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Eric Friedlander's Topaz at Kerrytown
One
of the top cellists in jazz, Eric Friedlander, visited the Kerrytown
Concert House on March 25 with his new quartet Topaz. It was their first
concert on a nationwide tour and it was a privilege to hear them. The
group has a very mellow yet distinctive sound, with a front line of cello
and alto backed by electric bass and percussion. It was avant-garde with
a soft touch and free blowing combined with the discipline of arranged
passages and selections of reasonable length.
 Friedlander's
masterful handling of the cello was the main attraction. His amplified
cello was at times quite powerful, but mostly he let it sing melodiously.
On a song dedicated to a Persian singer, Friedlander showed his soulful
side, while on Miles Davis' "Tout de Suite" he carefully built up a solo
of great intensity. On the latter he was backed by the laid back rhythms
of the Takeishi brothers — Stomu on bass and Satoshi on percussion.
Satoshi, who played sitting directly on the stage floor, is a very inventive
and tasteful player of all kinds of percussion. His four years of studying
Colombian folk music and his Japanese background most likely have inspired
his unique approach to percussion. Stomu's use of the electric bass was
very sensitive and perfectly attuned to the group sound and the acoustics
of the small room. Altoist Andy Laster started out somewhat tentatively
in the first set, but showed more emotional intensity in the second set.
Overall, this quartet is a very interesting group made up of highly skilled
craftsmen.
photograph by Lars Björn
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