I was lucky enough to attend a small masterclass a few years ago, taught by Mr. Erik Friedlander and his Topaz Quartet. I sat in the front row, alone, and watched as he did intentional, semi-sexual things to that cello, pulling out full-grown brilliance. He harmed me with his genius; I am now some warped jazzer, and find myself slipping between the two stools of improvisation and composition — a stretch too wide for most, except of course, Erik Friedlander.

Though he hangs by the intersect of traditions, his arrangements are harangues on the void and on genre creation, rather than identification. He is offering a number of tracks for free download on his website, as well as an unreleased record based on Isabella from The Decameron. Moody and complex, desert-like and dripping, Friedlander’s art sets you solidly on adventure.

Aap Ki

Consternation

IZA (reprise)