David Friesen
Encyclopedia
David Friesen is an American jazz
bassist born in Tacoma, Washington. Friesen plays the double bass
as well as the Oregon bass, which is an electrified acoustic bass.
Friesen was an autodidact on bass, having picked it up while serving in the Army in Germany. He played with John Handy
and Marian McPartland
and following this, with Joe Henderson
; in 1975, he toured in Europe with Billy Harper
. His first record as a session leader appeared that same year. In 1976, he began collaborating with guitarist John Stowell
; the pair would work together often for many years. He appeared with Ted Curson
at the Monterey Jazz Festival
in 1977. Following this, he worked with Ricky Ford
, Duke Jordan
, Mal Waldron
, and Paul Horn. His 1989 effort Other Times, Other Places hit #11 on the U.S. Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart. He has also played with Chick Corea
, Michael Brecker
, Stan Getz
, Dexter Gordon
, Kenny Garrett
, Dizzy Gillespie
and Mal Waldron
.
His sister is the actress Dyan Cannon
.
With Mal Waldron
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bassist born in Tacoma, Washington. Friesen plays the double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
as well as the Oregon bass, which is an electrified acoustic bass.
Friesen was an autodidact on bass, having picked it up while serving in the Army in Germany. He played with John Handy
John Handy
John Richard Handy III is an American jazz alto saxophonist.-Biography:In the 1960s, Handy led several groups...
and Marian McPartland
Marian McPartland
Margaret Marian McPartland, OBE is an English-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, NPR.-Early life:...
and following this, with Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
; in 1975, he toured in Europe with Billy Harper
Billy Harper
Billy Harper is a Jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.-Biography:...
. His first record as a session leader appeared that same year. In 1976, he began collaborating with guitarist John Stowell
John Stowell
John Stowell is an American Jazz guitarist, composer, author and lecturer.- Biography :Stowell, who plays electric and acoustic guitar, raised in Connecticut had private studies with Linc Chamberland and John Mehegan...
; the pair would work together often for many years. He appeared with Ted Curson
Ted Curson
Theodore "Ted" Curson is a jazz trumpeter. He is perhaps best-known for recording and performing with Charles Mingus....
at the Monterey Jazz Festival
Monterey Jazz Festival
The Monterey Jazz Festival is one of the longest consecutively running jazz festivals. It debuted on October 3, 1958 and was founded by San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons.-History:...
in 1977. Following this, he worked with Ricky Ford
Ricky Ford
Ricky Ford is an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Ford was born in Boston and studied at the New England Conservatory. In 1974 he recorded with Gunther Schuller and then played in the Duke Ellington Orchestra under Mercer Ellington from 1974 to 1976...
, Duke Jordan
Duke Jordan
Irving Sidney "Duke" Jordan was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regular member of Charlie Parker's so-called "classic quintet" , featuring Miles Davis...
, Mal Waldron
Mal Waldron
Malcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
, and Paul Horn. His 1989 effort Other Times, Other Places hit #11 on the U.S. Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart. He has also played with Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
, Michael Brecker
Michael Brecker
Michael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
, Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
, Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon
Dexter Gordon was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and an Academy Award-nominated actor . He is regarded as one of the first and most important musicians to adapt the bebop musical language of people like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bud Powell to the tenor saxophone...
, Kenny Garrett
Kenny Garrett
Kenny Garrett is a Grammy Award-winning American post bop jazz saxophonist and flautist who gained fame in his youth as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra and of Miles Davis's band. He has since pursued a critically acclaimed solo career...
, Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
and Mal Waldron
Mal Waldron
Malcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
.
His sister is the actress Dyan Cannon
Dyan Cannon
Dyan Cannon is an American film and television actress, director, screenwriter, editor, and producer.-Early life:...
.
As leader
- Color Pool (1975)
- Star Dance (1976)
- Waterfall Rainbow (1977)
- Through the Listening Glass (1978)
- Other Mansions (1979)
- Paths Beyond Tracing (1980)
- Heart to Heart (1980)
- Storyteller (1981)
- Amber Skies (1983)
- EncountersEncounters (album)Encounters is an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron and bassist David Friesen recorded in 1984 and released by the Muse label.-Reception:...
with Mal WaldronMal WaldronMalcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
(1984) - Inner Voices (1987)
- Other Times, Other Places (1989)
- Departure (1990)
- Long Trip Home (1992)
- Two For the Show (1994)
- 1 2 3 (1994)
- Remembering the MomentRemembering the MomentRemembering the Moment is a live album by David Friesen, Eddie Moore, Jim Pepper, Julian Priester and Mal Waldron recorded in Portland, Oregon in 1987 and released on the Italian Soul Note label.-Reception:...
(Soul Note, 1994) - The Spirit of Christmas (1994)
- Returning (1995)
- Dancing with the Bass (1995)
- Three to Get Ready (1995)
- Upon the Swing (1996)
- Four to Go (1996)
- Facing the Wind (1996; with Leszek MożdżerLeszek MozdzerLeszek Możdżer is a Polish jazz pianist. He is also a music producer and a film music composer.He has graduated from the Academy of Music in Gdansk, Poland...
) - Still Waters (1997)
- Ancient Kings (1998)
- Tomorrow's Dream (1998)
- Castles and Flags (1999)
- Live at Jazz Bakery (1999)
- In Concert (2000)
- Made in Berlin (2000)
- With You in Mind (2001)
- Voices (2001)
- The Name of a Woman (2002)
- Grace (2002)
- Midnight Mood:Live in Stockholm (2004)
- Connection (2006)
- Christmas at Woodstock (2006)
- Made in Istanbul (2006)
As sideman
With Billy HarperBilly Harper
Billy Harper is a Jazz saxophonist, "one of a generation of Coltrane-influenced tenor saxophonists" with a distinctively stern, hard-as-nails sound on his instrument.-Biography:...
- Black SaintBlack Saint (album)Black Saint is an album by American jazz saxophonist Billy Harper recorded in 1975 for the Italian Black Saint label. The album was the first release for the record label.-Reception:...
(Black Saint, 1975)
With Mal Waldron
Mal Waldron
Malcolm Earl Waldron was an American jazz and world music pianist and composer, born in New York City.Like his contemporaries, Waldron's roots lie chiefly in the hard bop and post-bop genres of the New York club scene of the 1950s; but with time, he gravitated more towards free jazz and composition...
- One Entrance, Many ExitsOne Entrance, Many ExitsOne Entrance, Many Exits is an album by American jazz pianist Mal Waldron recorded in 1982 and released by the Palo Alto label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4½ stars stating "the combination of musicians works quite well...
(Palo Alto, 1982)