Free Lessons!

Lessons with me are $100/hr but starting April 9, one day a month I will be offering 4 free 30' lessons. You can sign up by checking the google calendar shown here. Pick a time slot that is free--it will still say "Free Lesson #1" for example-- If there is a name there then you know the lesson slot is taken. Then email me at with the following information: 1) date & time slot (1230-1P, etc.); 2)your name; 3)cell phone number.

Other days for free lessons: May 7, June 11 & July 9. Any age, any instrument welcome..

Erik Friedlander Basics: Who is This Guy and Why Am I Here?

Website confusing you a bit? Here's some basic info about me, the site, what to listen to..etc.

General Info | Listening | Almanac

Blogging

Check out my blog at http://cellomakeitcount.blogspot.com/

This week two posts about making your own CD: 1) Be an Indie Artist; 2)Mastering with Steve Berson

San Bernardino - from Heretic Pride

I mentioned last month that I did a bunch of arranging/playing for the new Mountain Goats CD, "Heretic Pride" including a wall-to-wall cello arrangement for "San Bernardino." You can get a free low-rez play of the track here! Push the little play arrow. Check out this CD, it's great!

Andrew D'Angelo -- Help is Needed!

Saxophonist/composer Andrew D’Angelo suffered a major seizure on January 25 while driving in Brooklyn, NY. Tests in the hospital revealed a large tumor in his brain. He needs help paying for the surgery and the treatment to come. You can help him out using PayPal -- More Info

Broken Arm Makes A Record

My friends in the Broken Arm Trio: Mike Sarin (drums), Trevor Dunn (bass), Scott Solter (engineer) and I convened at the very homey Excello Studios where we recorded a new CD. We finished around 15-16 tunes which will be coming out this year on my label SkipStone Records.

More Info soon...

Year End Awards for Block Ice & Propane!

Block Ice One of "The Best Jazz Albums of 2007"

"..haunting, lulling, adventurous, and disorientingly magical. Friedlander combines a modern classicist's sense of harmony—Copland's open chords, but also Crumb's gnarly grit—with rhythmic nods toward early folk and blues. Is it jazz? I'll leave that to the philosophers. It's great music by a great jazz musician; that should be enough." --for Slate By Fred Kaplan [read more]

Critic Steven Dollar ranks Block Ice 6th best CD for 2007.

New Lessons Posted

Two new lessons have been posted:

• "Curved Fingers"
• "Get A Grip"

Check the Make It Count Mini-Site

Block Ice & Propane..& the iPhone!

Last July, as part of a mini-tour supporting the release of Block Ice & Propane I played at The Lily Pad, a small club in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A friend of mine, cellist Josh Gordon, came to the show and brought along his friend, filmmaker, Errol Morris who enjoyed the music and bought a copy of the CD. As it happens, Morris ended up working on a new series of spots for the Apple iPhone and he found that my piece, "Yakima", worked well with the stylish testimonial, real-person-on-the-street work he created. [read more]

New Video on the Web

Spoof of the iPhone Ad from SNL

Poet in the House - Pushcart Prize

My wife, Lynn Shapiro, has written poem that was published in RATTLE a literary magazine from the West Coast. It was announced that she won the Pushcart Prize for this poem. You may read a small excerpt and comments at the Rattle editor's blog. Or buy the amazing collection using the link here to the left.

Review from Pitchfork

"Airstream Envy" jolts open with a shriek of pure panic. Erik Friedlander's bow grates across the strings of his cello, wrenching notes into a stunted, disdainful exclamation. Imagine Friedlander-- now one of the world's top cellists with a Rolodex of collaborators from John Zorn and Laurie Anderson to John Darnielle and Courtney Love-- as a boy from New York's hinterlands, maybe 14 or 15 years old, out West in an RV sitting atop a 1966 Chevrolet pick-up truck. [ read more]

Pictures from the 1960-70's

I am putting together a new solo show using images from the family trips that inspired many of the song titles on Block Ice & Propane. I dug through boxes of photos to rescue a few that are now online and ready for viewing. Check out the Family Archives!

Block Ice Remix - "Rushmore"

Months before I went into the studio to record Block Ice I sent my friend Teho Teardo some of my home studio versions. Teho took "Rushmore" and created this magic remix: Rushmore (remixed by Teho Teardo)

Studio360 Segment

Hear my most recent interview with Kurt Andersen and PRI's Studio360: Listen! We talked about being 'on the road' and I even improvised a piece after hearing a segment from Kerouac novel.

Erik Friedlander: Volac: Book of Angels Volume 8 [#7363]

Volume 8 in the continuing Book of Angels series is an intimate and breathtaking recital by one of the world’s most accomplished cellists. A vital member of the Masada family from the very beginning, Erik Friedlander has hypnotized audiences both here and in Europe with his own bands Topaz, Broken Arm and Grains of Paradise. Stepping out in a special solo project, Erik shows off his remarkable technique in ten compositions from Zorn’s lyrical Book of Angels. This is Erik at his best. Rich, romantic, gripping music to both challenge and soothe the savage beast.

NPR - All Things Considered Interview

I hopped the Amtrak to DC for a nice chat with Jacki Lyden of NPR's All Things Considered. It aired Saturday, August 4 on your local stations. Listen Now!

Block Ice & Propane EPK

check out mp3's at my new VIRB.COM site.

The press is coming in...[read Block Ice press]

The New Yorker writes...

The downtown cellist Erik Friedlander showcases a magnificent new solo album, "Block Ice & Propane," which is inspired by family road trips he took as a child. Friedlander’s father, Lee, is a photographer, who, when Erik was young, would pack up his family for long summer treks to photo shoots and teaching assignments in a ’66 Chevy pickup with a camper on top and the amenities of the album’s title. The beautifully spare compositions vaguely recall Ry Cooder’s score for "Paris, Texas" while revealing the cello to be—at least in Friedlander’s hands--a versatile instrument that can sound like a steel-string guitar one moment and an air horn the next.

House Keeping:Link Repaired

I inadvertantly disabled one of the cello lessons for quite a long while. I just discovered the mistake and have enabled the pages. Here's the link if you want to check it out. The "Olympic Cello Workout"

Broken Arm In Italy - Thanks!

Thanks to everyone who came to our gigs in Italy. You can download a live recording of The Broken Arm Trio right here.

For some beautiful pics from our Rocca Brivia by Dario Villa gig go here: http://www.dariovilla.net/concerts/brokenarmtrio.html

Prenda il disco "Broken Arm: Live in New York City"

New Solo CD: "Block Ice & Propane" - UPDATE!

Instead of a quick job we have decided to do a full 6-panel digipak w/booklet. In addition, there will be a record release performance at Joe's Pub on July 17. A new website will go along with the new CD..more info to come.
Hear Sample

New Downloads: Broken Arm Live in New York City

Recorded live in 2005 at 'Mo Pitkins on the Lower East Side of New York. The recording has 9 tracks, all originals, featuring: Mike Sarin, drums; Kermit Driscoll, bass; Erik Friedlander, cello. We sold out of this CD on our tour in Europe but you can pick it up now as a download. Enjoy!

Buy Tracks | Listen: Spinning Plates | Broken Arm Page

New Review of "Giorni Rubati" from Downtown Music Gallery

ERIK FRIEDLANDER & TEHO TEARDO - Giorni Rubati:

Music Inspired By The Poems OF Pier Paolo Pasolini (Bip-Hop 34; EEC) "This record is a total breath of fresh air. A collaborative effort between Erik Friedlander on cello and Teho Teardo on electronics, inspired by the poetry of Pier Paolo Pasolini, "Giorni Rubati" successfully demonstrates how a duo record which straddles the balance of the acoustic/electric improvisation duo dichotomy should be made - each player actively contributes to the evolution of the music, yet neither steps on the other's toes unless it's in (a rather friendly and sportsmanlike) provocation.

Erik sounds fantastic in this setting - laying down (and often overdubbing multiple) thick, richly toned and oft-melodic lines, scrapes, and scuffles amidst a forest of electronic drones, ticker-tape flickers of ping-ponging rhythms, and clouds of static, with the occasional voice appearing amidst this wilderness to recite spoken fragments which never overshadow or detract from the music. This is precisely the sort of record which I love to appear here in the shop - it easily makes waste of genre categorizations and debates of improv versus composition, and achieves that all-too-rare goal of featuring a little something for everyone whilst never dumbing itself down to pander to a particular listener base. Simply stunning, and without question one of the year's best records - and bonus points for the shredtastic (hidden) cover of the Normal's "Warm Leatherette", which closes out the disc and crazily, actually, REALLY works. Bravo, gents!" - Mikey IQ Jones.

See all "Giorni Rubati" press

Find Friedlander at DMG

New Downloads

In 1999 the very first Topaz recording was released on SIAM Records. There are still copies available but now you can download the CD on the Buy Page!

In 2000 my band Topaz recorded SKIN. About a year later SIAM records went out of business. Mike Landy was kind enough to let me have most of the remaining stock which has since sold out (thanks!). I'm pleased to now offer this CD as a download. Both of the SIAM records Topaz CD's were recorded to 2" analogue tape and mastered at Sterling Sound by Ted Jensen so they sound amazing! Check out the BUY page.

Sample: Life, In Line - $0.75 - Listen

JUKEBOX

Use this jukebox to play some of my music (early stuff!)..still working on it but you can give this a whirl. It's on Shuffle Mode, here are the tunes:

• Turbine from Chimera (Avant)
• Silver Like Dust from The Watchman (Tzadik)
• November from Topaz (SIAM)
• Sahel Va Darya from SKIN (SIAM)
• Grains of Paradise Sampler from Grains of Paradise (Tzadik)
• Wire from QUAKE (Cryptogramophone)

Robert Grossman On The Web

You've seen his work in The NY Times, The Nation, The New Yorker...all over. Check it out Robert Grossman's new website.

New Recording Just Out:
Ned Rothenberg's Inner Diaspora

Featuring his band Sync -- Jerome Harris, bass, guitar; Samir Chatterjee, tabla; with special guests Mark Feldman, violin; Erik Friedlander, cello.

Notes from Tzadik Website:
Ned Rothenberg’s intensely personal take on Radical Jewish Culture interprets the inner Diaspora as a place of learning and growth. Featuring his acclaimed trio Sync with guest string players Mark Feldman and Erik Friedlander (Masada String Trio, Bar Kokhba) the music is rich in rhythmic invention, instrumental color and lyricism. Drawing upon his extensive experience in world music, Ned explores the possibilities of 21st century Jewish culture through the nuances of scales, modes and feelings of alienation and belonging.

Teho Teardo & Erik Friedlander CD
Released on Bip-Hop Records

In 2004 I began a trans-Atlantic collaboration with Italian electronics composer Teho Teardo. We exchanged ideas by passing tracks back and forth and remixing each other's contributions. Our first finsihed track ended up in Teho's soundtrack for "Lavorare Con Lentezza", a film by Guido Chiesa ... [more]

• MP3 : Red Flag
• MP3 : Ricordi

More Info on the PROJECTS Page

Blogging Cello Lessons

Post a 1-minute lesson request at my new Blog. The MakeItCount Blog is an online cello lessons hub. Anyone can post a 1-minute request for answers to a specific cello-related problem. I will post my own video response with tips and suggestions. Others can comment or post a short video follow-up.
Here's the first post with all the info: "Here's the Idea.."

Interview by Paul Olson Online Now!

Erik Friedlander: Complexity, Simplicity and Arc by Paul Olson -- READ INTERVIEW

Paul Olson lives in Chicago, idolizes Clint Eastwood, Toshiro Mifune and Fred Astaire, and doesn't like the president much..[more about Paul]

PROWL

The TOPAZ Story

In January of 1996 I was scoring the dances for my wife's N.Y. season and juggling different ideas for the group's instrumentation. I had been listening to a variety of 70's funk and fusion (Headhunters, Earth, Wind & Fire) and so electric bass and alto saxophone seemed like a natural choice. I invited Stomu and Andy ..read more about the CD

Free Download of Howling Circle at AllAboutJazz.Com

IRON BLUE, For Solo Guitar

Guitarist Marco Cappelli has released his "Extreme Guitar Project" which contains a piece I wrote called IRON BLUE.

• Excerpt #1: beginning
• Excerpt #2: end

For more info you can go to the Mode Records Website The CD is produced by Elliott Sharp and has pieces by: Marc Ribot, Ikue Mori, Anthony Coleman, Elliott Sharp, Otomo Yoshihide, Mark Stewart, Annie Gosfield, Nick Didkowsky & David Shea.

Amber - New Video

Video excerpt from my DVD "Vanishing Point". The audio is a recording from the studios of DubLab in Los Angeles

PocketMod

Turn one piece of blank 8x10 and turn it into a pocket organizer..simple and cool.

Check Out Pandora

A free personalize streaming internet music service which uses a sophisticated music typing concept called the "music genome project" to select new music you may have not hear before .

Listen to the "Erik Friedlander" station..

Short Film, "The Gates"

In 2005 Christo and Jeanne-Claude installed 7503 gates into Central Park. See my short visit to the park one snowy morning. The Gates Page

Online Lessons Posted -- MAKE IT COUNT

This new series of short video lessons that are geared towards making the best use of your practice time: tips and tricks that will help you make technical progress in short, focused mini-sessions. There are now 4 lessons up. The newest is PIZZICATO:

1. Pizzicato
2. Long Bows
3. Live Sound
4. The Hotel Room Warmup

Also check out the "Make It Count" Boards where you can post questions about the videos or report your own experiences.

Interview Online

One Finale Note (Jazz & Improvised Music Webzine) just published an interview I did with Troy Collins a few months back

New WMV Teaser Posted of SKIN DVD

I've posted a new "teaser" showing clips from the SKIN DVD. Check out this short highlight reel at the Media Page or view video.

This video was created while Topaz was signed to SIAM Records and documents the 2-day recording session at Clinton Studios in New York City. Special guests: Amira Mor, Marlon Barrios, dancers; The Atlas Cello Quartet; Alexander Fedoriouk, cimbalom.

Masada String Trio Review

AllAboutJazz.com Review of Masada String Trio CD, "Azazel, Book of Angels Volume 2"

Broken Arm Tour

The Broken Arm Trio on tour in Europe was a great success. Thanks to everyone who came out to see us. I'll be posting some live MP3's as they come in from some of the venues along with pics.

Live in Grottazolina, Italy - Tam Tutta un'Altra Musica - TamClub (photo by Battista Tofoni)

Broken Arm Page

Solo Tour 2004

Click on the map of the USA for clips at every venue of the tour: click me

Additions to Media: Live in Krakow, Poland

The Grains of Paradise band performed live in Krakow, Poland last year. Check out photos and MP3's of the concert

Krakow Page or see other live concert listings on the Media page.

Interview on WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show

Listen! (mp3)

All in the Family (click to go to wnyc)

Photographer Lee Friedlander's work was the subject of a retrospective at MoMA (2005) Meanwhile, his son Erik Friedlander is enjoying a successful career as a jazz cellist. They'll tell us what it's like having two high profile artists in the same family, and they'll share their thoughts on using different forms of media to communicate their artistic ideas.

Music: Erik Friedlander's "Flight's of Starlings," "Here Comes the madwoman" and " O Stern Mathematics" from album "Maldoror"

C A L E N D A R

May 8 - Marty Ehrlich's Rites Band

Playing music of Julius Hemphill --incl. Dogon AD
Marty Ehrlich – saxophones, clarinet, flute
Erik Friedlander – cello
James Zollar – trumpet
Pheeroan akLaff – drums

The Jazz Standard - 730P & 930P
$25
116 East 27th Street New York, New York 10016
212-447-7733

May 10 - Erik Friedlander at Roulette

Roulette is a major New York City venue for contemporary music and intermedia art.

ALL events are at 20 Greene Street (between Canal and Grand Streets).
Performances begin at 8:30pm, unless otherwise noted. Roulette TV shoots begin at 8:00pm.
Reservations/Tickets: 212.219.8242
Admission: $15 / Harvestworks and DTW members, Students & Seniors: $10
Roulette members / Location One members: free.

More details to come..

May 14-15: Erik Friedlander Solo in Ireland

Wednesday 14th May

Triskel Arts Centre, Cork Tickets 18 Euro and 16 Euro (concession). Bookings: 021 427 2022 (Triskel Arts Centre) or online from www.triskelartscentre.ie Show starts: 9.00pm.

Thursday 15th May

The Sugar Club, Dublin Tickets €20 (inc. booking fee) available from usual Ticketmaster Outlets, online and Claddagh Records. Bookings: 0818 719 300 (Ticketmaster), telephone and internet bookings subject to a maximum 12.5% service charge, agents €2. Doors: 8.00pm; show starts 8.30pm.

June 24-27: Masada Festival in Paris

June 23, 2008 - Cité de la musique Concert Hall

SIX LITANIES FOR HELIOGABALUS
mike patton
trevor dunn
joey baron
jamie saft-organ...
ikue-electronics...
3 female singers..

June 24, 2008 - Cité de la musique Concert Hall

COBRA
mark Feldman, erik friedlander,
mike patton, marc ribot,
jamie saft, steve drury,
trevor dunn, ikue mori,
cyro baptista, joey baron,
kenny wollesen, willie winant

THE GIFT VOL 2 (FAIRYTALES) AND ESSENTIAL CINEMA featuring ELECTRIC MASADA

anger....eaux d'artifice
deren...ritual in transfigured time
cornell...rose hobart / by night with torch and spear
menken...go go go
smith....tin woodsmans dream

marc ribot...
jamie saft...
trevor dunn...
ikue mori...
cyro baptista...
joey baron....
kenny wollesen...

June 26, 2008 - Salle Pleyel

URI CAINE SOLO / MASADA STRING TRIO / ACOUSTIC MASADA

uri caine
dave douglas
joey baron
greg cohen
mark feldman
erik friedlander

June 27, 2008 - Cité de la musique Concert Hall

classical program... or perhaps MYSTERIUM ??

sortilege....2 bass cl
frammenti del sappho....5 female voices
The Prophetic Mysteries of Angels, Witches and Demons...flute / 2 perc / electronics
777 ... 3 celli

fay çe que vouldras...solo piano
necronomicon....vn / vn / vla / vcl

June 30 - Warsaw, Poland

Erik Friedlander SOLO
Centrum Artystyczne Fabryka Trzciny
ul. Otwocka 14, 03 759 Warszawa
www.fabrykatrzciny.pl

July 1 -- Krakow, Poland

Erik Friedlander Plays "Volac" Masada, Book II -- Krakow Jewish Festival
10PM
About the Festival

August 4, 2008: Zorn in Marciac, France

uri caine solo

masada string trio

masada sextet (with uri and cyro)

August 31: Bar Kokhba in Willisau

Zorn's Bar Kokhba Group at the famed Willisau Festival in Switzerland

For booking information contact Erik Friedlander at: ef2007"at"erikfriedlanderDOTcom