Fred Frith

Fred Frith
Frith at the Moers Festival, June 1998
Frith at the Moers Festival, June 1998
Background information
Birth nameJeremy Webster Frith
Born (1949-02-17) 17 February 1949 (age 75)
Heathfield, Sussex, England[1]
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
  • educator
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • bass guitar
  • violin
  • keyboards
DiscographyFred Frith discography
Years active1968–present
Labels
Websitefredfrith.com
Frith at the Moers Festival, 2010

Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949)[1][2][3] is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as a founding member of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. He was also a member of the groups Art Bears, Massacre, and Skeleton Crew. He has collaborated with a number of prominent musicians, including Robert Wyatt, Derek Bailey, the Residents, Lol Coxhill, John Zorn, Brian Eno, Mike Patton, Lars Hollmer, Bill Laswell, Iva Bittová, Jad Fair, Kramer, the ARTE Quartett, 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). Frith produces most of his own music, and has also produced many albums by other musicians, including Curlew, the Muffins, Etron Fou Leloublan, and Orthotonics.

He is the subject of Nicolas Humbert and Werner Penzel's 1990 documentary Step Across the Border. Frith also appears in the Canadian documentary Act of God, which is about the metaphysical effects of being struck by lightning. He has contributed to a number of music publications, including New Musical Express and Trouser Press, and has conducted improvising workshops across the world. His career spans over four decades and he appears on over 400 albums, and he still performs actively throughout the world.[4]

Frith was awarded the 2008 Demetrio Stratos Prize for his career achievements in experimental music. The prize was established in 2005 in honour of experimental vocalist Demetrio Stratos, of the Italian group Area, who died in 1979.[5][6][7] In 2010 Frith received an honorary doctorate from the University of Huddersfield in West Yorkshire, England, in recognition of his contribution to music.[8] Frith was Professor of Composition in the Music Department at Mills College in Oakland, California, until his retirement in 2018. He is the brother of Simon Frith, a music critic and sociologist, and Chris Frith, a psychologist at University College London.

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Larkin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Piekut 2019, p. 33.
  3. ^ Rizzi, Cesare (1998). Enciclopedia della musica rock: 1970–1979 (in Italian). Giunti Editore. p. 263. ISBN 978-88-09-21523-8.
  4. ^ "Current concert schedule". FredFrith.com. Archived from the original on 16 December 2006. Retrieved 22 November 2006.
  5. ^ "Fred Frith Biography". Mills Music Festival 2009. Oakland, CA: MILLS. 21 January 2009. Archived from the original (PHP) on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
  6. ^ "THE MUSIC OF FRED FRITH" (PDF). Oakland, CA: MILLS. 21 January 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
  7. ^ Andrew Gilbert (12 December 2008). "Every which way". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
  8. ^ "The University of Huddersfield's 2010 Honorary Award recipients". The University of Huddersfield. Archived from the original on 10 July 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2010.