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CDS Thanks for visiting my discography. Please take a few moments to check out my CDs, and listen to the soundclips. You can also download an MP3 file from my new release. If you like the music, please share it with your friends. After listening to the clips, and the download, you can purchase my CDs by clicking the add to cart button. Enjoy! The Wisdom of Notes | When
Winter Comes | Infantry of Leaves
| This Over That | Nobody
Else But Me | Cloud 3 | Out
of My Dreams | Crystalline The Wisdom of Notes $14.95 includes Shipping
My latest recording is one I'm very excited about and it features two of my favorite musicians, bassist Michael Moore and drummer Tony Tedesco. Comprised of eight standards and three originals, this is my first CD playing a nylon string guitar. It's a 7-string made by Gary Zimnicki and I'm really happy with the warm, full sound it gets. If you check out the excerpts you'll see what I mean. Listen to Excerpts from the CD. 1. With A Song In My Heart Fred Fried -
7-String Acoustic Guitar Strings Arranged and Conducted by Richard DeRosa Read the All About Jazz Review
When Winter Comes $14.95 includes Shipping
This is my most ambitious recording and boy, am I happy about the way it turned out. It features Steve LaSpina, Billy Drummond and a string orchestra arranged and conducted by Richard DeRosa. All the compositions are mine, six have strings, and three are trio. Between the compositions, the playing and arranging I can truly say I have never heard anything like this album. Rich DeRosa and I worked on this for about a year and to hear the result has been tremendously gratifying. It almost transcends category. My favorite music is that which reflects the joy and heartbreak of human existence, that goes directly to the spirit. I would like to think When Winter Comes is that kind of music. In
Jazziz, Bill Milkowski wrote: "While
Charlie Byrd served as Hatfield's guitar inspiration, another strictly
acoustic fingerstyle player, Fred Fried, derived inspiration from
7-string guitar innovator George Van Eps. 'Hooking up with George
was a lucky twist of fate,' says Massachusetts-based Fried. "George
taught me to think in terms of individual voices, instead of frozen
chords that ignore the connections between the notes. He started
me off with the technique to achieve that. And since then, I've
put in a lot of time figuring out how to voice chords in a certain
way, harmonize the melody, and move lines under a melody or with
a chord- more like Bill Evans or Ahmad Jamal than any guitarist." 1.
When Winter Comes - Listen All Compositions by Fred Fried Fred Fried -
7-String Acoustic Guitar Strings Arranged and Conducted by Richard DeRosa Read the All About Jazz Review
Infantry of Leaves $14.95 includes Shipping I’m very proud of this one. A recording of originals, with Steve LaSpina on bass and on drums, the amazing Billy Drummond. A word about myself as a composer- when I write I don’t think specifically of writing jazz vehicles. That is, I won’t just come up with a melody on a set of changes that are fun to play on. I will let the melody and harmony go where some inner voice tells me they should go. As a result many of my tunes are not your standard blowing tunes though they certainly all have an inner logic and usually a singable melody. I don’t deliberately try to expand the vocabulary of jazz harmony but if that is the case I think it makes for more challenging playing and more interesting listening. The bottom line is that I hope people are moved emotionally by this music. I think Steve LaSpina and Billy Drummond exhibit the kind of musicality and virtuosity that these tunes demanded. And simply stated, even though there are no standards here (let’s call them future standards) I think the listener will really enjoy this CD. 1.
Infantry of Leaves - Listen All Compositions by Fred Fried Fred
Fried - 7-String Acoustic Guitar Read the All About Jazz Review
This Over That $14.95 includes Shipping Here I team up with a good friend and great guitarist Mitch Seidman. We do five tunes as a duo and are joined for five more by the wonderful bassist Harvie Swartz. This is a great mix of tunes – Monk’s Pannonica, Jim Hall’s Careful, Mitch Seidman’s Dream Sequence and my own Wisdom of Notes. I think what is most striking about this CD, other than the great playing, is the beautiful blend of Mitch’s big Monteleone archtop and my Wescott 7-string acoustic. 1.
Wisdom of Notes (Fried) Mitch
Seidman - Acoustic Guitar
Nobody Else But Me $14.95 includes Shipping Though there is a fair amount of solo guitar in my trio recordings, I felt compelled to do a solo CD since this is such an integral part of what I do and who I am as a musician. This album is dedicated to George Van Eps with whom I studied briefly in Los Angeles. He really showed me how, with knowledge, dedication and practice, one could play the guitar pianistically and though I have taken this concept in my own direction, I certainly am indebted to George. The tunes here are mostly standards - I Loves You Porgy, Round Midnight, Tenderly and Bill Evans’ Turn Out the Stars among others. I would say that for anyone interested in solo, improvised jazz guitar, this is the CD to get. 1.
What Kind of Fool Am I? -
Listen Fred Fried - Acoustic 7-String Guitar
Cloud 3 $14.95 includes Shipping Here’s a recording of standards and originals that I am very proud of. I am joined by two of Boston’s finest, Bob Nieske on bass and Matt Gordy on drums. The first tune, appropriately titled Opening starts with an intriguing melody over some challenging chord changes, which is then repeated in double time. We maintain this form throughout the tune and it works very well. We also play one of my favorite standards, Cole Porter’s Everything I Love, complete with the beautiful but not too well known verse. And I have to mention the very poignant B Minor Waltz, composed by one of my all time heroes, Bill Evans. I play the first half of the melody solo guitar and then am joined by Bob and Matt. I think it came out very well. 1.
Opening (Fried) - Listen Fred
Fried - Acoustic 7-String Guitar
Out of My Dreams $14.95 includes Shipping Here again I am joined by Steve LaSpina and Gary Johnson. Although we play primarily standards I deliberately chose tunes that were lesser known since I’ve always felt that there are a vast number of beautiful tunes that deserve more attention from musicians and the listening public. Thus we have Cy Coleman’s I Love My Wife, Burt Bacharach’s Alfie, Out of My Dreams from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway musical Oklahoma, and a little known gem from Cole Porter, After You. 1.
The Second Time Around - Listen Fred
Fried - Acoustic 7-String Guitar
Crystalline $14.95 includes Shipping This is my first trio CD. With me are two great musicians- bassist Steve LaSpina, perhaps best known for his long time association with Jim Hall, and Gary Johnson, one of the best drummers in New England. All the tunes are original. Given the talent and sensitivity of Steve and Gary, it’s no wonder that we achieve a wonderful and intimate musical interaction. I still love the tunes on this one and the sound of that beautiful Mark Wescott 7-string.” 1.
Little Miracle All Compositions by Fred Fried Fred
Fried - Acoustic 7-String Guitar |
