I have recorded and mixed a new single available in digital format only. The piece is called flea and it's fun, bouncing track infused with world rhythms & electronics
Erik Friedlander: cello, mandolin, vocalizing, drum/sample programming & keyboards; Satoshi Takeishi: clay pot
On his new release, The Broken Arm, cellist Erik Friedlander highlights his unique pizzicato playing-higher and more incisive than the bass, warmer than the piano, but similarly rhythmic and able to freely engage in the give-and-take that is so essential to the jazz. "While there have been a few groundbreaking practitioners, notably bassist Oscar Pettiford, the cello has a tenuous connection to jazz, and is still considered a novelty," explains Friedlander. "The cello is an untapped resource and I'm looking to create some new lasting traditions."
The music on The Broken Arm is soulful and grooving, part reminiscence and part tribute. The tunes are playful, and the performances exuberant. Friedlander has made a personal statement that is, simply, a whole lot of fun to listen to.
Erik Friedlander, cello; Mike Sarin, drums; Trevor Dunn, bass.
For more info: Broken Arm EPK - Purchase at Amazon | Direct or...
New Podcast Online Now!
I'm hosting a podcast with violin maker Ron Fletcher about the technology of string instruments - how they are put together, how they work, repairs & maintenance. Episode 10 will be online Sunday, an interview with violinist Jennifer Choi. http://bowtech.podbean.com. Let us know what you think: your questions and your comments are welcome.
Rick Derringer, Jerry Goldsmith, The Edgar Winter Group, Ennio Morricone, McCoy Tyner, Carlos Santana, Oscar Pettiford, Henry Mancini, Alexander Desplat, John Zorn....
Erik Friedlander can do things with a cello that should have a reasonable listener fearing for her life," says PitchforkMedia.com, "Rostropovich one second and Rottweiler the next." A virtuosic veteran of NYC's downtown scene, Friedlander has backed John Zorn, John Darnielle's Mountain Goats, Laurie Anderson, and Courtney Love. New York's Erik Friedlander is a unique cellist whose work blurs genre borders. He is a composer and an improviser, a classical musician and a jazzbo. The LA Times put it best when they wrote, "Friedlander's performance clearly positions him as the first potential star performer on his instrument." Erik grew up in a home filled with art and music. He is the son of Lee Friedlander, an art photographer known by musicians and jazz aficionados for the cover photographs he took for Atlantic Records. His passion for r&b and jazz greatly influenced Erik, whose earliest memories are of a household filled with the sounds of his father's subjects--Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, McCoy Tyner, Ornette Coleman, and John Coltrane. Erik started playing guitar at age 6 and added cello two years later.
