Storytelling (feat. Lotte Anker & Sam Dühsler) [Live at Theater Gütersloh] [European Jazz Legends, Vol. 12]

Storytelling seems apt: in the first movement of the three-part title suite, Fred Frith doesn’t discernibly play guitar until some eight minutes in. He starts with guttural, wordless vocalisms, even cackling laughter, as he builds sonic intrigue with alto saxophonist Lotte Anker and drummer Sam Dühsler. The full set contains extreme, hyper-dissonant soundscapes, but also spacious passages with beautiful, shifting intervals and legato cries. In the concluding onstage interview, Frith is asked, “What is improvisation?” “Primarily,” he responds, “it’s a lot of fun.”