Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Don Friedman Quartet: Match Point

143

Don Friedman Quartet: Match Point

By

Sign in to view read count
Don Friedman Quartet: Match Point
Born in San Francisco to a musical family, (his mother was an opera singer), Don Friedman has been known for a long time as a musician's musician, never quite achieving the public notoriety his piano styling deserves. As a young man in San Francisco, he played with the créme de la créme of the West Coast jazz society like Shorty Rogers, Chet Baker, Buddy Collette, Ornette Coleman, Dexter Gordon and Scott LaFaro, quite an eclectic group of jazz stylists which set the groundwork for his playing for his career. His ability to fit in with all forms carried over to New York, where he moved in 1958. There he worked with the likes of Pepper Adams, Booker Little, Jimmy Giuffre, Charles Lloyd, Chuck Wayne, Dick Haymes, Elvin Jones and Herbie Mann. He made his first album in 1961. But much of his recorded work was never released in the US, but in Japan. This is beginning to be rectified as his 1960's LPs for Riverside have been reissued on CD. Hopefully the same will happen with his Progressive label LPs in the near future.

This quartet album is a balanced mix of standards and Friedman originals, with the former in the majority. The playing echoes his variegated background. Modernistic tendencies prevail on "Ricardo Bossa Nova". Matters turn to swing on Lester Young's "Tickle Toes" with some luminous tenor sax by Tom Butts. Friedman's "Match Point" is driving hard bop recalling Art Blakey's groups, with Frank Ferreri's drums pushing the pianist. Gary Mazzaroppi's bass comes into play in a significant way on this track. Introspectiveness dominates a very thoughtful "`Round Midnight" featuring a lovely Butts tenor statement. Then there's a comfortable rendition of "If you Could See Me Now". For four of the cuts, the group is joined by vocalist Alyse Levy. She shines especially bright on an up tempo "Time After Time" with her vocalizing taking on Lee Wiley tones on "There's No Such Thing as Love".

Match Point is 70 minutes of straightforward, well-conceived jazz music performed by a veteran master pianist and his highly skilled friends and it deserves a listen. Recommended.

Track Listing

Tickle Toes; If You Could See Me Now; I'll Remember April; There's No Such Thing As Love; Almost Everything; Ricardo Bossa Nova; Round Midnight; Green Dolphin Street; There's That Rainy Day; Match Point; Travelin; Prelude To A Kiss; Time After Time; S. S. Cool. (Total Time: 70:17)

Personnel

Don Friedman: Piano; Tom Butts: Saxophone; Frank Ferreri: Drums; Gary Mazzaroppi: Bass; Alyse Levy: Vocals.

Album information

Title: Match Point | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: TBR Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Sensual
Rachel Z
Over and Over
Tony Monaco Trio
Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.