Press for 50 Improvisations of Improvising Quintet

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ERIK FRIEDLANDER: 50 MINIATURES FOR IMPROVISING QUARTET (skipstone)

Wo wir schon mal bei der w|rzigen K|rze sind: dieses Konzept materialisierte der Cello-Virtuose, der bei jedem Album programmatisch etwas Neues angeht, anldsslich der Ervffnung des J|dischen Museums in San Francisco. Ausgangspunkt war die Transformation des J|dischen Alphabets in Musik. Die 50 Miniaturen indes fasste Friedlander dann via Feedback durch seine Frau in sieben grv_eren St|cken zusammen und arrangierte sie neu. Das Ergebnis ist Improv-Kammermusik der besten Sorte - auch Pianistin Sylvie Courvoisier steht programmatisch f|r diese Musik, die hier brillant gelebt wird. Honker

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Each item is a little gem of compression and feels more composed and polished than anything we might normally associate with "raw" improvisation. [read more]

"Friedlander does not work with sketches, but each piece has its own personality, with some moments of breathtaking beauty." (google translation) [read more]

Noto per la sua collaborazione con John Zorn, il violoncellista Erik Friedlander e un nome di punta della scena avant-jazz newyorkese. Questo Fifty: 50 Miniatures For Improvising Quintet e frutto di un lavoro originariamente commissionatogli dal San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum. Ispirato ai 49 giorni di meditazione imposti da Mose al popolo d'Israele a nche potesse degnamente ricevere - nel cinquantesimo giorno - le tavole dei Dieci Comandamenti, mette in la una scaletta di 50 mini-composizioni organizzate in sette tracce o sezioni (le "settimane").

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ERIK FRIEDLANDER 50 Miniatures For Improvising Quintet Skipstone

Roberto Mandolini 7/10

Tra i collaboratori di John Zork quello che puo competere con il capobanda in fatto di eclettismo e sicuramente il violoncellista Erik Friedlander. Che nel suo nuovo disco, "50 Miniatures For Improvising Quintet", dimostra di non aver nulla da invidiare a Zorn neanche in termini di schizofrenia improvvisativa. Come suggerisce lo stesso titolo, Friedlander - con l'aiuto di Jennifer Choi al violino, Sylvie Courvoisier al pianoforte, Trevor Dunn al basso elettrico e Mike Sarin alle percussioni - mette in fila cinquanta improvvisazioni, raggruppate in sette tracce, che passano in rassegna le mille facce del jazz, da quello piu legato alla ballata blues a quello gitano, passando per le battaglie cerebrali delle liquidita free. [see orig]

Nicht weniger als 50 improvisierte Miniaturen, gruppiert zu sieben Blocken mit je sieben Piecen und einem Schlussakt versammelt Erik Friedlander auf einer CD. Inspiriert wurde der Cellist von der biblischen Erzahlung der "50 Tore des Verstehens" von Moses und der Israeliten auf dem Weg durch Wuste Sinai nach dem Auszug aus Agypten - bis zum Erhalt..[ read more]

ERIK FRIEDLANDER / 50 Miniatures for Improvising Quintet (Skipstone Records)

Le titre dit tout: un canevas d'improvisation compose de 50 miniatures regroupees en sept mouvements. Les improvisateurs: la violoniste Jennifer Choi, la pianiste Sylvie Courvoisier, le bassiste Trevor Dunn, le batteur Mike Sarin et, evidemment, Erik Friedlander au violoncelle. Un jazz atomise, un jeu de fragmentation et d'unification tres reussi, pour une ecoute agreable et stimulante. C'est brillant sans rien casser. La qualite des instrumentistes compte pour beaucoup dans le resultat final. [read original]

"The range and vitality of the pieces multiplied by the exceptional ability of the performers makes for an impressive overall work, with much depth to be found within the miniature approach. [read more]" by Philip Hoile

"Cello virtuoso Erik Friedlander must have found a second wind at 50 years old because yesterday he released his second album of all new material as many months. The album, incidentally, is called Fifty: 50 Miniatures For Improvising Quintet and in Friedlander's typically atypical fashion, it introduces a concept he hadn't tried on any album he has recorded before. [Read More]" by Pico

"No doubt one of the most prominent cello-players in modern jazz, and an essential part of the overall sound of John Zorn's musical universe, Erik Friedlander has turned fifty, and for the occasion he brings us two albums. He has been searching for his own voice as a musician, hesitating between the jazzy "Broken Arm Trio", the more ambitious "classical" sound of "Grains Of Paradise", or the more modern studio work like "Block Ice & Propane", or avant-garde work as with Dani or Teardo. His work with the Masada String Trio is possibly the easiest to recommend. [Read More]"