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Daniel Freedman

 The musical vision of drummer, percussionist and composer Daniel Freedman extends well beyond the reach of his drum kit. A master rhythmic catalyst, he brings a boundless imagination to his gift for sonic alchemy, conjuring sparks from unexpected combinations of collaborators, influences and cultures. 

Freedman’s innate ability to discover the pulse-pounding groove at the heart of any musical situation has informed his eclectic fascinations, which range from swinging jazz to deep-rooted blues, along with wide-ranging traditions from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and beyond. 

Those instincts led him from the fertile early ‘90s scene at Smalls Jazz Club in New York City to the Broadway stage, as part of David Byrne’s acclaimed American Utopia as well as the movie version of the show, directed by Spike Lee. from the innovative world-jazz hybridity of the all-star collective Third World Love to performing and recording with artists including Angelique Kidjo, Anat Cohen, Sting, Meshell Ndegeocello, Youssou N-Dour, Dianne Reeves, Wynton Marsalis, Omara Portuondo and Tom Harrell.

Freedman’s rhythmic virtuosity is matched by his ability to envision and synthesize seemingly disparate elements. Such harmonious and joyful innovation is evident throughout Freedman’s own catalogue, beginning with his attention-grabbing debut Trio in 2001. His travels to musically rich locales like Bamako, Morocco, Senegal and Marrakech informed his 2012 follow-up, Bamako By Bus, while his third album, Imagine That, received a 5-star review in DownBeat, which declared that Freedman “has quietly, almost surreptitiously, become a primal force, creating a kind of people’s music built on rustling folk rhythms, ethnic melodies and joyous performances.”

Those qualities also come to the fore in Third World Love, his culture-melding quartet with Avishai Cohen, Omer Avital and Yonatan Avishai. Freedman’s boundary-blurring compositions, and performances propelled by a vibrant pleasure principle, animate his  most recent record, Ghost Modern, a unique new ensemble featuring the stellar guitarists Gilad Hekselman and Al Street as well as percussionist Gilmar Gomes, with a host of invited guests including trumpeter/producer Michael Leonhart, percussion great Mauro Refosco and others; and the new ensemble Gnawa Nova, co-founded by Moroccan musician Samir LanGus and dedicated to combining jazz improvisation with the ritual trance music of Morocco.


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Album Review

John Ellis, Andy Bragen: The Ice Siren

Read "The Ice Siren" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


Dopo Dreamscapes e MOBRO John Ellis e Andy Bragen firmano un altro lavoro d'ampio respiro, che si snoda in equilibrio tra scrittura cameristica, jazz e opera contemporanea. Ellis ha scritto la musica e partecipa come strumentista; Bragen ha composto il libretto, ispirandosi al filone gothic fantasy di autori come Tim Burton ne “La sposa cadavere" (titolo originale The Corpse Bride). L'opera è stata commissionata dalla Jazz Gallery di New York e presentata lo scorso anno durante ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Daniel Freedman, Omer Avital & Peter Bernstein: The Essence of NYC's Jazz

Read "Daniel Freedman, Omer Avital & Peter Bernstein: The Essence of NYC's Jazz" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


The Daniel Freedman's Trio featuring Omer Avital and Peter Bernstein embodies all that is great about jazz in New York: the connection to a rich history and the desire not to be bound by it, transcending rigid stylistic categories while drawing inspiration from the many cultural traditions that make this city so vibrant. Happy listening! Daniel Freedman “Determined Soul" Imagine That (Anzic) 00:00:00 Omer Avital “Yemen Blues" New Song (Motema) 00:05:23 Third World Love ...

Lyrics

I 10 CD nel CD-Player di... Daniel Freedman

Read "I 10 CD nel CD-Player di... Daniel Freedman" reviewed by Vincenzo Roggero


01.Yusef Lateef -Into Something (Riverside-1961). Elvin Jones e Barry Harris formano un'accoppiata magica. Yusef suona con il cuore, come sempre. Non mi stanco mai di ascoltare questo disco. 02. Aphex Twin -Syro (Warp-2014). Strati infiniti di suoni e di idee. E ad ogni ascolto sento cose nuove. Come diavolo riescono a fare tutto ciò? 03. Toumani Diabate with Ballake Sissoko -New Ancient Strings (Hannibal- 1999). Ritmo perfetto. Fluire perfetto. Perfetto.    ...

Album Review

Daniel Freedman: Imagine That

Read "Imagine That" reviewed by Luca Muchetti


Immaginate che una musica fatta di tante musiche trovi finalmente un linguaggio perfetto, elegante, spesso riflessivo quanto solare, caldo, ma di un calore che spesso si scopre possibile anche in veste minimale. Immaginate che a portare a sintesi sia un collettivo di musicisti alla cui guida si trova un batterista senza ansie da protagonista. Se siete riusciti a immaginare tutto questo siamo sulla buona strada per dare un primo abbozzo di Immagine That, l'abum di Daniel Freedman pubblicato dalla Anzic ...

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Album Review

Daniel Freedman: Imagine That

Read "Imagine That" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Few can match drummer Daniel Freedman when it comes to pan-stylistic jazz presentations that cut across cultural lines. This lifelong New Yorker has found a way to bridge sonic worlds, erase boundary lines, and merge various musical languages in masterful fashion in his own work and in support of others. It's no wonder why the best of the best--the one and only Sting, West African superstar Angélique Kidjo, and Israeli clarinet queen Anat Cohen, to mention three--have called on Freedman. ...

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Recording

Drummer Daniel Freedman Leads An All-Star Quintet On Imagine That, With Rhythmically Infectious Originals, A Radiohead Cover And Guest Vocal On "Baby Aya" By World Music Star Angélique Kidjo

Drummer Daniel Freedman Leads An All-Star Quintet On Imagine That, With Rhythmically Infectious Originals, A Radiohead Cover And Guest Vocal On "Baby Aya" By World Music Star Angélique Kidjo

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity

Drummer Daniel Freedman Leads an All-Star Quintet on Imagine That, with Rhythmically Infectious Originals, a Radiohead Cover and Guest Vocal on “Baby Aya" by World Music Star Angélique Kidjo The album—to be released in the U.S. by Anzic Records on April 15, 2016—finds Freedman in league with a group of kindred spirits: guitarist Lionel Loueke, keyboardist Jason Lindner, bassist Omer Avital and percussionist Gilmar Gomes. “His restless global spirit has informed the music of renowned artists such as Anat Cohen ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The Ice Siren

Parade Light
2020

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Imagine That

Anzic Records
2016

buy

Trio

Self Produced
2002

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