Biography Don Friedman

Donald Ernest "Don" Friedman (May 4, 1935 – June 30, 2016) was an American jazz pianist.

On the West Coast, Friedman performed with Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Buddy DeFranco and Ornette Coleman, among others, before moving to New York. There, he led his own Don Friedman Trio in addition to playing in Pepper Adams's, Booker Little's and Jimmy Giuffre's bands in the sixties. He was also a part of Clark Terry's big band.

In 2009, Resonance Records released Pieces of Jade, the first album released featuring Scott LaFaro as a bandleader. The album includes five selections recorded in New York City during 1961 that showcase LaFaro with pianist Don Friedman and drummer Pete LaRoca.

He most recently worked in New York as a pianist and jazz educator. He has many fans in Japan, and had toured the country.

Discography

As leader

A Day in the City (Riverside, 1961)

Circle Waltz (Riverside, 1962)

Flashback (Riverside, 1963)

Dreams and Explorations (Riverside, 1964)

Metamorphosis (Prestige, 1966)

Hope for Tomorrow (East Wind, 1975)

Hot Knepper and Pepper (Progressive, 1978)

I Hear a Rhapsody (Stash, 1984)

Don Friedman at Maybeck (Concord, 1993)

Invitation (Progressive, 1994)

Opus D'Amour (Sackville, 1994) – with Don Thompson

Almost Everything (SteepleChase, 1995)

Thingin' (Hat Art, 1996) – with Lee Konitz and Attila Zoller

My Romance: Solo Piano (SteepleChase, 1997)

Timeless (Village, 2003)

Hot House (Chiaroscuro, 2004)

Piano Works VI (ACT, 2006)

As sideman

With Buddy Collette

Nice Day with Buddy Collette (Contemporary, 1957)

With John Handy

No Coast Jazz (Roulette, 1960)

With Joe Henderson

Tetragon (Milestone, 1968)

With Elvin Jones

And Then Again (Atlantic, 1965)

With Don Lanphere

Into Somewhere (Hep, 1983)

With Booker Little

Out Front (Candid, 1961)

Booker Little and Friend (Bethlehem, 1961)

With Charles Lloyd

Discovery! (Columbia, 1964)

With Herbie Mann

Herbie Mann Live at Newport (Atlantic, 1963)

My Kinda Groove (Atlantic, 1964)

Our Mann Flute (Atlantic, 1966)

The Beat Goes On (Atlantic, 1967)

With Dave Pike

Manhattan Latin (Decca, 1964)

The Doors of Perception (Vortex, 1966)

With Clark Terry

It's What's Happenin' (Impulse!, 1967)

Live on QE2 (Chiaroscuro, 2001)

With Scott Lafaro

Pieces of Jade (Resonance Records, released, 2009, recorded, 1961)

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