Fred Frith

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Gender: Male

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Description: British composer, improviser and multi-instrumentalist, Jeremy Webster Frith, who has situated himself for more than thirty years in the area where rock music and new music meet. Co-founder of the British underground band "Henry Cow" (1968-78), Frith moved to New York in the late seventies and came into contact with many of the musicians with whom he’s since been associated, for example; John Zorn; Ikue Mori; Tom Cora; Zeena Parkins and Bob Ostertag. Fourteen years in New York gave rise to groups like "Massacre" (with Bill Laswell and Fred Maher), "Skeleton Crew" (with Tom and Zeena), and "Keep the Dog", a sextet performing an extensive repertoire of Frith compositions. In the eighties Frith began writing for dance, film, and theatre. This, in turn, led to his composing for "Rova Sax Quartet", "Ensemble Modern", "Asko Ensemble" and a number of other groups, including his own critically acclaimed "Guitar Quartet".