Gravity is the legendary second solo album of British guitarist-bassist-composer Fred Frith, released shortly after the avant-rock band Henry Cow disbanded. It featured musicians from the Swedish Rock in Opposition avant-folk group Samla Mammas Manna, the American prog-rock group the Muffins, and Frith’s former Henry Cow bandmate Chris Cutler. It was recorded in Sweden, the United States, and Switzerland in 1979. It was originally released by the Residents’ Ralph Records in 1980, re-released by Cutler’s ReR Megacorp label in 2001, and by Frith’s Bandcamp page in 2022.
Gravity countered the cerebral, politically-charged music of Henry Cow. It offered infectious and playful melodies reflecting Frith’s recent fascination with world folk and dance music, including complex rhythmic patterns, traditional song forms, and even a deconstruction of Martha and the Vandellas’ hit song «Dancing in the Street». The album’s title is related to Frith’s attempt to create carefree music.
Frith returned to the Gravity songs in 2012, performing them in San Francisco, New York, and at the Festival de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville (FIMAV) in Quebec. In 2014, Frith took the Gravity songbook on the road again with a new Gravity Band, the brainchild of Bay Area musicians clarinetist Aaron Novik and pianist Dominique Leone. The new, eleven-member Gravity Band features bassist Lisa Mezzacappa, guitarist Ava Mendoza, percussionist William Winant, and electronics player Wobbly (aka Jon Leidecke). Fred Frith And The Gravity Band was recorded live at Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and at the Moers Festival in Germany in June 2014.
Frith’s Gravity music still has its timeless, genre-bending magic, driving and subversive spirit, Frith’s quirky guitar tricks, and, obviously, many irresistible, joyful dance songs. These songs incorporate elements from Celtic, Bossa Nova, Caribbean, Balkan, and Middle Eastern folk songs into Frith’s rich, eclectic, thought-provoking, and ironic musical universe, and were performed in a captivating, passionate manner. Given the appreciative welcome of these inspired performances, maybe Frith should take Gravity for another celebratory tour.
Eyal Hareuveni
Marié Abe (accordion), Kasey Knudsen (alto saxophone), Aaron Novik (clarinet), Lisa Mezzacappa (double bass, electric bass), Jordan Glenn (drums), Ava Mendoza (electric guitar), Fred Frith (electric guitar, electric bass, piano), William Winant (percussion), Dominique Leone (piano, keyboards), Wobbly (samples, sounds), Kaethe Hofstetter (violin)
