One of the most eminent exponents of the instrument, he maintains an astonishing level of virtuosity.
With 50 years of designing sublime musical architecture where risk-taking, rhythmic rapport, originality, and giving of oneself to the music are the vital ingredients, legendary bassist David Friesen has reached a creative pinnacle. The two-disc set, "Structures," highlights his capacities and his original compositions through duos with two dynamic improvisors he's partnered with over the years. Disc One offers saxophonist Joe Manis and Friesen in a live duo performance in Ukraine while on tour in early 2017. On Disc Two, David carries on with an eclectic musical relationship started back when master guitarist Larry Koonse was still a student. Together they have created an intimate album, sharing conversations full of vitality, warmth, and great musical respect. "Few solo musicians on any instrument have made music as powerful and deeply moving as David Friesen." - Oakland Tribune.
Track Listing:
DISC ONE:
1. Wrinkle 4:41
2. Basic Strategy 4:56
3. Brilliant Heart* 5:11
4. Martin's balcony 2:56
5. Left Field Blues 3:26
6. New Hope* 3:41
7. Roof Tops 4:45
8. Seam Line 6:11
9. Going Forth* 6:14
10. Lament for the Lost/Procession 8:16
DISC TWO:
1. Make Believe 4:12
2. New Hope 4:16
3. Romantic 3:45
4. Quietly Unfolding 4:18
5. Alaskan Waters 4:25
6. Undisclosed 5:20
7. At Last, At Rest 4:05
8. Passage 3:58
9. My Faith, My Life 4:07
Performers:
DISC ONE:
DAVID FRIESEN - Hemage bass, piano
JOE MANIS - tenor & soprano saxophones
DISC TWO:
DAVID FRIESEN - Hemage bass
LARRY KOONSE - electric guitar
Production Info:
Produced by David Friesen
Disc One: Recorded Live in Concert by Gennady Devyatov
at the ILKO GALLERY, Uzhhorod, Ukraine on March 30, 2017
Disc Two: Recorded by Peter Swann, Phoenix, AZ, February 2017
Mixed by Peter Swann & David Friesen, Phoenix, AZ
Post Production & mastering by Dana White
at Specialized Mastering, Portland, OR
Paintings by David Friesen
Photographs of Joe Manis & Hemage Bass by Keith Munson
Photograph of David Friesen by Natasha Digtyar
Cover design & layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Structures
Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
Unlike other cats that have been playing forever and like to push the envelop, Friesen doesn't do things just to do them and seems to only unleash his releases when they are ready. Here we find him at the center of a double disc set of duets, each disc having a different duet partner of high quality. Intimate stuff that could be a recital but has ...
WTJU - Richmond (Dave Rogers)
Double disc release from bassist / pianist / composer arranger Friesen offers two duo performances on this set: he plays bass and piano with Joe Manis (tenor, soprano sax) on the first disc and bass with Larry Koonse (electric guitar). All compositions were written by Friesen. The textures are notably different as you might expect, but the supplene ...
Jazz Weekly (George W. Harris)
David Friesen uses his unique Hemage Bass to create a two cd set of intimate duets, one with saxist Joe Manis and the other with cool toned guitarist Larry Koonse. The result on the former is a tender and reflective mix of pieces such as the nimble grooved "Martin's Balconey" with delightful soprano and a warm vibrato'd "Brilliant Heart" featuring ...
Ancient Victorys (Chris Lunn)
This double CD release has Friesen on Hermage bass sharing with two artists; first, Joe Manis saxophone, recorded live in Uzhhorod, Ukraine; and the second, Larry Koonse, guitarist, recorded by Peter Schwartz in Phoenix, Arizona. Compositions on both discs are all by David Friesen. CD with Manis has "Wrinkle" with Friesen walking the bass and the s ...
JazzdaGama (Raul da Gama)
One of the most significant musical advantages of the Hemage bass that is played by David Friesen is that its inner architecture enables him to extract an enormous palette of colours that appear to meld those of a contrabass and an electric bass guitar. The result is a seemingly dramatic increase in registers – he can reach higher registers and c ...
