Don Friedman - The Days of Wine and Roses (Soul Note, 1995)

Don Friedman, piano
Marco Ricci, bass

Giampiero Prina, drums

Recorded March 13, 1995
Mu Rec Studio, Milano
Engineer: Paolo Falascone

Don Friedman's The Days of Wine and Roses is one of the best piano trio recordings of the 1990s, the decade when Friedman's recorded output increased dramatically. I remember finding multiple copies of this album 30 years ago in a media chain store in Atlanta. They were discounted a lot, so I bought a copy without knowing much about the artist or label. It was part of my jazz-buying frenzy after my move to Atlanta where I encountered new retail outlets during an especially fertile time for jazz on CD. 

Friedman, who died in 2015 at 80 years of age, was one of the greatest pianists in the history of jazz, but not many critics or listeners would agree with me. I included two of his solo recordings in my 1980s blog with Scott Mortensen (see links below). There I listed 10 more recordings of Friedman in a trio format. Jazz aficionados not tuned into Friedman's many recordings are missing something special.

The Days of Wine and Roses alternates 4 of Friedman's original compositions with 5 standards. This sequencing emphasizes his talents as both composer and performer. Of the originals, only "New Dawn" sounds like an actual composition, and a lovely one it is. I'm not sure if it's meant to be an update of Friedman's "Dawn," which opened his first album, A Day in the City (Riverside, 1961). I have not compared "Dawn" and "New Dawn" side by side.

The other 3 originals employ minimal structures that require spontaneous responses from the group. "Hi Low Fast Low Hi" describes the tune's 5 movements, each rather brief and related to both pitch (hi and low) and tempo. "I Don't Know Yet" is a fascinating work that seems like a long introduction that never reaches a musical theme. The title suggests uncertainty about the composition's destination, which arrives as a whispered Spanish scale. 

Friedman's Italian bandmates play their parts extremely well. For example, Marco Ricci's bass solo on "It Could Happen to You" fits perfectly with Friedman's approach to the standard. (As an aside, the photo of Ricci accurately portrays him as a left-handed upright bass player. The only other upright lefty I could find is Jennifer Leitham). 

Drummer Giampiero Prina plays actively, delighting in the feast of standards and Friedman originals, on which he provides colors and accents while implying rhythms. His drums swell mysteriously behind Ricci's bass solo that introduces "I Don't Know Yet."

I recall one jazz writer insisting that the best jazz of the 1990s was coming out of Italy. Teaming Friedman with the Italian rhythm players on Wine and Roses is strong evidence supporting that assertion.

Note: The tray card lists track 5 as "You Got to My Head." It is not a clever variation of "You Go to My Head," but rather a typographical error. 

For my reviews of two of Friedman's solo recordings go to:

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