Erik Friedlander’s Birthday Single: Aching Sarah

It’s been real compact discs, but it’s pretty much over. Jazz and experimental cellist Erik Friedlander has already moved on. His last project debuted on vinyl in Europe, with an American digital release to come in the future. Now he has released a digital download only single Aching Sarah, which is for sale at on-line retailers and is currently available for free on his website in celebration of the musician’s fiftieth birthday.

Virtuously versatile, Friedlander largely made his name in “downtown” sessions with the likes of John Zorn and Dave Douglas. Yet his Broken Arm Trio is a swinging combo inspired by Oscar Pettiford, the bassist who became jazz’s preeminent cellist after suffering that fateful broken limb. Friedlander has also lent his cello to recordings by popular artists like Idol alumni Kelly Clarkson and Clay Aiken, as well as the difficult to classify Yoko Ono. It was while playing on her latest album that the cellist met trumpeter Michael Leonhart, whom Friedlander prominently features on Aching.

According to Friedlander, Aching is part of his “Cutting-Room Floor” series of compositions written for characters cut from films, existing only in the cellist’s music. As one would expect, it has a distinctly cinematic character, evoking the dreamlike atmosphere of the ethereal Sarah. Perfectly suited Leonhart’s warm tone, the vibe of Aching is not unlike that of Tomasz Stanko’s sessions with and inspired by his mentor Krzysztof Komeda, the great Polish film composer.

Even though it is Friedlander’s session, Leonhart’s trumpet is far more prominent than the leader’s cello. Yet, Friedlander’s sensitive accompaniment and eerie electronic programming give the track a strange but effective texture. It is in fact a rather notable example of how electronics can enhance a session, without overwhelming the musicians.

Aching is a sophisticated, insinuating musical statement that should appeal to a surprisingly broad spectrum of jazz listeners. The prize is right too, while Friedlander celebrates the big five-o. An intriguing piece to review, Aching probably portends more single reviews to come as the music business slowly and reluctantly adapts to new market realities. Regardless, it is a distinctive track, well worth downloading.

(Photo: Roland Rossbacher)

Nina Simone Live on Campus

Great Performances—Live College Concerts and Interviews
By Nina Simone
Orchard Music

Considering Billie Holiday’s sense of ownership of “Strange Fruit” and the song’s visceral lyrics, it remains a bold choice for vocalists. Of course, Nina Simone was not exactly a shrinking violet. As an artist who often sang socially conscious songs and deeply respected Holiday, it was in fact a logical choice or her repertoire. “Strange Fruit,” the grim protest song decrying lynching in Southern states, is indeed representative of Simone’s songs and philosophy, as recorded in Nina Simone: Great Performances—Live College Concerts and Interviews (trailer here), a previously unreleased treasury of Simone recorded live in 1968 at the University of Massachusetts and Morehouse College, now available exclusively on i-tunes, beginning today.

While Simone’s “My Baby Just Cares for Me,” remains one of the definitive versions of the jazz standard, it is not included on College Concerts. Instead, setting the tone is Simone’s funky “Revolution,” with lyrics like: “Yeah, your Constitution. Well, my friend, its gonna have to bend.” However, when a Simone interview track is played on top of the song, it is difficult to distinguish either. It eventually bleeds into the first of two version’s Simone’s distinctive take on “My Way,” reconfigured into an anthem of female empowerment. Other thematically-related songs Simone interprets include: “Black is the Color,” and indeed, “Strange Fruit” (accompanied by gruesome archival photos).

A classically trained pianist, Simone usually sings from the piano bench, but does switch off with a second pianist on the rousing “Ain’t Got No/I Got Life.” By 1968, Simone had refined her sound, seamlessly mixing jazz, pop, and folk, frequently backed by guitars and multiple percussionists. Her performances often had a stark, dramatic quality, like the particularly pronounced folk sound of “Suzanne.”

Simone was a close friend of Raison in the Sun playwright Lorraine Hansberry, whose work clearly inspired her music. Her rendition of the traditional “Take Me to the Water” is dedicated to the writer, and the title of her unfinished play directly inspired “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black,” co-written by Simone with her then music director, Weldon Irvine. In her 1968 performance, she dedicates it to the three hundred-some African-American students out of a student body of roughly fifteen-thousand, in what is probably the emotional high-point of either concert.

College Concerts collects some very deeply felt performances by Simone and also conveys a good sense of the time in which they were recorded. Like her 1976 Montreux set, her 1968 College Concerts is fascinating viewing both for the music it documents and what it reveals of her strong personality.

Singles from Argentina

Maria Puga Lareo
In a Sentimental Mood
Beijo Partido with Quique Sinesi
My Keter Records downloads

Welcome to the post-album future. This is the first time I have reviewed EP’s available only online, but I suspect it might become an increasingly widespread practice. Truly, the downloading revolution ended the days of bulking up albums with mediocre tracks, so more and more singles and EP’s are turning up exclusively at online retailers. Such is the case with Maria Puga Lareo’s single “In a Sentimental Mood” and her two-song EP recorded with Quique Sinesi.

Though released earlier in the year, the publicity campaign is evidently just ramping up. Despite some overdubbing effects, all three tracks express the spare intimacy of a duo setting. During “Sentimental” Lareo is primarily accompanied by the sensitive playing of pianist Frank Collett, an American jazz pianist probably best known for his work with Carmen McRae and Louis Bellson. Producer Fernando Gelbard, a jazz pianist countrymen of Lareo’s, adds a tasteful solo of his own, in nice wistful take on the Ellington standard.

With Argentinean guitarist Quique Sinesi, Lareo also recorded two Brazilian songs of a distinctly romantic flavor. Here Lareo’s delivery is breathier, caressing the lyrics of “Beijo Partido” and “Atras Da Porta.” Probably best known to American audiences for recordings with Pablo Ziegler, Sinesi is delicate and expressive in support, getting a nice little solo turn on “Beijo.” Through over-dubbing, Lareo harmonizes with herself before taking the track out. While slower in tempo, “Atras” might frankly be a bit too similar in theme and tone for the purposes of an EP. As background listening, they blend together in the ear. Lareo’s vocals on “Atras” express even greater yearning and are quite pretty, but more variety might have showcased her range to better effect.

These are three nice tracks, proving Lareo can certainly do the dreamy Brazilian thing. According to the “liner notes” an album with Eddie Gomez on bass is forthcoming. It will be interesting to hear if she stretches in new directions with its release.