"Erik Friedlander can do things with a cello that should have a reasonable listener fearing for her life,"
says PitchforkMedia.com,
"Rostropovich one second and Rottweiler the next." Cellist Erik Friedlander, a
virtuosic veteran of NYC's downtown scene, has backed John Zorn, Laurie
Anderson and Courtney Love. New York's Erik Friedlander is a composer and an
improviser, a classical musician and a jazzbo. He has recorded 8 CD's as a
leader and has always worked to stake out new ground for the cello in both his
compositional choices and his dynamic improvising style. Whether its solo
playing or performing with one of his bands Friedlander' blends his vision of
what the cello can be pushed to do, while maintaining a firm grasp on
traditions, both improvising and classical. He is the son of Lee Friedlander,
the photographer known by musicians and jazz aficionados for the cover
photographs he took for Atlantic Records.
Erik was born in New York City in 1960 and grew up in
suburban Rockland County, son of the noted artist Lee
Friedlander. Along with photographers Robert Frank and
Garry Winogrand, Lee is recognized as one of the best
street photographers of the 1960s. His work can be found
in museums around the world. But Lee is also known by
musicians and jazz aficionados for the cover photos he
took for Atlantic Records. His passion for r&b and
jazz greatly influenced Erik, whose earliest memories are
of a household filled with the sounds of his father's
subjects--Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, McCoy Tyner,
Ornette Coleman, and John Coltrane.
Erik started playing guitar at age 6 and added cello two
years later. He began formal lessons at age 12. Erik
continued his musical studies at Columbia University in
1978. Upon graduation, he spent the next decade refining
his cello technique through long hours of practice,
supporting himself by playing in various orchestras and
Broadway shows, recording commercial music for jingles
and movies, and doing session work with artists like
Laurie Anderson, Courtney Love's Hole, and Dar Williams.
He also started his first small groups and made his first
recordings. Erik came into his own in the 1990s as he
became an integral part of NYC's downtown jazz scene
receiving notices in publications like the Boston Globe,
The Wire, and Billboard which wrote, "Friedlander [is]
one of today's most ingenious and forward-thinking
musical practitioners."
He has always worked to stake out new ground for the
cello in both his compositional choices and his dynamic
improvising style. His music blends his vision of what
the cello can be pushed to do, while maintaining a firm
grasp on traditions, both improvising and classical.
Press & Presenters
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Presenter Info
BIO PAGE
"Friedlander [is] one of today's most ingenious and
forward-thinking musical practitioners."
Steve Graybow, Billboard Magazine
Other Sources of Erik Friedlander Info