Search - Don Freidman :: Day in the City

Magic day

Jazzcat | Genoa, Italy Italy | 09/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That 12 june 1961 in NY was a big day for sure. A big day at least for the jazz community. That day Don Friedman, a sort of avant garde jazz pianist, closed himself in the studio with double bassist Chuck Israel (of Bill Evans trio fame) and drummer Joe Hunt, to record this splendid post impressionistic trio album. He was in the middle of the jazz piano revolution that happened with Bill Evans in the sixties. The two pianists, Friedman and Evans, were close friends too and share a lot of ideas. Friedman is quoted to say that Evans was his only influeence ... and sure, you can hear Evans in Friedman's Jazz, but there's some Friedman's things going on too here. Don Friedman is different from Bill Evans in some aspects, technically he is a more percussive kind of pianist. Aestetically he didn't indulge in some romanticisms like Evans did sometimes (even if always with great taste) but he played more adventurous avant garde parts instead. This album sports some of them in the opening or closing moments of the tunes. Apart from these more abstract moments the rest of the album consists in a still very deep kind of jazz. The atmosphere is just "mahattan" .. that kind of intellectual, refined Jazz, Jazz that does swing but that does think too. In two words wonderful jazz. I discovered Don Friedman with this album and I can say that I'm glad I did because this "day in the city" is something that every jazz lover should own. Bill Evans is a close kind of player but I would put this album nearer Russell's "Ezzthetic" even if the two line ups are quite different. But these two albums share a common view of jazz, the same will to experiment, but still swinging !! I can say that even if the album is sure Jazz for adult, every guy seriously interested in Jazz should buy this one. It's a gem."

Good enough for jazz

Christen Thomsen | ODENSE M Denmark | 05/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I entirely agree with the above review of 'A Day in the City'. And in general think Don Friedman is one of great American jazz pianists today.

But a word of warning: the piano sound on most Riverside studio recordings in the 1950s and the 1960s was never great; just passable. But the piano on this cd is atrocious! I haven't listened to the original LP but I can't believe it was this bad. Probably tape storage is the culprit. But if remastering engineers and producers had a bit of respect for the artist and CD buyers they would either correct pitch or remaster from a well-kept LP."