A founding member of the legendary avant-rock group Henry Cow, Fred Frith has spent more than five decades redefining the possibilities of the guitar. Through improvisation, composition, prepared instruments, and a seemingly limitless curiosity, he has become one of the most influential figures in experimental music, collaborating with artists including Brian Eno, John Zorn, Mike Patton, and countless others across the worlds of jazz, rock, contemporary classical music, film, and dance.
Opening the evening will be @teikumusic , a project founded by Chicago pianist @joshdimension and Detroit percussionist @jonathanbarahaltaylor . The group reframes their respective families’ unique Passover melodies as conduits for spontaneous musical expression. Their self-titled debut, released in 2024, was a meditation on shared history and a tribute to the aurally transmitted ancestral melodies they grew up singing.
Their sophomore album, Klang, expands on this concept by drawing source material from the wider community, rare manuscripts, voice recordings, and memories of late-night ritual chants. Five of the album’s six tracks are based on the same liturgical Passover text, each reflecting a different regional or family melody passed down through generations.
Drawing from these variations, Teiku transforms traditional melodies through improvisation, deconstruction, and collective exploration. Joined on recordings by bass clarinetist @jasonstein33 (Natural Information Society) and bassist Jaribu Shahid (Sun Ra Arkestra, Art Ensemble of Chicago), the group creates music that honors tradition while opening it to new possibilities.
