DAVID FRIESEN — Two for the Show (1993) APE (image+.cue), lossless

David Friesen's Two for the Show is a series of brilliant duets featuring the bassist with six different musicians. Not only does he set an incredibly fast tempo for tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker as he introduces Sonny Rollins' "Airegin," but his complex line inspires Brecker to some of his best playing of his career. The perennial favorite "Old Folks" finds Friesen taking a back seat to the brittle, very personalized guitar of John Scofield. Uwe Kropinski sticks to acoustic guitar for his two tracks, including Friesen's adventurous "On the Road With Jazz" and Kropinski's gypsy-flavored "Pianola." "Alone Together" opens with alto saxophonist Bud Shank unaccompanied before Friesen's imaginative bassline weaves in underneath him in a spellbinding improvisation. Friesen's duets with frequent partner Denny Zeitlin are always magical; their two tracks, taken from a 1992 gig at the Jazz Bakery, include the bassist's lyrical ballad "In Times Past," while the pianist's bittersweet ballad "Maybe in Spring" also packs an emotional punch. Their chemistry together, as always, is perfect. But it is hard for anyone to upstage Clark Terry, whose instantly recognizable sound commands attention. Both Terry (on flugelhorn) and Friesen pull all stops on a brisk take of "I Want to Be Happy"; Terry switches to muted trumpet for the understated swinger "Breeze." It is hard to imagine David Friesen and his guests wanting to stop recording after two tracks during each session, because it's obvious that they were having a great time and it would have been easy to imagine an entire CD by the bassist with any one of the artists. Here's hoping that there are still tracks left in the vault for a follow-up release. Ken Dryden
Tracklist :
1    Airegin 4:56
Written-By – Rollins
2    True Blue 7:48
Written-By – Friesen
3    I Want To Be Happy 2:55
Written-By – Caeser, Youmans
4    In Times Past 7:12
Written-By – Friesen
5    Alone Together 4:46
Written-By – Dietz/Schwartz
6    On The Road With Jazz 4:53
Written-By – Friesen
7    Signs And Wonders 6:04
Written-By – Friesen
8    Old Folks 6:15
Written By – Hill / Robinson
9    Breeze    5:18
10    Maybe In Spring 7:46
Written-By – Zeitlin
11    Double Take 3:14
Written-By – Friesen
12    Pianola 4:10
Written-By – Kropinski
Credits :
Acoustic Guitar – Uwe Kropinski (tracks: 6, 12)
Alto Saxophone – Bud Shank (tracks: 5, 11)
Electric Guitar – John Scofield (tracks: 2, 8)
Flugelhorn, Trumpet – Clark Terry (tracks: 3, 9)
Grand Piano [Acoustic] – Denny Zeitlin (tracks: 4, 10)
Tenor Saxophone – Michael Brecker (tracks: 1, 7)

DAVID FRIESEN - Star Dance (1976-2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The Inner City CD reissue series has many fine recordings listed, and depending on your point of view and taste level, any of them might be considered important coming out of jazz in the mid- to late '70s. Bassist David Friesen's debut album, Star Dance, has to be considered pivotal and central in the stance of contemporary music for many reasons, not the least of which being that the playing of the musicians is excellent. It also sets a tone for the coming together of world musics -- in the spirit of the pioneering ensemble Oregon -- and has within its grasp both spiritual and earthy elements that few groups were able to merge. With elements culled from Friesen's upbringing in the Pacific Northwest, progressive jazz of the '60s, folk-rooted sounds, chamber music, and New York City funk, Friesen and his band sound as unique unto themselves as any band before, during, or after this time period. Paul McCandless (on loan from Oregon), fellow Pacific Northwest friend/electric guitarist John Stowell, and Big Apple studio drummer Steve Gadd are unlikely bedfellows with Friesen, yet achieve common-ground status within this broad mix of styles. McCandless plays the double-reeded English horn on the majority of these selections, and for the outstanding "Winter's Fall" coalesces with Friesen's sky church bowed harmonic bass alongside Stowell's tiny guitar notes, as Gadd's 7/8 beat takes over the three in a 4/4 funky midsection. The title track is a trio sans Gadd, which strikes a much more baroque and rural pose in unison lines. "Dolphin in the Sky" is dedicated to friend Jack Howell, a somber, slow tearjerker as if at a gravesite during a funeral, extracting great emotional depth, especially from McCandless. Dancing gleefully, "Mountain Streams" is a flowing, dense, and textural piece that taps into the natural, feminine side of life. On his more familiar oboe, McCandless plays with the full quartet during "Clouds," as the title suggests in a slow, wafting motif, while "Fields of Joy" is also unmistakably similar to the ancient and present music of Oregon, very composed, traipsing through rows of daisies, and breaking into a samba beat. There's a bass/drums duet improvisation, "1 Rue Brey," and an unaccompanied bass solo, "Children of the Kingdom," which readily reveals Friesen's religious center with strummed harmonics and a thematic-based ostinato for improvising off of. The sonic footprint created by this ensemble is both arresting and disarming -- a sound that uniquely speaks to a higher power and universal dialect. Now that the album is once again in print, there's no excuse to pass on this excellent recording, fused from many disparate elements and brilliantly performed by all the participants. by Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist:
1 Winter's Fall 6:00
David Friesen
2 Duet And Dialogue 4:14
David Friesen
3 Dolphin In The Sky (In Memory Of Jack Howell) 3:48
David Friesen
4 Star Dance 3:45
David Friesen
5 1 Rue Brey 3:05
David Friesen
6 Fields Of Joy 4:13
David Friesen
7 A Little Child's Poem (For David, Scott And Tobin) 6:06
David Friesen
8 Clouds 3:25
David Friesen
9 Children Of The Kingdom 3:50
David Friesen
10 Mountain Streams (For Kim)2:57
David Friesen / Paul McCandless
Credits:
Acoustic Bass – David Friesen
Drums – Steve Gadd
Electric Guitar – John Stowell
Oboe, English Horn – Paul McCandless
Songwriter [All Songs By] – David Friesen

DAVID FRIESEN & JOHN STOWELL - Through the Listening Glass (1978-2007) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

On first glance, Through the Listening Glass is a duet recording between bassist David Friesen and guitarist John Stowell, at the time two burgeoning jazz fusion musicians whose kinship to the world sound of the group Oregon is easy to recognize. As one absorbs this music, you realize this album could easily be titled "The Art of the Overdub." Using multiple basses and guitars, percussion instruments, and the soprano sax of Gary Campbell, Friesen and Stowell create landscapes and skyscapes of sound on sound, at times a bit busy, mostly reaching for inner truths and a connection to some other dimension. There's no modicum of earthiness, but they strive to reach for the heavens, and use the technology of the times to create conversations within basic texts, layering them to a degree approaching epiphany. Friesen's spiritual center is quite prevalent on pieces like "Wings of Light" yet has a jazzier construct, and a pared-down focus among the three players. "Autumn Ballet" is the most uncomplicated piece, a simple bass/guitar duet with no accoutrements, while a similar sparse style is identified with a dual bass excursion in the intro, Stowell's 12-string invited to cozy up on "High Places/Secret Moments of Silence." The larger, orchestral-oriented "Peace for the Enduring Heart" is pastoral, featuring four bowed bass tracks, and two soprano and one tenor sax overdub from Campbell. "Opening Out" features the always-far-reaching Stowell on his own with two 12-string guitars, a six-string, and a cymbal in loose refrains. The title track, as beautifully rendered as all of the other selections, is particularly angelic and lovely in its ultra-melodic, memorable stance that resonates with Friesen's bass, Stowell's 12-string and Campbell's two soaring soprano sax tracks dancing the joyous, passionate night away. There's some African-influenced music here too, as log drums and shakuhachi flutes are employed during the more new age, space-music track "Wisdom's Star." "Ancient Kings" is perhaps a definitive track that uses the overdub technique to the hilt, as a mbira and log drum played by Stowell buoy Campbell's two soprano tracks, and Friesen's bowed morning horizon, semi-tropical bass/bass/percussion, and a cymbal stroke here and there. The unlikely quick, romping and rolling beat of "Carousel Parade" with just the headline participants seems a rushed afterthought, but still is fun to listen to. This album has been reissued on CD, and along with Stowell's Golden Delicious, Friesen's Star Dance, and Waterfall Rainbow, and the duo's Other Mansions provides a five-part look at what these quite capable artists were creating as fusion waned in the late '70s. by Michael G. Nastos  
Tracklist :
1. Wisdom's Star 2:48
2. Tabla / Eternal Friend 7:00
3. Opening Out 3:43
4. Through The Listening Glass 3:24
5. Peace For The Enduring Heart 2:30
6. Carousel Parade 3:01
7. Ancient Kings 2:55
8. Autumn Ballet 3:35
9. Frontal Dichotomy 3:23
10. Wings Of Light 4:48
11. High Places 1:41
12. Secret Moments Of Silence 2:46
Credits :
Acoustic Bass, Shakuhachi [Shakuhachi Flute], Bell Tree, Percussion – David Friesen
Guitar [Six And Twelve String Guitars], Drum [African Log Drum], Thumb Piano, Cymbal [Cymbals] – John Stowell
Producer – David Friesen
Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Gary Campbell
Written-By – David Friesen (faixas: 1 to 8, 10 to 12), John Stowell (faixas: 9) 

DAVID FRIESEN - Waterfall Rainbow (1977-2018) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

David Friesen follows up his excellent debut album Star Dance with a program of original compositions that advances both his spiritual center and his love for the music of the ensemble Oregon. Though never officially a member of Oregon -- that space is always reserved for Glen Moore -- it seems he would fit in naturally, and displays that compatibility by employing Ralph Towner and Paul McCandless for this effort. Percussionist Jim Saporito, drummer Bob Moses, and electric guitarist John Stowell are also included, making for a group that fully understands how Friesen's religious beliefs and love of nature easily factor into his organic, contemporary jazz-influenced sound. Unlike Star Dance, there's no tour de force music here, but the title track is close to being classic in its galloping pace, guitar and English horn unison, with a wonderful flute solo from the usual baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola. Towner and Stowell prove compatible partners on acoustic and electric guitars respectively for the lovely "Spring Wind," a wedding song in beats of four and six that would be perfect for an outdoor nuptial ceremony in the woods. The two plectrists also show up together on "Song of Switzerland" which is neutral between Towner's strummings and the wafting oboe of McCandless. "Dancing Spirits Before the Lord" is memorable in that it echoes the Oregon concept, as the instruments all chime in agreement, a pretty but quick piece. There are several overdubbed solo tracks by Friesen, including the improvised "French Festival," a patient, strummed "The Peace That Passes Understanding," a stereo separated "Flight of the Angels," and the virtuoso display during "Song of the Stars" where the bassist's awesome technique takes on many bowed and plucked stances. Because of the solo pieces, this is a more self-indulgent, but no less impressive effort from Friesen, thankfully once again in print on compact disc. by Michael G. Nastos  
Tracklist :
1     Spring Wind (A Wedding Song for Vincent and Sharon) 7:59
David Friesen
2     French Festival 4:22
David Friesen
3     Waterfall Rainbow 4:30
David Friesen
4     Castles and Flags 3:27
David Friesen
5     The Peace That Passes Understanding (In Memory of Andre Gerand) 3:03
David Friesen
6     Song of Switzerland 5:46
David Friesen
7     Song of the Stars 5:19
David Friesen
8     Dancing Spirits Before the Lord 7:21
David Friesen
9     Flight of the Angels 2:41
David Friesen
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – David Friesen
Classical Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar – Ralph Towner
Composed By, Arranged By – David Friesen
Drums – Bobby Moses
Electric Guitar – John Stowell
Flute – Nick Brignola
Oboe, English Horn, Bass Clarinet – Paul Mc Candless
Percussion – Jim Saporito

DAVID FRIESEN - Amber Skies (1984-1993) RM / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

One of bassist David Friesen's better jazz sessions as a leader, this set (which has been reissued by other labels on CD) has some excellent playing by tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson on "Amber Skies" and "Underlying," a rare opportunity for flutist Paul Horn to take a solo in a straight-ahead setting ("Blue and Green"), and was the first opportunity that pianist Chick Corea and drummer Paul Motian had to work together; percussionist Airto completes the sextet. The diverse originals, all by Friesen, feature each of the players quite favorably, and the overall results are stimulating. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Amber Skies 7:55
David Friesen
2    Blue And Green 10:15
Bill Evans, Miles Davis
3    Underlying 5:51
David Friesen
4    Jenelle Number Four 4:37
David Friesen, Paul Patterson
5    In The Place Of Calling 7:49
David Friesen
6    Sitka In The Woods 6:09
 David Friesen
7    Voices 9:09
 David Friesen
Credits :
Bass – David Friesen
Drums – Paul Motian
Flute – Paul Horn
Percussion – Airto Moreira
Piano – Chick Corea
Tenor Saxophone – Joe Henderson