Fred Frith’s main instrument is the guitar, but not as you know it—he manipulates his sound of his strings using objects such as drum sticks, bows, metal objects and resonant bowls. Since the 1960s he has been blurring the borders between rock, folk, improvisation and contemporary music. Recently he formed a duo with trumpeter Susana Santos Silva, ‘one of the most exciting improvisers in the world’, according to Downbeat. Their first album Laying Demons to Rest (2023) promises a fascinating journey of discovery through sound.
Susana Santos Silva has experienced a remarkable development in recent years, from a composer and bandleader with a strong sense of melody and beauty to a notable improviser with a singular language in which she explores the outer limits of trumpet playing. The Portuguese-born trumpeter has collaborated with, among others, jazz musicians, dancers and visual artists. Fred Frith became influential as a guitarist in the British progressive rock band Henry Cow. In New York he improvised with the likes of John Zorn, Tom Cora and Bill Laswell. He composed for leading ensembles such as Asko|Schönberg, Arditti Quartet and Ensemble Modern.
Susana Santos Silva trumpet, Fred Frith guitar