrating element which is the source of vibration in string instruments, such as the guitar, harp, piano, and members of the violin family. ...

Frith has used a variety of picks with his guitars, from traditional guitar picks to violin bows, drum sticks, egg beaters, paint brushes, lengths of metal chain and other found objects. Frith remarked: "It's more to do with my interest in found objects and the use of certain kinds of textures which have an effect on the string ... the difference between the touch of stone, the touch of glass, the touch of wood, the touch of paper — those kinds of basic elements that you're using against the surface of the strings which produce different sounds." ^[4] Various guitar picks. ... The violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. ... A pair of drum sticks. ... Found objects are materials found (such as pebbles, candy wrappers, or leaves) and not made (such as inks, paints, and crayons. ...

In a typical solo improvising concert, Frith would lay a couple of his homemade guitars flat on a table and play them with a collection of found objects (varying from concert to concert). He would drop objects, like ball bearings, dried beans and rice, on the strings while stroking, scraping and hitting them with whatever was on hand. ^[11] Later he added a live sampler to his on-stage equipment, which he controlled with pedals. The sampler enabled him to dynamically capture and loop guitar sounds, over which he would capture and loop new sounds, and so on, until he had a bed of repeated patterns on top of which he would then begin his solo performance. A 4 point angular contact ball bearing A ball bearing is a common type of rolling-element bearing, a kind of bearing. ... An AKAI MPC2000 sampler Playing a Yamaha SU10 Sampler A sampler is an electronic music instrument closely related to a synthesizer. ...

Effects:

• Pro Co RAT Distortion Pedal
• Boss FV-50L Volume Foot Controller
• Boss RC20-XL Delay
• Line 6 DL Delay
• Whammy4
• Ebow

Produced by Pro Co Sound, the Pro Co RAT is a classic guitar Effects pedal. ...

Step Across the Border

Main article: Step Across the Border

Step Across the Border is an award winning 1990 documentary film on Fred Frith, written and directed by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel, and released in Germany and Switzerland. It was filmed in Japan, Europe and the United States, and also features musicians René Lussier, Iva Bittová, Tom Cora, Tim Hodgkinson, Bob Ostertag and John Zorn. Step Across the Border is a 1990 avant-garde documentary film on English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... René Lussier (born April 15, 1957) is a musician based in the province of Québec, Canada. ... Iva Bittová (born July 22, 1958) is a Czech avant-garde violinist, singer and composer. ... Tom Cora at the Moers Jazz Festival 1997. ... Tim Hodgkinson Tim Hodgkinson (born 1 May 1949) is a British experimental composer and performer, principally on keyboards and reed instruments. ... Bob Ostertag (b. ... John Zorn (born September 2, 1953 in Queens, USA) is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. ...

Fred Records

Main article: Fred Records

In 2002, Fred Frith created his own record label, Fred Records to re-release his back catalogue of recordings and previously unreleased material. Frith also appears on several releases by Tzadik Records and Winter & Winter. Fred Records is a British independent record label created in 2002 by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith to re-release his own back catalogue of recordings and previously unreleased material. ... Fred Records is a British independent record label created in 2002 by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith to re-release his own back catalogue of recordings and previously unreleased material. ... Tzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. ... Winter & Winter is a record label that specializes in jazz and improvised music. ...

Compositions

Since the late 1980s, Fred Frith has composed a number of longer works. Here is a selection, the year indicating when they were composed. For a complete list, see Compositions by Fred Frith.

• 1989 The As Usual Dance Towards the Other Flight to What is Not – for four electric guitars
• 1990 Helter Skelter – for two sopranos, contralto and a large electric ensemble
• 1990 Stick Figures – for 6 guitars and two players
• 1991 Lelekovice – (for Iva Bittová) string quartet no. 1
• 1992 Stone, Brick, Glass, Wood, Wire – graphic scores for any number of players
• 1993 Freedom in Fragments – a suite of 23 pieces for saxophone quartet
• 1993 The Previous Evening – a tribute to John Cage for four clarinets, tapes, bass, footsteps, electric guitars, whirled objects and voice
• 1994 Pacifica – a meditation for 21 musicians with texts by Pablo Neruda
• 1996 Impur – for 100 musicians, large building and mobile audience
• 1998 Traffic Continues: Gusto – for large ensemble with improvising soloists
• 2001 Landing for Choir – for Flamenco singer, cello, saxophone and samples
• 2002 Allegory – for string quartet and electric guitar
• 2002 Fell – for string quartet & electric guitar
• 2003 The Happy End Problem – for flute, bassoon, gu zheng, percussion, violin and electronics
• 2003 The Right Angel – for orchestra and electric guitar
• 2006 Snakes and Ladders – for clarinet, electric guitar, piano, percussion, cello and double bass

Quartets is a 1994 studio album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Eleventh Hour is a double album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Quartets is a 1994 studio album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Iva Bittová (born July 22, 1958) is a Czech avant-garde violinist, singer and composer. ... Stone, Brick, Glass, Wood, Wire (Graphic Scores 1986-96) is a double live album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Freedom in Fragments is a studio album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... The Previous Evening (Music for Dance volume 4) is a studio album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... For the Mortal Kombat character, see Johnny Cage. ... Pacifica is a studio album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Pablo Neruda (July 12, 1904 – September 23, 1973) was the penname and, later, legal name of the Chilean writer and communist politician Ricardo Eliecer Neftalí Reyes Basoalto. ... Fred Records chronology Impur is an album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Eleventh Hour is a double album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... Eleventh Hour is a double album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... The Happy End Problem (Music for Dance volume 5) is a studio album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith, and was the fifth of a series of Music for Dance albums he made. ...

Discography

Main article: Fred Frith discography

Fred Frith appears on over 400 recordings: with bands, in collaboration with other musicians, solo, albums he produced for other bands and musicians, and albums featuring his composed work performed by others. Fred Frith at a piano recording session at New, Improved Recording in Oakland, California, September 2006. ...

Films

• 1990 Step Across the Border – 90 minute documentary on Fred Frith by Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel.
• 1991 Streetwise – documentary by Charles Castella about Frith's work in Marseille with "unemployed rock musicians".
• 2000 Le Voyage Immobile – documentary about Frith's trio with Louis Sclavis and Jean-Pierre Drouet for France 3 national TV.
• 2004 Touch the Sound – documentary by Thomas Riedelsheimer about Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie and her collaboration with Frith.

Step Across the Border is a 1990 avant-garde documentary film on English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith. ... City flag Coat of arms Motto: By her great deeds, the city of Massilia shines Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country Region Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur Department Bouches-du-Rhône (13) Subdivisions 16 arrondissements (in 8 secteurs) Intercommunality Urban Community of Marseille Provence M... Louis Sclavis (b. ... This article is about the country. ... Evelyn Glennie on the cover of her greatest hits album. ...

Footnotes

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to jazz. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 352nd day of the year (353rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 326th day of the year (327th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• FredFrith.com Official homepage.
• Fred Frith biography FredFrith.com archive.
• Fred Frith biography The Canterbury Website.
• Fred Frith interview Dan Warburton, Paris Transatlantic Magazine, March 1998.
• Fred Frith interview BBC Music archive.
• Fred Frith radio interview Chris Comer, "Clearing" Guitar Solo, September 2001.
• Stage Effects Setup. All About Jazz. (Italian)
• Fred Frith at All Music Guide.
• Fred Frith discography.