The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), New York’s premiere French cultural center, is pleased to open the Crossing the Line 2012 festival with three unique concerts by Grammy Award-winning guitarist and composer Bill Frisell . In a career spanning more than 35 years and over 250 recordings—including over 40 albums of his own—the guitarist, composer and bandleader has established himself as a visionary presence in American music. This series of events offers unconventional settings in which to experience Frisell’s singular artistry, including his first-ever early morning concert and a Crossing the Line commission in which he, violist Eyvind Kang, and visual artist Jim Woodring will use Frisell’s work notebooks to guide an intimate performance that includes live illustration and musical improvisation.
On Friday, September 14 at 8pm, Frisell opens FIAF’s newly renovated Florence Gould Hall with a special concert uniting two of his groups, the 858 Quartet (featuring Eyvind Kang, Hank Roberts, and Jenny Scheinman) and the Beautiful Dreamers trio (featuring Eyvind Kang and Rudy Royston).