Aug 26, 2025 1:53 PM
Blindfold Test: Buster Williams
Buster Williams, who at the age of 83 has been on the scene for 65 years, had never done a Blindfold Test. The first…
On his new release, The Broken Arm, cellist Erik Friedlander spotlights his unique pizzicato playing—higher and more incisive than the bass, warmer than the piano, but similarly rhythmic and able to freely engage in the give-and-take essential to the jazz. The album features drummer Mike Sarin and bassist Trevor Dunn.
“While there have been a few groundbreaking practitioners, notably bassist Oscar Pettiford, the cello has a tenuous connection to jazz, and is still considered a novelty,” Friedlander said. “The cello is an untapped resource and I’m looking to create some new lasting traditions.”
The title of the CD comes from an anecdote about Oscar Pettiford: In 1949, Pettiford broke his arm playing baseball. He could still move his fingers even though his arm was in a sling, so he began experimenting with a cello a friend had lent to him. He tuned the cello like a bass only an octave higher and later recorded a series of cello-led projects. “For me Pettiford is a hero: he had a deep connection to the cello—he believed in it as a jazz instrument,” Friedlander said.
More info: erikfriedlander.com
“What I got from Percy was the dignity of playing the bass,” Buster Williams said of Percy Heath.
Aug 26, 2025 1:53 PM
Buster Williams, who at the age of 83 has been on the scene for 65 years, had never done a Blindfold Test. The first…
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