ELLIOT FREEDMAN

THE ELLIOT FREEDMAN GROUP

FRIDAY, 15 MARCH 2024  |  DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00

Composer-guitarist Elliot Freedman fronts a nimble, sensitive ensemble. The rich, sweet tones of Elliot’s baritone guitar accentuate his instinctive harmonic vocabulary and fondness for unique chord voicings. Along with vibraphonist Nick Apivor, pianist Dan Reynolds, bassist Dan Howard, and drummer Paul Mason, Elliot presents an uncompromising, non-canonical jazz of lyrical melodies and complex harmonies, detailed interplay and exciting improvisation, propelling rhythms and rich textures, collaborative creation and individual expression.

About The Elliot Freedman Group

Elliot Freedman (baritone guitar) – On a long-scale baritone guitar that accentuates his harmonic vocabulary and chord voicings, Elliot Freedman focuses his on own compositions and on arrangements for guitar of music by & associated with Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, and Kenny Wheeler.  With awards & grants for composition from the Canada Council for the Arts and others, Elliot pursued music in Europe in the 1990s. With his group, The Elliot Freedman Group (“Very, very good avant fusion” Guitar Player magazine), he advances a harmonically elegant, rhythmically muscular, and uncompromisingly adventurous update on the electric jazz of the 1970s.

Nick Apivor (vibraphone) – Playing well beyond jazz in classical, New Music, Latin, and theatre contexts, with a range of creative projects, and as a teacher, vibraphonist and percussionist Nick Apivor is a unique voice among and highly respected by Vancouver musicians.

Dan Reynolds (piano) – Bringing a special poignancy to the creative projects he works with, jazz pianist Dan Reynolds, beyond the collaborations he makes effortless and meaningful, advances his artistry through his own compositions and his teaching at the VSO School of Music.

Dan Howard (bass) – As among Vancouver’s most dedicated, most flexible, and most active bassists, Dan Howard provides the bass foundations across a wide range of the jazz and other creative, demanding musics played in Vancouver, from small ensembles to big bands, collaborating especially on original jazz music projects.

Paul Mason (drums) – Veteran working drummer Paul Mason works across a range of creative projects.  Continually innovating on the music he collaborates on, Paul is a master of the right feel, encouraging detail, and responsive interplay.  As a drum builder, he advanced the use of alternate materials to wood for superior sound and durability.  As a teacher, he professes how & why to hear, play, play with, and indeed feel the power of music–as he does on stage and in the studio, guiding and inspiring his fellow musicians.