Fred Frith Solo Guitar at The North Door

Epistrophy Arts presents the legendary guitar innovator and master improviser in a rare Texas appearance.

Composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist, Fred Frith has situated himself for more than thirty years at the intersection of rock and new music. Co-founder of the British underground band Henry Cow (1968-78), he moved to New York in the late 1970s and came into contact with many of the musicians with whom he has since been associated, including John Zorn, Ikue Mori, Tom Cora, Zeena Parkins, and Bob Ostertag.
Fourteen years in New York gave rise to groups such as Massacre (with Bill Laswell and Fred Maher), Skeleton Crew (with Tom Cora and Zeena Parkins), and Keep the Dog, a sextet performing an extensive repertoire of Fred’s compositions....

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Epistrophy Arts presents the legendary guitar innovator and master improviser in a rare Texas appearance.

Composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist, Fred Frith has situated himself for more than thirty years at the intersection of rock and new music. Co-founder of the British underground band Henry Cow (1968-78), he moved to New York in the late 1970s and came into contact with many of the musicians with whom he has since been associated, including John Zorn, Ikue Mori, Tom Cora, Zeena Parkins, and Bob Ostertag.
Fourteen years in New York gave rise to groups such as Massacre (with Bill Laswell and Fred Maher), Skeleton Crew (with Tom Cora and Zeena Parkins), and Keep the Dog, a sextet performing an extensive repertoire of Fred’s compositions.
In the 1980s, Fred began to write for dance, film, and theatre, which, in turn, led to his composing for the Rova Saxophone Quartet, Ensemble Modern, Arditti Quartet, Asko Ensemble, and many other groups, including his own critically acclaimed Guitar Quartet.
Best known world-wide as an improvising guitarist, Fred has also performed in a variety of other contexts, playing bass in John Zorn’s Naked City, violin in Lars Hollmer’s Looping Home Orchestra, and guitar on recordings ranging from The Residents and René Lussier to Brian Eno and Amy Denio. Fred is the subject of Swiss and German filmmakers Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel’s award-winning documentary film, Step Across the Border, and he provided the score to another revered documentary, Rivers and Tides, about artist Andy Goldsworthy.
Fred Frith is currently Professor of Composition and Head of the Music Department at Mills College in Oakland, California.

This project is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future. Visit Austin at NowPlayingAustin.com.

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