Music Review: Joe Friedman - Cup O' Joe

I guess it was inevitable. When you consider that I drink countless cups of coffee during the day, and always have a mug going while working on reviews, sooner or later the two processes would align themselves in some way. Cup O' Joe, a new album from jazz guitarist Joe Friedman, fills the bill — but even more importantly, it percolates up a rich and robust brew of musical pleasure.

OK, OK, enough with the silly coffee talk — but I do have to add one thing. When I began to read the album notes insert, I noticed my cup needed refilling so I put the insert face down on the desk. When I returned, I started to set down my cup but did a double-take, because printed on the back of the insert was a fake coffee-cup stain. Of course, I'm waaay too smart to be fooled by something like that, but for a second there...

But let's talk about the music, and of course the musician. Joe Friedman is relatively new to the recording scene - at least as a leader - but his background includes a fine musical education and a decade of playing with some well-known stars. He's appeared in a number of clubs and on Broadway, has toured with Eartha Kitt, played with Eddie Daniels and others, but is probably most proud of his service with George Benson, and considers him a major influence.

For his debut album, Friedman didn't use unknowns to support his own talents on both acoustic and electric guitar. Instead, he enlisted the aid of some really fine, established musicians, including Peter Washington on bass, pianist George Colligan, drummer Neal Smith, and Renato Thoms on percussion.

Article Author: Big Geez

Big Geez is a retiree who takes time off from trimming his ear hair to write about music -- occasionally writing reviews, but most often using his regular music feature, Retro Redux, to share his opinions about how something resonates with his memories and those of his generation. …

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