Jazz Articles about Erik Friedlander

Erik Friedlander: Complexity, Simplicity and Arc

by Paul Olson
May 1, 2006

Arguably the premier cellist in improvised music, New York musician Erik Friedlander has played with John Zorn, Dar Williams, Clogs, Laurie Anderson, Dave Douglas and Hole. His own groups have run the gamut from the chamber jazz--"chamber being a term Friedlander's come to loathe--of Chimera to the improvisational groove of Topaz. He's also a fine solo cellist who performs frequently, and fruitfully, in that setting. His new Topaz CD Prowl is the best recording yet from that band, and one ...

Erik Friedlander: Prowl

by Jerry D'Souza
March 9, 2006

The seeds for Topaz were sown in 1996 when Erik Friedlander was scoring the dances for his wife, Lynn Shapiro's New York show, which he later performed with Andy Laster and Stomu Takeishi. There was enough empathy between them to inspire Friedlander to write some new tunes. But there was something missing: they needed more rhythmic complexity. Takeishi suggested that they ask his percussionist brother Satoshi to sit in. He did, and the pieces fell into place.

This is the ...

Erik Friedlander: Prowl

by Sean Patrick Fitzell
March 4, 2006

One of the most highly regarded cellists in today's creative improvised music scene, Erik Friedlander has been integral to projects led by saxophonist John Zorn, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and a host of others. But his prolific yield as a sideman has at times overshadowed his own work. Prowl, a testament to Friedlander's talents as a composer and bandleader, should remedy that. Friedlander's Topaz quartet--with Andy Laster on alto saxophone and clarinet and the Takeishi brothers Stomu on ...

Erik Friedlander: Prowl

by John Kelman
February 15, 2006

While cellist Erik Friedlander's last release with his Topaz quartet, Quake (Cryptogramophone, 2003), was a more cosmopolitan affair, Prowl is more localized. Emphasizing African rhythms, largely from percussionist Satoshi Takeishi's unusual hybrid of traditional drums and assorted percussion esoterica, this may be Topaz's most focused release to date.

That's not to say there isn't plenty of diversity, nor should the group's stress of African rhythms suggest any kind of conventional world music approach. Topaz has always had a distinctive sound, ...

Erik Friedlander: Prowl

by Troy Collins
February 14, 2006

With its African-inspired cover art and concentration on indigenous polyrhythms, Prowl presents cellist Erik Friedlander's Topaz quartet taking a virtual trip to the dark continent for a set of rhythmic excursions that are as adventurous as they are accessible. While the ensemble's Middle Eastern modality is still firmly in place, the group has opened itself up to a number of different traditional African rhythms on this captivating set.

Topaz, which celebrates its tenth anniversary with this fourth album, ...

Erik Friedlander's Vanishing Point: A Road Journal

by John Kelman
May 6, 2005

Erik Friedlander Vanishing Point Arconomics ARC01 2005

One man and a cello. It's hard to imagine that the instrument could occupy a solo space for the duration of an entire album, let alone a concert performance. But when the cellist is Erik Friedlander, a remarkable player who has worked with artists as broad-reaching as John Zorn, Joe Lovano, Fred Hersch and Marty Ehrlich, not to mention his own body of recordings including three with ...

Erik Friedlander: Quake

by Elliott Simon
June 25, 2003

Cellist Erik Friedlander has reconvened his unique Topaz quartet with Quake the eclectic result. Stomu and Satoshi Takeishi on fretless electric bass and percussion, respectively, join Andy Laster on alto sax to reprise the same core lineup that has produced two previous strong efforts. Quake picks up and continues these explorations into a heady mix of avant-garde jazz and mid Eastern rhythms blended with a modern classical feel. While cello and alto may seem an unlikely pairing, ...