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    "Cellist Erik Friedlander’s best recording as a
leader is also one of the most distinctive jazz-with-strings albums ever made."

  
   --Ed Hazell The Boston Phoenix
READ REVIEW		  
 
"..hipswinging percussion and bass, taut, supple, melodic flaunting of the string section-plunges you immediately into the golden era of Turkish restaurant music. Friedlander at first winds and weaves his way in the wings until a gap clears on the dancefloor, and he is oozing proud and plangent colours, ploughing a furrow of arpeggios or momentarily skating off over the strings in a tense and dissonant whisper."  		  
  Matt Ffytche WIRE   
   

LINER NOTES
  
 

"Grains of Paradise" was recorded at Context Studios June 18-19, 2001. The recording engineer was Danny Littwin. I mixed the CD myself using the excellent multi-track sound editing program SAW Pro (http://www.sawstudio.com).

Most of the CD was recorded the first day with: Erik Friedlander, cello Trevor Dunn, bass Satoshi Takeishi, percussion Bryce Dessner, guitar Joyce Hammann, violin Karen Milne, violin Peter Rovit, violin. On the second day Joyce and Karen returned to the studio to do many overdubs and along with me completed the string parts.

Thanks to Bryce Dessner who took the time to arrange and then perfect the opening of Tziporen. Special Thanks to Ed Montgomery at Context Studios in Williamsberg for his consistent good humor, for picking us up at the subway station in Williamsburg and for making the project go as smoothly as possible. I would also like to thank Arcady for making the transfer of all the Grains files so I could bring them home to mix.

Tracks (MP3 Sampler)

  • 1.Zahtar
  • 2.Na'na'
  • 3.Shamir
  • 4.Tapuz
  • 5.Rashad
  • 6.Aley Daphna
  • 7.Batzal
  • 8.Tziporen
  • 9.Grains of Paradise

Grains of Paradise is a spice from West Africa very much like black pepper, used in spiced wines and cooking but also chewed to warm the body on cold days.

Exotic spices from far away lands have always had a mystical hold over our imagination. These grains of paradise, powerful, pleasurable aromatics have been used in foods, drinks and in scented oils and were thought to be effective not only to enliven and preserve foods, but as aphrodisiacs and tonics.

Music like spices can be an exotic and gratifying intoxicant. I have recently found myself mesmerized by the pop music of the Middle East and the film music from Bollywood. Both these commercial or popular forms of music use large sections of violins in an aggressive rhythmic way. These string sections are tight and interactive, complimenting and challenging the lead voice but never falling into the limp "sweetener" role often found in pop music.

I have written 9 original tracks that combine my own experience as a modern improvising cellist with these imported ideas from the Middle East and India. They have inspired me by giving me a new appreciation for my instrument and a fertile ground to explore in my own way.

 
   

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