Don Friedman

by Scott Yanow
An excellent if underrated pianist, Don Friedman started off playing on the West Coast in 1956 with Dexter Gordon, Shorty Rogers, Buddy Collette, Buddy DeFranco (1956-1957), Chet Baker, and even the unknown altoist Ornette Coleman. After moving to New York in 1958, Friedman played in many settings, including with his own trio, Pepper Adams, Booker Little (recording with him in 1961), the Jimmy Giuffre Three (1964), a quartet with Attila Zoller, Chuck Waynes trio (1966-1967), and, by the end of the decade, Clark Terrys big band. He has continued working in New York as both a jazz educator and a pianist with wide musical interests and he was featured on Concords Maybeck Recital Hall series (1993). Don Friedman — who also recorded for Riverside, Prestige, Progressive, Owl, Empathy, and several Japanese labels — is not to be confused with vibraphonist David Friedman.