Editing Fred Frith (section)

{{Short description|English musician and composer}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2010}}{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name                = Fred Frith
| image               = FredFrith June1998.jpg
| caption             = Frith at the [[Moers Festival]], June 1998
| background          = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name          = Jeremy Webster Frith
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|1949|2|17|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Heathfield, East Sussex|Heathfield]], Sussex, England<ref name=Larkin/>
| instrument          = {{hlist|Guitar|bass guitar|violin|keyboards}}
| genre               = {{hlist|[[Avant-rock]]|[[Experimental music|experimental]]|[[free improvisation]]|[[Contemporary classical music|contemporary classical]]}}
| discography         = [[Fred Frith discography]]
| occupation          = {{hlist|Musician|composer|educator}}
| years_active        = 1968–present
| label               = {{hlist|[[Caroline Records|Caroline]]|[[Moers Music|Moers]]|[[Ralph Records|Ralph]]|[[RecRec Music|RecRec]]|[[Recommended Records|Recommended]]|[[Fred Records|Fred]]|[[Tzadik Records|Tzadik]]|[[Winter & Winter Records|Winter & Winter]]|[[Intakt Records|Intakt]]}}
| website             = {{URL|fredfrith.com}}
}}

[[File:Fred Frith 05n3798.jpg|thumb|right|Frith at the [[Moers Festival]], 2010]]
'''Jeremy Webster''' "'''Fred'''" '''Frith''' (born 17 February 1949)<ref name=Larkin/>{{sfn|Piekut|2019|p=33}}<ref name="Rizzi1998">{{cite book |author=Rizzi, Cesare |title=Enciclopedia della musica rock: 1970–1979 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L4r_muOwltgC&pg=PA263 |publisher=Giunti Editore |year=1998 |page=263 |isbn=978-88-09-21523-8 |language=it}}</ref> 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 (experimental band)|Massacre]], and [[Skeleton Crew (band)|Skeleton Crew]]. He has collaborated with numerous musicians, including [[Robert Wyatt]], [[Derek Bailey (guitarist)|Derek Bailey]], [[the Residents]], [[Lol Coxhill]], [[John Zorn]], [[Brian Eno]], [[Mike Patton]], [[Lars Hollmer]], [[Bill Laswell]], [[Iva Bittová]], [[Jad Fair]], [[Kramer (musician)|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 (band)|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 (film)|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.<ref name="ff">{{cite web |url=http://www.fredfrith.com/concerts.htm |title=Current concert schedule |work=FredFrith.com |access-date=22 November 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061216054920/http://fredfrith.com/concerts.htm |archive-date=16 December 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

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 (band)|Area]], who died in 1979.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mills.edu/musicfestival/biography6.php |title=Fred Frith Biography |access-date=15 March 2009 |date=21 January 2009 |format=PHP |work=Mills Music Festival 2009 |publisher=MILLS |location=Oakland, CA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528044021/http://www.mills.edu/musicfestival/biography6.php |archive-date=28 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mills.edu/musicfestival/Frith_Program.pdf |title=THE MUSIC OF FRED FRITH |access-date=15 March 2009 |date=21 January 2009 |publisher=MILLS |location=Oakland, CA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528044016/http://www.mills.edu/musicfestival/Frith_Program.pdf |archive-date=28 May 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2008/12/12/every_which_way/ |title=Every which way |access-date=15 March 2009 |author=Andrew Gilbert |date=12 December 2008 |work=The Boston Globe |location=Boston, MA}}</ref> In 2010 Frith received an honorary doctorate from the [[University of Huddersfield]] in West Yorkshire, England, in recognition of his contribution to music.<ref name="University of Huddersfield">{{cite web |title=The University of Huddersfield's 2010 Honorary Award recipients |url=http://www.hud.ac.uk/awards/honorary_awards.html |publisher=The University of Huddersfield |access-date=11 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710135432/http://www.hud.ac.uk/awards/honorary_awards.html |archive-date=10 July 2010}}</ref> 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]].