Arts Centre Vooruit, Ghent, Belgium

Gabriel Rios will also join Rhys Chatham on stage

With guitarists Rodrigo Fuentealba (Gabriel Rios) and Gabriel Rios, Koen Gisen (An pierlé & White Velvet), Johannes Verschaeve (The Van Jets), Tim Vanhamel (Millionaire), Elko Blyweert (Franco Saint de Bakker), Reinhard Vanbergen (Das Pop), Philipp Weies (General Mindy), drummer Karel de Backer (Flip Kowlier) and bass player Maarten Standaert (Arid).

Eccentric, unique and ahead of his time are only a few words that come to mind when describing composer, guitarist and trumpet player Rhys Chatham. Ever since the 70s he’s been active in the avant-garde experimental music scene in New York.
He began his music career as a piano tuner for minimalist pioneer La Monte Young and was the protégé of piano phenomenon Glenn Gould. Before long he was composing music himself. His early work is typically minimalist but was soon influenced by punk and rock. Chatham is especially known for his “guitar orchestras”, and for Guitar Trio in particular. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that Glen Branca – who performed a symphony for 100 guitars at Vooruit in September 2006 – calls him his biggest example. The two have worked together in the past.

In his rich and nonconformist career, he worked with Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Brian Eno, Fred Frith, Lou Reed, Thurston Moore and many more.
In the eighties, hearing damage meant that Chatham applied himself to composing for trumpets and other brass instruments. But old habits die hard and to this day Chatham continues to make guitar compositions. In 2005 he was commissioned by the city of Paris to write a score for 400 guitars, entitled A Crimson Grail, as a part of the Nuit Blanche festival. 10,000 people attended the show and another 100,00 watched it live on their TV.

At Vooruit Chatham will perform the legendary Guitar Trio. Now renamed G3, 6 guitars, electric bass and drums have been added to the instrumentation. The show will be accompanied by visuals by Robert Longo. In the US the composition was recorded with musicians from Sonic Youth, Husker Du, Tortoise and God Speed You Black Emperor! In Belgium he’ll be working with rock musicians Rodrigo Fuentalba (Gabriel Rios), Koen Gisen (An Pierlé & White Velvet), Johannes Verschaeve (The Van Jets), Tim Vanhamel (Millionaire), Elko Blyweert (Franco Saint De Bakker), Reinhard Vanbergen (Das Pop), Philipp Weies (General Mindy), drummer Karel de Backer (Flip Kowlier), and bass player Maarten Standaert (Arid).