Live At Kitano

Janice Friedman Trio: Live at Kitano Janice Friedman on piano and vocals, Victor Lewis on drums, Ed Howard on bass Playing tunes that I have loved and have visited many, many times to create what I hope is a mood in each one with such a seasoned, supportive, alive rhythm section in front of a loving, enthusiastic group of people NYC on a beautiful Steinway Grand and a view out of picture windows onto a NY landscape,. This was the setting for the story from beginning to end of this CD, Janice Friedman Trio: Live at Kitano. The excitement of playing music the old fashioned way where we all play together, at the same time in front of people, expands exponentially when the folks in the room hop on board and joins you riding the wave. It's the wave of music moving in time. It is euphoric when you trust all aspects of the experience, bring all of your energy to it, don't control it but don't lose control of it. This is downright exhilarating while also being humbling and even a bit scary for us playing. We need to hold onto our equilibrium, trust the moment, the space and the people we're playing with and those listening that with love and acceptance you can make everything work. This was a great night at Kitano. Thank you to Victor Lewis on drums, Ed Howard on bass, Gino Moratti at Kitano, MP Kuo my mixing engineer, all others that helped make this CD happen and especially my husband David Prager and my parents who introduced me at very young age to the world of Jazz. 1) Get Set is one of my own tunes. It is a kind of introduction piece for the evening and swingin' ala Oscar Peterson: happy and bright. It's based on a rhythm tune (a song with the chord changes of Gershwin's I Got rhythm) with an altered bridge. The blowing and groove is bebop. There is a shout chorus that feels like piano as big band, to send off Victor's solo. I love big bands and I like to bring that inspiration to my trio arrangements. I was one of the few women to ever tour with a big band when I was on the road with The Woody Herman Orchestra. I've always loved the quote about my playing during the JVC Jazz Festival from John Wilson of The NY Times, Explosive piano playing carrying the aura and variety of a big band with just bass and drums.... 2) Saxophonist Charles Davis wrote this fun tune, Half and Half. We begin it with a spacey ambience like the beginning of the story that is born from who knows where. Once the tune actually starts it feels like an Irish drone in 6/8 time with moments at the end of the melody that make you wonder whether it will be repeated or not. What could be better than a little who knows what's going to happen moment? Once the improvising does get wound up it is reminiscent of the old Miles Davis tune Milestones or So What, what Jazz folks call a modal tune, where each section is just based in one harmony with a walking bass underneath. After my solo over a fiery rhythm section, Ed is left to a free form solo that connects us back to our Irish drone and the melody with it's surprises. 3) Lonely Sky is one of mine. Inspired by Lee Charles Kelley's words, it starts out with vocal and piano rubato before moving into a moody bossa nova supported by a very sensitive rhythm section. I was empathizing with the person walking and feeling alone on what I pictured was a beach in the evening with the sky painting pictures above that can represent all that we go through. I love Ed's solo on this and frankly I am pretty happy with mine too. I hope you'll agree that we created music at the supreme visceral level on this piece. 4) Curacao is what I call an Indianapolis tune- one of those ones that we used to play out there. I first transcribed it maybe 30 years ago. My mentor and friend, genius pianist, Claude Sifferlen, was a big fan of Claire Fischer who played with the great Cal Tjader on this afro-Cuban tune. We hopefully brought that same kind of groove and energy. Following my solo and a great solo by Victor we come back in with a slinky, stanky, greezy walking bassline and take the song out that way. If you don't k