 Block Ice & Propane – Erik FriedlanderBy the time I got involved in Block Ice & Propane, I’d known Erik Friedlander for over 20 years as a composer, cellist, and downtown NYC musical colleague (he played on both the Last Forever CDs). Anyway, in March of 2007, I ran into him and his daughter Ava having breakfast in a local diner, and he mentioned that he had this solo cello record that he’d recorded in 2005 and that his company wasn’t putting it out, at least not fast enough, and he didn’t know what to do about it. He said that he’d been playing around with banjo, fiddle and guitar tunings and styles (playing around, that is, in my backyard), and he wondered what I would think of it. A week or so later he dropped by and played me about three cuts and I told him that not only did I think he should put it out himself, but that I liked it so much, if he wanted, I’d help him. And so an Executive Producer was born. It really worked out great – a sold out show at Joe’s Pub here in NYC, features in the New York Times and on NPR Weekend Edition, and a smattering of end of year Top Ten lists. We even sold one of the pieces to Apple for use in their iPhone campaign. All that, however, is incidental. What really matters is that the CD is an exquisite collection of pieces by a composer whose craft is inextricable from his extraordinary approach to his instrument. Plus we got to be even better friends. |
