Fred Frith – Fremakajo

Since the 1960s Fred Frith has been shifting boundaries between rock, folk, improvisation and contemporary classical. He often uses his guitar as a sounding board, manipulating the strings with drum sticks, bows, metal objects and resonant bowls, for example. In his new band Fremakajo he plays bass guitar, like he previously did in Henry Cow, Art Bears and Naked City, and viola, with which he could be heard on the legendary album Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt. Fremakajo has been described as ‘playful’, ‘ebullient’, ‘a celebration of pulse-based music’ and ‘a commitment to dancing in dark times’.

Fremakajo has a remarkable line-up with accordion, saxophone, bass guitar and drums. The band name is a portmanteau of the first names of the four band members, beginning with Fred Frith himself, who collaborated with Brian Eno and John Zorn, but who also composed for renowned ensembles such as Asko|Schönberg and Ensemble Modern. The other band members are from the San Francisco Bay Area: Japanese born 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