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Projects
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David Friesen and
Jeannie Hoffman
have been presenting sold out
Chirstmas concerts in Portland, Oregon and other cities in the
Pacific Northwest for over 30 years. Several years ago the great
legendary guitarist Jerry Hahn
joined Friesen and Hoffman for their first
Christmas concert as a trio... a fortuitous union as the trio creates a rare
musical bond. A few years later the very talented
Gary Hobbs joined the band
and now for the past several ears with addition of the great saxophonist
Rob Davis,
this group has grown in stature with grace. The music they present is one
of a kind during the holiday season.
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It's Christmas Time Again
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Few solo musicians on any instrument have made music as powerful and
deeply moving as David Friesen.
Larry Kelp/Oakland Tribune
. . . absolutely breath-taking musicality and performance prowess.
A solo concert by David Friesen is an incredible experience.
He captivated the audience.
Henry Wolking/Chairman Jazz Studies University of Utah
Seldom has a jazz musician (and never a bassist) managed to spellbind
and hold an audience so happily as David did this evening.
Christer Nilsson/Orkester Journalen, Sweden
David Friesen began playing solo bass concerts on a regular basis in 1972 and is one of the pioneers of this art form for jazz bassists. His concerts display a wide range of color and rhythmic textures. There is a peace in his music that calms the listener and there is also the intense energetic passion that captivates all who hear him.
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Long Trip Home
Martins Belonging
Flute Song
The Peace That Passes Understanding
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Together, Friesen and
Kropinski range beyond the typical boundaries of their instrument and even
the usual concept of a duet. There are moments in their performances when
simultaneously, Friesen is playing both Shakuhachi flute and bass, and Kropinski
is playing both percussion, chords, and lines on his guitar; the duo becomes a
virtual quartet.
Derk Richardson/San Francisco Bay Guardian
Friesen and Kropinski are "heart musicians." Their excellent technique allows them
to create their music with no noticeable limitations, freely and from their
own spirit.
Martin Volgger/Innsbruck, Austria
David Friesen and Uwe Kropinski met in Munich, Germany
in 1987 in a jazz concert where they were both playing as soloists.
They both recognized a similarity in their passion for music and enough
differences in other areas, that they combined their musical
talents and have been playing as a duet since 1987.
They have recorded several CD's together and appeared
throughout the United States and Europe in concert, at jazz festivals and
presenting Music Jazz workshops sponsored by Thomastik-Infeld/Vienna. They were
also both featured guests on the Johnny Carson Tonite Show.
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Pianola
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David Friesen and Larry Koonse
have been playing duets since 1998. Larry Koonse is one of the great
new guitarists on the jazz scene today. His skill as a guitarist is
extraordinary...musical ideas flowing, space, great time...he has it all!
Together the music they play is very spontaneous, warm, and with great energy.
Most of the compositions they play together are written by David Friesen.
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All the Things You Are
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There are some absolutely breath-taking passages of improvised
counterpoint bristling with intuitive imitations,
deft canonic figuring and spacious pauses . . . a pattern of
the off-the-cuff togetherness between these two men. A duo of
kindred souls.
Ken Rattenbury/Crescendo and Jazz Music, England
David Friesen and the great alto player Bud Shank have been playing duets since 1992. Their music together is a strong force of sound, rhythm and great melody. They have toured together throughout the United States and in Europe.
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Limehouse Blues
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John Gross
is one of the most original voices on the tenor sax. David and John have been
playing duets together since the very early nineties. Their music together is strong
and forceful with great melodies and an innovative approach to duo playing. They have
toured together in the USA and Europe and work on a regular basis as a duet.
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Before and After
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The David Friesen trio, a remarkable continually creative interplay that is the essence of jazz as a continually evolving language.
Nat Hentoff
Instead of grabbing you by the throat and dragging you into their musical environment, they subtly coax you to come closer, sweeping you away on a journey that ebbs and flows with flexible phrasing, sensitive dynamics, mobile-like textures and melodic/harmonic tension/release that only master improvisers could freely manipulate.
Jim Ferguson/Jazz Times
Randy Porter and Alan Jones have been playing as a trio since the very early nineties. They have never had a rehearsal and there are no arrangements to any of the music they play together. Their skill as a trio has been documented in many jazz publications including
Jazz Times
and DownBeat.
Two of their recordings have been selected in Jazz Times as one of the
5 best recordings for 1999 and 2002. They have toured throughout the United States and Europe.
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MidnightMood
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Joe La Barbera and
Larry Koonse both live in Los Angeles,
California and David Friesen lives in Portland, Oregon. Because of the location differences and also that
each musician has various music projects that keep him busy throughout the year;
this trio has not toured extensively. But the music they play together is really extraordinary...
the time feel is fantastic and the sound is extremely warm.
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On Going Theme
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This quintet features
John Gross- Tenor,
Rob Davis- Tenor, Dan Balmer-
Guitar,
William Thomas- Drums and David Friesen-Hemage bass. Friesen has written all the music. There are no arrangements, each person has the responsibility to listen and respond creatively to what he hears from the other musicians in the group. Each musician is a master on his instrument...the music is highly powered, very melodic, and adventurous and there is strength in group togetherness and the time feel. The Quintet has played many successful concerts since it's beginning in 2002.
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Song for Tristan
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