Fred Frith

From Henry Cow 'til now -- 400 albums!

Any fans? I discovered him just the other week -- compelling, like nothing I've heard.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
From Henry Cow 'til now -- 400 albums!

Any fans? I discovered him just the other week -- compelling, like nothing I've heard.

Fan here.

But is that appearances on 400 albums? If they are his 'own' albums then it might be a bit like Anthony Braxton's 400 albums. Even I have made an album with Anthony Braxton.

Originally posted by FMF
Fan here.

But is that appearances on 400 albums? If they are his 'own' albums then it might be a bit like Anthony Braxton's 400 albums. Even I have made an album with Anthony Braxton.

Well, yes, appearances, collaborations, with the likes of Derek Bailey, Marc Ribot, to name the only two I actually know. He's done quite a few of his own though.

There's something compellingly jaunty about the stuff I've heard so far (Dropera, Allies, and Gravity). I haven't heard any of the noise (Massacre) yet.

But why are you a fan?

Yes, I am a fan.

Henry Cow, Massacre, Naked City... All great projects. Also, his homemade guitar manipulations with the alligator clips, the mallets, and the other acoutrements make for some interesting music.

There's this great black and white youtube video of Frith "jamming" with a traditional Japanese drummer - mesmerizing stuff.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Well, yes, appearances, collaborations, with the likes of Derek Bailey, Marc Ribot, to name the only two I actually know. He's done quite a few of his own though.

You've never heard of John Zorn?

If you like the avant-garde guitar compositions, try out Glenn Branca's The Ascension or Lesson No. 1 for Electric Guitar.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
From Henry Cow 'til now -- 400 albums!

Any fans? I discovered him just the other week -- compelling, like nothing I've heard.

I'm not sure if I'd really count myself as a "fan", but I have a couple of albums of his compositions that I like. I acquired them largely because of the interpreting ensembles.

Rova Saxophone Quartet "Freedom in Fragments"

Ensemble Modern "Traffic Continues" w/ Ikue Mori and Zeena Parkins

What have you listened to thus far?

Originally posted by darvlay
You've never heard of John Zorn?

Oh yes ... 😳

Originally posted by ThinkOfOne
What have you listened to thus far?

I mentioned some stuff up above and now I've also heard him in Death Ambient (Synaesthesia) with Kato Hideki (bass guitar) and Ikue Mori (drum machines).

It's all very pleasantly unstructured.

However suddenly what I want to listen to is Pachuco Cadaver (Eugene Chadbourne & Jimmy Carl Black)!

Edit: Jebus! Frith once even played violin for SWANS!

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
why are you a fan?

Came to him via Henry Cow. When I was a teenager, my best mate's older sister was at art school and I spent 25% of my life round at their house listening to whatever was on the turntable. That's why I was into various things that were not only rather before my time but also so wierd that they didn't feature in the time of normal people, whether it bebefore orafter. Not that Henry Cow is especially wierd. But me and my best mate were the only two boys in the 3rd form at school who were listening to that kind of stuff.

Originally posted by FMF
But me and my best mate were the only two boys in the 3rd form at school who were listening to that kind of stuff.

Do art schools still fulfil the same cultural function as in the 60s?

Listened to Art Bears earlier today. What can I say -- it was weird and fun.

Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
Do art schools still fulfil the same cultural function as in the 60s?

Couldn't say. The part of my intellect that would've addressed that question has atrophied as a result of living, for too long, thousands of miles away from a society that saw the cultural function of art schools as existing merely so that what has become of the world could be bewailed.