Featured Musician: Dave Frishberg
Pianist Dave Frishberg has one of the most interesting and impressive resumes in jazz. He started his jazz career while in Minnesota at journalism school, but after leaving St. Paul for a short stint in the Air Force, he decided that New York was the logical place to pursue his music. In 1959, Frishberg’s career started to take off when he got his first touring gig as part of Kai Winding’s band. Soon after, he began a year-and-a-half stint with vocalist Carmen McRae.
In the beginning of the 1960s, Frishberg’s interest in songwriting began to take him down new avenues. By 1962, he had written “Peel Me a Grape,†which remains one of his most famous tunes. The writing kept him busy during the day at the same time that he worked as an accompanist at night, backing up artists like Ben Webster, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, and Gene Krupa. This was the beginning of decades of accompanying some of the biggest names in jazz.
Since then, his credits have continued to pile up. His songs have been recorded on everything from “School House Rock†to Diana Krall’s “Love Scenes” album. “Retromania: At the Jazz Bakery,†his latest release as a leader, features his solo act, where he sings a variety of his classic works, such as “Zoot Walks In,†“My Attorney Bernie, “Dodger Blue,†and “Van Lingle Mungo.†Also, he has a recent album out on Portland’s Diatic Records with drummer Charlie Doggett and saxophonist John Gross. Be sure to check out their show July 13th at Wilf’s.
Below, in JazzPDX.org’s first musician feature, Frishberg answers questions about his career in an e-mail interview.
Hoagy Carmichael 1924-46
Al Cohn–writing and/or playing
Glenn Gould playing Bach
Gerry Mulligan big band
Connee Boswell 1920s-40s
Lee Wylie–1930s-40s
Duke Ellington 1930s
My saxophone friends Warren Rand, David Evans, John Gross
Dan Faehnle
Nancy King
Jim Goodwin
A concert in Cooperstown NY in Sep
Vocal Madness Concert, Benson Hotel, Portland 11 Nov 2007
4 nights at Jazz Bakery, LA in Dec
Preparing to record in July an album of Frank Loesser songs with Becky Kilgore.
Writing and editing contents for my website which is under construction.
Benny Green (UK, deceased)
Gene Lees
Terry Teachout
Doug Ramsey
honored at a ceremony in Lincoln Center with Louie Belson and Terry Gibbs. Did the young Dave Frishberg scrambling to make it in the New York scene of the late ’50s ever fantasize about achieving that kind of notoriety?
right now?
Enjoying my new piano, a 6’2†by Fandrich & Sons, Seattle.
Seriously:
Glenn Gould playing Bach can do the trick, especially in the morning
Brazilian songs sung by Carmen Miranda and by Elis Regina.
The original cast album of Candide by Leonard Bernstein.
The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan
Practically anything sung by Bing Crosby, Johnny Mercer, or Barbara Cook
