Bill Frisell presents Hunter S. Thompson’s The Kentucky Derby featuring Tim Robbins

Behind guitarist Bill Frisell’s affable demeanor there’s a steely-willed artist whose creative ambitions span the continent. Since his early days on the Downtown Manhattan scene as a key collaborator with John Zorn, Frisell has steadily expanded his sonic purview, staking a claim to an ever-greater range of media, material, and musical traditions. From urban thrash and American Songbook ballads to country blues and Nashville twang, Frisell distills the essence of the American experience.

These shows… Show more are the world premiere performances of the multimedia extravaganza, The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved, produced by Hal Willner and directed by actress Chloe Webb. Designed like a radio play, Kentucky Derby features Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins, Willner and Webb delivering gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s notorious article about the 1970 horse race for Scanlan’s Monthly, accompanied by the visuals of Ralph Steadman. According to JazzTimes, Frisell’s score “has the soured grandeur of faded Southern aristocracy, as if Stephen Foster had been soaked in Benzedrine and bourbon.”

Show less