October 15, 2010

Bill Frisell. Download image.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB's Alys Stephens Center will present Bill Frisell's Beautiful Dreamers featuring Eyvind Kang and Rudy Royston at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, 2010 in the center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $45, $35, $25; $20 for student tickets. Call 205-975-2787 or go to www.AlysStephens.org.

A pre-concert discussion of the evening's music will take place at 6:30 p.m. with Jeremy Grall, D.M.A, UAB assistant professor of music.

A Grammy Award winner, virtuoso, bandleader and composer, Frisell is known for collaborations with some of the most talented artists in the world, including Elvis Costello, Bono, T-Bone Burnett, Paul Simon, McCoy Tyner, Ornette Coleman, Brian Eno and Ry Cooder. His improvisational performances mix rock, country, jazz and blues to create a mesmerizing evening of American music.

The New York Times raved: "It's hard to find a more fruitful meditation on American music than in the compositions of guitarist Bill Frisell. Mixing rock and country with jazz and blues, he's found what connects them - improvisation and a sense of play."

Born in Baltimore, Frisell played clarinet throughout his childhood in Denver, Colo. His interest in guitar began with his exposure to pop music on the radio. He built his first guitar at age 4 from a piece of cardboard and rubber bands for strings after being inspired by Jimmy, leader of the Mouseketeers on "The Mickey Mouse Club" television show, according to information on his website. Soon, the Chicago Blues became a passion through the work of Otis Rush, B.B. King, Paul Butterfield and Buddy Guy.

This show is sponsored by The Birmingham News, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Viva Health.

About UAB's Alys Stephens Center

The Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, part of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is one of the Southeast's premier performing arts centers, hosting the best in international, national and local performance. Home to the UAB departments of Theatre and Music and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the ASC also presents its own season, bringing the world's best music, dance, theater, comedy and family entertainment to Alabama.