(David Friesen is) one of the most eminent exponents of the instrument, he maintains an astonishing level of virtuosity.
With decades of friendship uniting them, two towering figures in music and entrepreneurship - David Friesen, an acclaimed bassist and musical visionary for 50 years, and Bob Ravenscroft, pianist, maker of the Ravenscroft Grand Piano and a force in Arizona's cultural landscape, elected to surrender control to the musical spirits in creating their first duo recording. With just their instruments, wide open ears, and little forethought, musical themes unfold spontaneously as uncharted areas of harmonic and melodic viewpoints reveal themselves. Movement through the many brief "tunes" unveils a more expansive structure of sound, their harmonious synchronicity offering surprising musical moments along the way.
Track Listing:
1. In the Place of Calling 1:07
2. Acceptance 1:06
3. Yielding 1:05
4. Obedience 1:27
5. Transition 1:02
6. Belief :59
7. Understanding 1:10
8. Challenged 1:16
9. Victory 2:41
10. Direction 2:21
11. Thankfulness 2:00
12. Temptation/Overcoming 1:51
13. Forward 1:30
14. Voyage 4:53
15. Awareness 1:49
16. Struggle 0:45
17. Stillness 0:49
18. Family 2:09
19. Looking Past 1:06
20. Journey 4:01
21. Faith 1:40
22. Commitment 1:03
23. Perseverance 2:16
24. Resolution 3:47
25. Prayer 3:17
All music composed and arranged by David Friesen and Bob Ravenscroft
(Color Pool Music B.M.I/Bug Music-BMG Chrysalis)
Performers:
David Friesen - Hemage Bass
Bob Ravenscroft - Ravenscroft Grand Piano
Production Info:
Executive Producers, Producers: David Friesen & Bob Ravenscroft
Recorded by Bob Ravenscroft at Ravenscroft Studios, Scottsdale, AZ
Recorded February 2015 & 2020
Post Production: Dana White at Specialized Mastering, Portland, OR
Paintings by David Friesen; Photo of David by Gerhard Watzek
Cover Design & Layout by John Bishop
Reviews of Passage
Midwest Record (Chris Spector)
There's a bunch of different kinds of things going on here as these two improvisers of long standing friendship sat down together with nothing thought out ahead of time except getting out of each others way and rolling tape on improvs about their personal devotion to Christ, not religion. Didn't know how much quasi crime jazz could be squeezed out ...
All About Jazz (Dan McClenaghan)
After decades of recording in small ensemble formats, bassist David Friesen offered up Testimony (Origin Records) in 2020, an outing which found him backed by his quartet and the National Academic Symphonic Band of Ukraine on his best and most ambitious recording. He followed that up in 2021 by going back to the—for him— familiar territory of t ...
Jazz Weekly (George W Harris)
Bassist David Friesen delivers concise duets with grand pianist Bob Ravenscroft for twenty five intuitive originals. Ravenscroft does some George Winston impressionism on "Perseverance" and Bill Evans romance on "Obedience" while for the most part you hear things like doors creaking open on "Temptation/Overcoming" and bass pickings and strings pluc ...
