THE ELLIOT FREEDMAN GROUP – QUINTET LIVE ALBUM RELEASE
SATURDAY, 5 APRIL 2025 | DOORS AT 19:30, MUSIC FROM 20:00
The Elliot Freedman Group presents harmonically elegant, rhythmically detailed, and uncompromisingly original, non-canonical jazz based in Elliot’s own compositions. 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 Winston Mastushita, bassist Dan Howard, and drummer Paul Mason, Elliot lays down lyrical melodies and complex harmonies, detailed interplay and exciting improvisation, propelling rhythms and rich textures, collaborative creation and individual expression. The group will be celebrating the release of a live album recorded at a special concert in Nanaimo last summer, Bands of Merriment, Vol. 1 (WEST COAST QUINTET LIVE).
Says Elliot…
“Our performance at Notional Space last spring helped us form the group’s sound–how through the music the three chordal instruments, guitar, vibes, & piano, cooperate to carry themes, improvise contours, and present harmonies, and how bass & drums make groove out of odd-length phrases and irregular time-signatures. I’m thrilled that the music spoke–and look forward to it being heard more broadly.”
Says Guitar Player Magazine…
“Very, very good avant fusion.”
About The Elliot Freedman Group
Elliot Freedman (baritone guitar) – On a long-scale guitar that accentuates his harmonic vocabulary and chord voicings, Elliot Freedman, as contemporary composer for post-jazz jazz guitar, draws on foundations in classical guitar, an interest in jazz by non-guitarists (Wheeler, Jarrett, Evans, especially), and aesthetic commitments to post-post-functional tonality and to different tones & textures for jazz.
Nick Apivor (vibraphone) – Playing well beyond jazz in classical, New Music, Latin, and theatre contexts, essential as a collaborator on others’ creative music projects, and an inspiring teacher, vibraphonist and percussionist Nick Apivor is a unique voice among, and highly respected, by Vancouver musicians.
Dan Howard (bass) – As among Vancouver’s most dedicated, flexible, and hard-working bassists, Dan Howard provides the foundations that propel and solidify many complex, original jazz music projects.
Paul Mason (drums) – Veteran creative drummer Paul Mason continually innovates on the music he collaborates on, cohering complexities with feel over function and carving dynamics while energizing interplay. As a drum builder, he advanced the use of composite materials for superior sonic spectra. As a teacher, Paul professes why, how, and what to hear, to play, and to feel the power of music.
Winston Matsushita (keyboards) – That Winston Matsushita and Dan Reynolds, the now Korea-based pianist on the live album, have long been friends makes it especially nice for the group to invite Winstone to rejoin the group. Winston works as a pianist and teacher in various jazz contexts in Vancouver. Beyond being exceptionally attuned as a pianist to the group’s music, Winston brings a particular affinity for, backed with immense taste in, synthesized sounds.