Don Friedman

Don Friedman, a skilled pianist whose talents often went unrecognized, began his career on the West Coast in 1956. There he performed alongside Dexter Gordon, Shorty Rogers, Buddy Collette, Buddy DeFranco through 1957, Chet Baker, and the then-unknown altoist Ornette Coleman. Following his relocation to New York in 1958, he engaged in diverse musical contexts. These encompassed his own trio, work with Pepper Adams, sessions alongside Booker Little including a 1961 recording, the Jimmy Giuffre Three in 1964, a quartet featuring Attila Zoller, Chuck Wayne's trio from 1966 to 1967, and Clark Terry's big band toward the close of the decade. Remaining active in New York, Friedman balanced roles as a jazz educator and versatile pianist, appearing in Concord's Maybeck Recital Hall series during 1993. His recording credits include releases on Riverside, Prestige, Progressive, Owl, Empathy, and various Japanese imprints, with further sessions taking place in New York across the 1990s and 2000s. On June 30, 2016, Friedman passed away at the age of 81.