Projects Available for Touring/Concerts
Solo Projects
American Power with Photographer Mitch Epstein
Photographer Mitch Epstein and I have collaborated on a new project called American Power. The concert mixes live solo cello, projected photography, and narration, as Epstein tells of traveling across the USA photographing the complex relationship between the power grid and human life. Weaving stories from his road trips, with the pictures he took and my music, the American Power project tells an unsettling story.
John Zorn's Volac
Cellist Erik Friedlander performs an intimate and breathtaking recital--rich, romantic, and gripping music to both challenge and soothe. 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. Stepping out in a special solo project, Erik shows off his remarkable technique in ten compositions from Zorn's lyrical Book of Angels.
Taking Trips To America
Block Ice & Propane is a collection of tunes that evoke images of truck-stops, long, lonely highways, and stark panoramas. Friedlander has taken his inspiration from American Roots music, and accompanied by stories from Friedlander's childhood cross-country trips, images by Lee Friedlander, and films by Bill Morrison, he executes extraordinary finger-picking technique and reverberant tunings creating a new American cello music: lyrical, plain-spoken, and emotional.
Group Projects
Bonebridge Quartet - with Erik Friedlander, cello; Doug Wamble, slide-guitar; Trevor Dunn, bass; Mike Sarin, drums
The Broken Arm Trio - with Erik Friedlander, cello; Mike Sarin, drums; Trevor Dunn, bass.
In 1949 Oscar Pettiford broke his arm playing baseball. He could still move his fingers even though his arm was in a sling, so he began experimenting with a cello a friend had lent to him. He tuned the cello like a bass only an octave higher and later made history recording a series of cello-led projects including the great, under-recognized 1964 Fantasy release, "My Little Cello" featuring a photo of his newborn son whom he named Cello.
Erik Friedlander tosses away his bow for this new band, playing only pizzicato in a world steeped in the influences of Oscar Pettiford and the small group feel of Herbie Nichols.
Special Projects
Fifty - 50 Miniatures for Improvising Quintet
Erik Friedlander's haunting new cd 'Fifty' is a collection of 50 miniature pieces-- little worlds-- some wild and free, some carefully constructed like line drawings, others lush watercolor landscapes. The piece was written during a particularly difficult time when Erik's wife Lynn was suffering from an unexplained and worsening leg pain that eventually turned out to be a breast cancer recurrence. Friedlander found refuge from the difficult atmosphere by immersing himself in composing for the five instruments (violin, cello, piano, bass, drums) making playful use of style and orchestration, he varied the groupings, the length of the pieces (some as short as seven seconds), and the mood.
Releases!
Bonebridge
Bonebridge is cellist Erik Friedlander's new band and it turns to the American South for inspiration. Taking a cue from his teenage passion for The Allman Brothers Band, Johnny Winter, and Southern rock in general, Friedlander brought in slide-guitar player and Memphis native Doug Wamble to share the front line of this new quartet. More Info
Single, Hide & Seek
Hide & Seek is a gorgeous vocal track (with vocoded harmonies) originally done by Imogen Heap on the record Speak for Yourself (2005). It just hit me one day - this would sound amazing as an all-cello piece.
New CD, "Fifty Miniatures for Improvising Quintet"
My new cd, 'Fifty,' is a collection of 50 miniature pieces-- little worlds-- some wild and free, some carefully constructed like line drawings, others lush watercolor landscapes. The piece was written during a particularly difficult time when my wife Lynn was suffering from an unexplained and worsening leg pain that eventually turned out to be a breast cancer recurrence. I found refuge from the difficult atmosphere by immersing myself in composing for the five instruments (violin, cello, piano, bass, drums) making use of style and orchestration, I experimented with the groupings, the length of the pieces, and the mood.
Composing became a fantastic escape for me during those months when we didn't know what was going on with Lynn's leg. I worked to write one miniature a day but often I'd get two or three done. It was exciting once I got in the groove and when you go through something like we did, it's important to try and carry on with your other life--the life that was there before the doctors and the hospitals impinged. When it all came together in the studio on that one long day at Kampo Studios, I was thrilled.
The CD is now available: iTunes/GetEriksMusic/Amazon/CDBaby
Jennifer Choi, violin; Erik Friedlander, cello; Sylvie Courvoisier, piano; Trevor Dunn, bass; Mike Sarin, percussion.
Produced by Erik Friedlander.
Mixed & Edited by Erik Friedlander at Arconomics.
Mastered by Steve Berson at Total Sonic Media.
Recorded by Alan Ford at Kampo Studios in New York City on May 5, 2008.
MP3'S
Meditation (miniatures #43-50)
PRESS is coming in!
Digital CD, Alchemy
I'm releasing a digital only version of the Alchemy LP that came out early this year on Hronir. The download has a bunch of extra tracks, here's some info:
Alchemy is an ancient process of protochemistry and witchcraft which attempted to turn base metals to gold. Alchemy, Erik Friedlander's latest digital release, reverses the process, grabbing the cello roughly and breaking it down to its most basic elements-the scratching rough sound of a cross-cut saw, or the wispy scattering of pitchless pizzicato notes, and its singing, melodic tone. In this, his 50th year, Friedlander presents us with a bird's eye look at his cello landscape: Each track has the cello as the central focus, whether starkly alone, or in cello choirs-layered using studio magic.
Scraping roughly, plucking like a guitar, or bowing arching improvisations, Friedlander infuses this new CD with an adventurous spirit. Alchemy, the second release of Friedlander's 50th, and most productive year yet, is a collection of cello-centric gems: an alchemy of sound and texture that celebrates the character of this 300 year old instrument, as well as the skills of the player, now in only his 50th year.
Free Tracks to check out:
Glow
Wag
"Lee Av," "Assasins or Bridge Blowers," "Wag," and "Out, Out" were recorded by Scott Solter, August 22-23, 2005 at Pueblo Studios, San Francisco, CA; mixed by Scott Solter at The Tiny Telephone, September 7, 2005. Keyboards and guitars for "Gentle Bonds" were recorded by Teho Teardo in Pordenone, Italy. All other tracks were recorded and mixed by Erik Friedlander at Arconomics during 2008-10.
Produced by Erik Friedlander
Erik Friedlander: cello, guitar, mandolin, keyboards, sample programming, mixing
Teho Teardo: keyboards, guitars (on one track)
Scott Solter: engineer and live processing
Design & Original Artwork by Candas Sisman
All compositions by Erik Friedlander (ASCAP) except "Gentle Bonds" which was written by Erik Friedlander & Teho Teardo
Available August 11, 2010 on iTunes/eMusic/Amazon
ALCHEMY - 10" Vinyl (Limited Ed.)
Solos and New Studio Pieces
Erik Friedlander: cello, sample programming, mixing
Scott Solter: engineer and live processing
Rashad Becker: mastering and vinyl cut at D&M
Candas Sisman: design & original artwork
Limited edition: 500, vinyl only
To order use one of these hrönir distributer links:
New Single, Aching Sarah
I'm celebrating my birthday (the big 5-0) with a new single I recently completed featuring the trumpet work of Michael Leonhart. Enjoy and thanks for the support!
Listen/Download
Erik Friedlander, cello, electronics, piano programming; Michael Leonhart, trumpet, mellophone; Trevor Dunn, acoustic bass; Satoshi Takeishi, percussion.
"Aching Sarah" is part of Cutting-Room Floor Series -- movie characters are cut from a film, and with their lives only half-realized, walk in a kind of limbo, aimless and confused, with no way to live out the arc of their scripted lives. |
