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Bill Frisell, FIAF, Crossing the Line, French Institute Alliance Française

The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), New York's premiere French cultural center, opens the 2012 Crossing the Line festival with three unique concerts by Grammy Award-winning guitarist and composer Bill Frisell. In a career spanning more than 35 years and more than 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). Frisell will present Early (Not Too Late), an unprecedented early-morning solo concert in Brooklyn's St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church on Saturday, September 15 at 8am. Later that evening, at 8pm, Frisell will present the Crossing the Line commission Close Your Eyes, a unique glimpse into his creative process with longtime collaborator Eyvind Kang and visual artist Jim Woodring.
Tickets to all three concerts are $50 can be purchased online at fiaf.org/ctl or by phone at 800.982.2787. Venue details and information on tickets to individual events can be found below. For more information, visit fiaf.org/ctl or call 212.355.6160.
Bill Frisell with the 858 Quartet and Beautiful Dreamers
Friday, September 14 at 8pm
FIAF, Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street (between Park and Madison Avenue)
Advance $30, Day-of $35, FIAF Members $25, Student Rush $10, All three events $50
Bill Frisell launches the Crossing the Line 2012 festival in FIAF's newly renovated Florence Gould Hall with a rare concert that unites two of his seminal groups, the 858 Quartet, featuring Eyvind Kang on viola, Hank Roberts on cello, and Jenny Scheinman on violin, and Beautiful Dreamers, a trio featuring Eyvind Kang on viola and Rudy Royston on drums.
Early (Not Too Late)
Saturday, September 15 at 8am
St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, 157 Montague Street Brooklyn, NY
Advance $25, Day-of $30, FIAF Members $20, Student Rush $10, All three events $50
Bill Frisell's first ever early-morning solo concert, offered in the serene setting of Christ Church in Brooklyn's Cobble Hill. Inspired by the special hour and sacred space, Frisell will demonstrate his distinctive approach to contemporary music on electric guitar.
Close Your Eyes featuring Eyvind Kang and Jim Woodring
Co-presented with The Invisible Dog Art Center, Saturday, September 15 at 8pm
The Invisible Dog Art Center, 51 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NYC
Advance $25, Day-of $30, FIAF Members $20, Student Rush $10, All three events $50
Bill Frisell offers an intimate insight into his creative process in this commissioned work from Crossing the Line. He invites viola player and longtime collaborator Eyvind Kang and acclaimed visual artist Jim Woodring to explore his extensive notebooks. During the performance, while the two musicians seek to make sense of Frisell's musical thoughts and ideas, Woodring illuminates what he hears with real-time illustrations.