David Friesen
David Friesen | |
---|---|
Born | Tacoma, Washington, U.S. | May 6, 1942
Spouse(s) |
Kirsten Friesen
(m. 1964; died 2002)Natalie Digtyar |
Children | 3 |
Relatives | Dyan Cannon (sister) Jennifer Grant (niece) |
Musical career | |
Genres | Jazz |
Instrument(s) | Double bass Electric upright bass |
David Friesen (born May 6, 1942)[1] is an American jazz bassist. He plays double bass and electric upright bass.[2]
Career
[edit]Friesen began playing bass while serving in the United States 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 album as a session leader appeared that year. In 1976, he began collaborating with guitarist John Stowell; the pair would work together often. 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 album Other Times, Other Places reached No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard Top Jazz Albums chart.[3] He has also played with Chick Corea, Michael Brecker, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Garrett, and Dizzy Gillespie.
Personal life
[edit]Friesen is the younger brother of actress Dyan Cannon, and the uncle of actress Jennifer Grant.[4] He is the son of Ashkenazi Jewish mother Claire (née Portnoy) and Canadian Mennonite father Ben Friesen.[5] He was married to Kirsten Friesen from 1964 until her death in 2022; they had three children.[1] He has since been remarried to Natalie Digtyar, a fashion designer from the Czech Republic.[1]
Discography
[edit]As leader/co-leader
[edit]- Color Pool (Muse, 1975)
- Star Dance (Inner City, 1976)
- Waterfall Rainbow (Inner City, 1977)
- Through the Listening Glass (Inner City, 1978)
- Other Mansions (Inner City, 1979)
- Paths Beyond Tracing (SteepleChase, 1980)
- Heart to Heart (Golden Flute, 1980)
- Storyteller (Muse, 1981)
- Yet to Come with Linc Chamberland (Muse, 1981)
- Voices (Westwind, 1983)
- Amber Skies (Palo Alto, 1983)
- Encounters with Mal Waldron (Muse, 1984)
- Inner Voices (Global Pacific, 1987)
- Other Times, Other Places (Global Pacific, 1989)
- Departure (Global Pacific, 1990)
- Long Trip Home (ITM Pacific, 1992)
- Two for the Show (ITM Pacific, 1994)
- 1・2・3 (Burnside, 1994)
- Remembering the Moment with Eddie Moore, Jim Pepper, Julian Priester & Mal Waldron (Soul Note, 1994) – rec. 1987
- The Spirit of Christmas with Jeannie Hoffman (Burnside, 1994)
- Ancient Kings with Airto Moreira, Gary Barone (Shamrock, 1994)
- Returning with Glen Moore (Burnside, 1995)
- Three to Get Ready (Summit, 1995)
- Upon the Swing (Shamrock, 1996)
- Four to Go with John Gross, Gary Barone, Alan Jones (ITM Pacific, 1996) – rec. 1995
- Facing the Wind with Leszek Możdżer (Power Bros, 1996)
- Castles and Flags (Shamrock, 1996)
- Still Waters with Ralf Illenberger, Ulrike Dinter (Shamrock, 1997)
- Tomorrow's Dream (Shamrock, 1998)
- Live at Jazz Bakery (1999) – live
- In Concert (Summit, 2000)
- Made in Berlin (2000)
- Grace with Jeff Gardner (Khaeon, 2000)
- With You in Mind with Gary Versace (Summit, 2001)
- The Name of a Woman (Intuition, 2001)[2CD]
- Midnight Mood: Live in Stockholm (Intuition, 2004) – live rec. 2002
- Made in Istanbul with Uwe Kropinski (ITM, 2004)
- Connection (ITM, 2006)
- Christmas at Woodstock (West Wind, 2006)
- Textures with Christian Hassenstein, Joost Lijbaart (DJAMtones, 2014)
- Where the Light Falls (Origin, 2014)[2CD]
- Bactrian with Glen Moore (Origin, 2015)
- Triple Exposure (Origin, 2016)
- Structures (Origin, 2017)[2CD]
- Another Time Another Place (Rattle, 2017)
- My Faith, My Life (Origin, 2018)[2CD]
- Interaction (Origin, 2019)
- Testimony (Origin, 2020)
- Passage with Bob Ravenscroft (Origin, 2021)
- Day of Rest (Origin, 2021) – rec. 2020
As sideman
[edit]With Ted Curson
- Jubilant Power (Inner City, 1976)
- Snake Johnson (Chiaroscuro, 1981) – rec. 1980
With Kenny Drew
- Ruby, My Dear (SteepleChase, 1980) – rec. 1977
With Ricky Ford
- Manhattan Plaza (Muse, 1978)
With Billy Harper
- Black Saint (Black Saint, 1975)
With Duke Jordan
- Duke's Artistry (SteepleChase, 1978)
- The Great Session (SteepleChase, 1981) – rec. 1978
With Uwe Kropinski
- Dancing with the Bass (ITM, 1989)
With Mal Waldron
- One Entrance, Many Exits (Palo Alto, 1982)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "David Friesen - Biography". Davidfriesen.net.
- ^ Scott Yanow, David Friesen at AllMusic
- ^ Billboard, AllMusic
- ^ Feather, Leonard (March 31, 1988). "Jazz Reviews: David Friesen Trio at Catalina's: State of the Art". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
Playing for a small but select audience that included his sister, Dyan Cannon, Friesen performed during most of the set on a French acoustic bass, made in 1795.
- ^ Delbert Plett. "Diane Friesen Cannon, A Bergthaler" (PDF). Preservings. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
External links
[edit]
- 1942 births
- Living people
- American jazz double-bassists
- American male double-bassists
- Jewish American musicians
- American Mennonites
- Mennonite musicians
- Musicians from Washington (state)
- Muse Records artists
- SteepleChase Records artists
- Musicians from Tacoma, Washington
- Inner City Records artists
- Jewish jazz musicians
- 21st-century American double-bassists
- 21st-century American male musicians
- American male jazz musicians
- Summit Records artists
- Origin Records artists
- Jazz musicians from Washington (state)
- 21st-century American Jews
- Washington (state) people stubs
- American musician stubs