Don Friedman

Biography

A fantastic if underrated pianist, Don Friedman began playing in the Western Coastline in 1956 with Dexter Gordon, Shorty Rogers, Pal Collette, Pal DeFranco (1956-1957), Chet Baker, and also the then-unknown altoist Ornette Coleman. After shifting to NY in 1958, Friedman performed in many configurations, including along with his very own trio, Pepper Adams, Booker Small (documenting with him in 1961), the Jimmy Giuffre Three (1964), a quartet with Attila Zoller, Chuck Wayne’s trio (1966-1967), and, by the finish from the 10 years, Clark Terry’s big music group. He continued employed in NY as both a jazz educator along with a pianist with wide musical passions, and was highlighted on Concord’s Maybeck Recital Hall series (1993). Friedman also documented for Riverside, Prestige, Intensifying, Owl, Empathy, and many Japanese brands, and continued carrying out sessions in NY through the entire ’90s and 2000s. Friedman passed away on June 30, 2016. He was 81 yrs . old.

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