Don Friedman

NEW ARRIVAL !

An excellent if underrated pianist, Don Friedman started off playing on the West Coast in 1956 with Dexter Gordon, Shorty Rogers, Buddy Collette, Buddy DeFranco (1956-1957), Chet Baker, and even the then-unknown altoist Ornette Coleman. After moving to New York in 1958, Friedman played in many settings, including with his own trio, Pepper Adams, Booker Little (recording with him in 1961), the Jimmy Giuffre Three (1964), a quartet with Attila Zoller, Chuck Wayne's trio (1966-1967), and, by the end of the decade, Clark Terry's big band. He continued working in New York as both a jazz educator and a pianist with wide musical interests, and was featured on Concord's Maybeck Recital Hall series (1993). Friedman also recorded for Riverside, Prestige, Progressive, Owl, Empathy, and several Japanese labels, and continued doing sessions in New York throughout the '90s and 2000s. Friedman died on June 30, 2016. He was 81 years old.

Beautiful sounds from the great Don Friedman – a set that maybe unlocks more of the ballad side of the musician than you might be used to, even though Friedman still holds on to some nice modern elements in his phrasing on the date! The trio features Frank Luther on bass and Billy Hart on drums – and although the songs are familiar, there's a subtle depth that flows through the music, which captures Friedman at a less-exposed part of his career. Tracks include "The Song Is You", "Where Are You", "My Secret Love", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes". CD features a bonus track – "Fine & Dandy (take 2)". © 1996-2018, Dusty Groove, Inc.

PERSONNEL:

DON FRIEDMAN, piano
FRANK LUTHER, bass
BILLY HART, drums

TRACK LISTING:

01. Where Are You
02. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
03. The Way We Were
04. The Song Is You
05. Easy Living
06. My Secret Love
07. The Shadow Of Your Smile
08. Fine and Dandy (tk2 *prev unreleased