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David Friedman

David Friedman is considered to be one of the most influential vibraphonists in the history of the instrument. Internationally renowned as a vibraphonist, marimbist, composer and jazz educator, he has his own musical message, born of fascinatingly diverse musical influences.

Having worked with such varied musical personalities as Leonard Bernstein, Luciano Berio, Bobby McFerrin, Wayne Shorter and Yoko Ono, few jazz musicians can claim as broad a spectrum of performing and recording experience.

The list doesn't stop there. Friedman has been heard either live or on recordings with, among others, Joe Henderson, Horace Silver, Johnny Griffin, Hubert Laws, Jane Ira Bloom, Ron Carter and John Scofield. Friedman's vibraphone and compositions are both featured on Chet Baker's award winning Enja release Peace, with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Joe Chambers.

A dedicated and renowned educator, David Friedman founded the jazz program at Berlin's University of the Arts, and served as its head for sixteen years. He continues to perform masterclasses throughout Europe, North America and Japan. His book, Vibraphone Technique, Dampening and Pedaling, is considered to be the Bible of mallet instruction books.

In 1977, Friedman co-founded the unique vibe-marimba quartet Double Image, with Dave Samuels. Their first recording, Double Image, was nominated for a German "Grammy", and has just been re-released as a special edition by Enja Records. Friedman's Enja release Shades of Change, with pianist Geri Allen, bassist Anthony Cox and drummer Ronnie Burrage, was voted by Downbeat magazine as "One of the year's best 20 CD's".

Friedman's trio playing with star drummer Daniel Humair and bassist J.F. Jenny-Clarke, documented on their 1992 live release Ternaire, showcases modern, interactive jazz improvisation, ranging from an agressive driving swing to tender lyricism.

Friedman's project with bandoneonist Dino Saluzzi, Astor Piazzola's heir to modern tango, is a synthesis of American jazz and ethnic improvisation. The gifted bassist Anthony Coxcompletes the trio. Their 1996 CD release, Rios, on Intuition Records, has been called “a true work of art" by the Chicago Tribune.

One of Friedman's unique accomplishments is his solo mallet recording, which utilizes multiple vibe and marimba overdubs to create richly textured soundscapes. The first recording of its kind ever done by a mallet performer, it is aptly entitled Air Sculpture (Traumton Records). Jazz Friends Review writes: "This music is made of the same fabric dreams are made of. This daring recording is riveting." Germany's Die Woche callsAir Sculpture, "a humble masterpiece!"

Friedman's project Other Worlds is a trio with an instrumentation and sound all its own. Featuring the exciting French accordianist Jean-Louis Matinier and the brilliant American bass virtuoso Anthony Cox, their CD, Other Worlds, was recorded in November 1996 for Intuition Records and released in December 1997. It's a spellbinding musical journey, featuring original compositions and improvisational dialogues of incredible depth and beauty. Jazzthetik remarks: "You feel your ears being drawn to the speakers as if by magic! Other Worlds is a true musical adventure".

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Liner Notes

Dino Betti van der Noot: A Chance For A Dance

Read "Dino Betti van der Noot: A Chance For A Dance" reviewed by Neil Tesser


"I love the rhythm—one of the reasons I love jazz is the rhythm—but I have spent some years to free myself from the rhythm." Dino Betti van der Noot sits over breakfast rolls at the Rosetta Hotel in Perugia, Italy. “I experimented with different time signatures and finally found out that the simplest ones are perfect, as long as you make use of them as, oh, railways, rail tracks." In other words, the time-feel must be a guide, a phisical, ...

4
Album Review

Berlin Mallet Group: Sogni D’oro

Read "Sogni D’oro" reviewed by John Eyles


Berlin Mallet Group is a new ensemble in which all five members play vibraphone and/or marimba, making it a unique group, the only improvising mallet ensemble of its kind. Two members of the quintet are key, David Friedman and Taiko Saito who together produced Sogni D'oro (Italian for “Sweet Dreams"). Considered an influential vibraphonist in the instrument's history, Friedman founded the jazz program at Berlin's University of the Arts and was its head for sixteen years; all members of Berlin ...

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Sogni D’oro

Malletmuse
2021

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Jazz Takes on Joni...

Arkadia Records
2021

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Of The Wind's Eye

Cristal Records
2008

buy

Birds Of A Feather

Cristal Records
1999

buy

Other Worlds

Cristal Records
1997

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