Fred Frith – Fremakajo

Playful, exuberant new band around legendary guitar explorer.

Fred Frith has been pushing the boundaries between rock, folk, improvisation, and contemporary classical music since the 1960s. He often uses the guitar as a soundboard, manipulating the strings with metal objects, singing bowls, and drumsticks. In his new band Fremakajo, he plays bass guitar, as he once did in Henry Cow, Art Bears, and Naked City, and viola, which he played on the legendary album Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt. The song-like music of Fremakajo has been described as 'playful', 'exuberant', and 'dance music for dark times'.

Fremakajo has a unique lineup with accordion, saxophone, bass guitar, and drums. The band name is a combination of the first names of the four band members. First and foremost, Fred Frith himself, who not only collaborated with Brian Eno and John Zorn but also composed for ensembles such as Asko|Schönberg and Ensemble Modern. The other band members come from the Bay Area around San Francisco: the originally Japanese accordionist and ethnomusicologist Marié Abe, leading saxophonist Kasey Knudsen, and adventurous drummer/percussionist Jordan Glenn.

Kasey Knudsen saxophones, Fred Frith bass guitar/viola, Marié Abe accordion, Jordan Glenn drums