The Happy End Problem

The Happy End Problem (Music for Dance Volume 5) is a studio album by English guitarist, composer and improvisor Fred Frith, and is the fifth of a series of Music for Dance albums he made. It comprises two suites composed in 2003 by Frith "for flute, bassoon, gu zheng, percussion, violin and electronics"^[1] and was recorded in 2003 and 2004.

Background

The two suites on the album, "Imitation" and "The Happy End Problem" were composed by Frith for small ensembles of six and seven musicians. They were originally commissioned in 2003 by choreographer Amanda Miller for two dances for her The Pretty Ugly Dance Company. Both suites premiered at the Stadttheater in Freiburg, Germany, "The Happy End Problem" in May 2003 and "Imitation" in April 2004.

In "The Happy End Problem" Frith drew on elements from Igor Stravinsky's 1910 ballet, Firebird Suite. "Imitation" focused on Oriental elements and played on the Western world's perception of Japan. At the time, the shakuhachi player, Kikutsubo Day was a student of Frith's at Mills College in the United States, and he constructed "Imitation" around her playing.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz	favorable^[2]
AllMusic	favorable^[3]

A reviewer at Sea of Tranquility summed up the album with the following comment:^[4]

"Overall two highly accomplished and fascinating pieces of music, more perhaps for the classical enthusiast than the progger."

Track listing

"Imitation"
1. "Ukon" (Frith) – 6:18
2. "Kira" (Frith) – 5:37
3. "Kio" (Frith, Scanlon) – 2:33
4. "Tan" (Frith, Scanlon) – 3:05
5. "Shi--o" (Frith) – 1:33
6. "Beni" (Frith) – 3:52
7. "Kasumi" (Frith) – 2:15
8. "Sumi" (Frith) – 1:12
9. "Hanabira" (Frith, Scanlon) – 3:48
"The Happy End Problem" (Frith) – 21:00

Personnel

Fred Frith – guitar, bass guitar, laptop instruments
Kikutsubo Day (1-9) – shakuhachi
Carla Kihlstedt – violin
William Winant – percussion
Theresa Wong (1-9) – cello
Patrice Scanlon – electronics, clarinet
Sheela Bringi (10) – flute
Heather Vorwerck (10) – cello
Wu Fei (10) – gu zheng

Sound and artwork

"Imitation" recorded at Guerrilla Recordings, Oakland, United States, February 2004
"The Happy End Problem" recorded at Guerrilla Recordings, Oakland, United States, February 2003
Engineered, mixed and mastered by Myles Boisen
Artwork by Tom Kurth

References

↑ Frith, Fred. "Fred Frith compositions". Fred Frith homepage. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
↑ Kelman, John. "The Happy End Problem". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
↑ Couture, François. "The Happy End Problem". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-03-29.
↑ Barnes, Richard. "Frith, Fred: The Happy End Problem". Sea of Tranquility. Retrieved 2007-04-24.

External links

Fred Frith

Henry Cow Art Bears Massacre Skeleton Crew Keep the Dog Duck and Cover French Frith Kaiser Thompson Death Ambient Fred Frith Guitar Quartet Maybe Monday Cosa Brava Aksak Maboul Material Naked City

Discography	Guitar Solos Gravity Speechless Live in Japan Cheap at Half the Price The Technology of Tears The Top of His Head Step Across the Border Quartets Middle of the Moment Allies Eye to Ear The Previous Evening Pacifica Stone, Brick, Glass, Wood, Wire Clearing Freedom in Fragments Accidental Prints Rivers and Tides Eye to Ear II Eleventh Hour Impur The Happy End Problem Back to Life To Sail, to Sail Impur II Nowhere, Sideshow, Thin Air Eye to Ear III Clearing Customs Field Days (The Amanda Loops) Propaganda

Related articles	Fred Frith discography Fred Records Step Across the Border

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