Recordings
 

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, if you'd like to purchase any of my CD's, you can use a credit card through PayPal by clicking the "Buy Now" button located under each title. Alternatively, you can send a check for the amount indicated to:

Ballet Tree Productions
PO Box 1946
Orleans, MA 02653

We'll usually send the CD within 24 hours of receipt of the order/check.

Enjoy

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1. Overheard Overhead - Listen
2. Tell Me, Tell Me- Listen
3. Where Notes May Lead - Listen
4. No Such Thing - Listen
5. Amelia - Listen
6. What Are Stars? - Listen
7. Provenance - Listen
8. One More - Listen
9. Optimist in the A.M. - Listen
10. Carillon - Listen

11. The Things You Do - Listen

Fred Fried and CORE - Core Four & More
$14.95 includes Shipping

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Before recording this CD, I got together with Mike Lavoie to go over some of the new material. After we played No Such Thing he casually remarked, "You know, this tune really should have lyrics."Over the years people have voiced similar sentiments and so I gave it some thought. I've always loved playing with words and having had some experience writing lyrics I decided that it was time to include music that people could sing.

Fred Fried - 8-String Acoustic Guitar, Composer, Arranger
Michael Lavoie - Bass
Miki Matsuki- Drums
Marcelle Gauvin - Vocals
Bruce Abbott - Flute

 

 

 

 

1. I Say a Little Prayer - Listen
2. The Look of Love - Listen
3. Walk on By - Listen
4. Wives and Lovers - Listen
5. Make It Easy On Yourself- Listen
6. What's New Pussycat? - Listen
7. A House Is Not a Home - Listen
8. This Guy's in Love With You - Listen
9. What the World Needs Now Is Love - Listen
10. Anyone Who Had a Heart- Listen

11. Alfie - Listen

Fred Fried and CORE - Core Bacharach
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I have the greatest admiration and respect for Burt Bacharach and I love his tunes. They are, by any definition, standards and as such hold up to varying interpretations. Thus, as a jazz guitarist, composer and arranger I didn't see the point in merely playing instrumental versions of these tunes as written minus the vocalist. In fact, it's because of my love for these songs that I entered this project anxious to shine some of Bacharach's work through my particular musical prism and to see what the result would be. Having worked with Michael Lavoie and Miki Matsuki on my two previous cds, I knew that I had the best collaborators, two great players who, with their wonderful musicianship, creative ideas and undiminished enthusiasm would work to make this recording one that we could all be proud of. Thank you to them and to our most important collaborator, Mr. Bacharach. We hope you approve.

Fred Fried - 8-String Acoustic Guitar
Michael Lavoie - Bass
Miki Matsuki- Drums


 

 

 

 

1. The Gathering Storm - Listen
2. Karenina - Listen
3. Three Fall - Listen
4. Sing Me A Puzzle - Listen
5. Currents Above, Currents Below - Listen
6. Spring Overture - Listen
7. The Road Taken - Listen
8. Come Each Simple Idea - Listen
9. The Circus Left Town - Listen
10. Little Tears - Listen

11. The Threads That Hold The World - Listen

Fred Fried and CORE - EnCore
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Our second trio cd, Encore, more ambitious, we think, than Core 3.0, is the natural evolution one would expect from a group whose aim is to grow as a unit even as we strive to grow individually. there was much experimentation in the arrangements, a lot of trial and error, but the choices made were those we intuitively recognized as right.

Fred Fried - 8-String Acoustic Guitar
Michael Lavoie - Bass
Miki Matsuki- Drums

 

 

 

 

1. Leanne's Number - Listen
2. Henry - Listen
3. Mischa's Labyrinth - Listen
4. Cloud Dancer - Listen
5. Melody Four - Listen
6. Sadie - Listen
7. Weather Changes - Listen
8. April's March - Listen
9. The Things You Do - Listen

Fred Fried and CORE - CORE 3.0
$14.95 includes Shipping

This is my latest CD and I’m tremendously happy about it. Those of you who have heard my group at Bubala’s in Provincetown will be familiar with bassist Michael Lavoie and drummer Miki Matsuki. They are absolutely wonderful musicians and it was a ball working with them on this recording of all original tunes. This also marks my first trio CD with my nylon 8-string guitar. Built by Luthier Steve Connor it has a low A below the low E and a high A above the high E and sounds amazing.

Fred Fried - 8-String Acoustic Guitar
Michael Lavoie - Bass
Miki Matsuki- Drums

 

 

Listen to Excerpts from the CD.

 

1. With A Song In My Heart
2. The Wisdom of Notes (Fried)
3. You Must Believe in Spring
4. Evening Song (Fried)
5. In Your Own Sweet Way
6. Peau Douce
7. The Simplest Things (Fried)
8. Seesaw
9. Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year
10. Moon Song
11. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most

The Wisdom of Notes
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This recording 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.

Fred Fried - 7-String Acoustic Guitar
Michael Moore - Bass
Tony Tedesco - Drums
Strings Arranged and Conducted by Richard DeRosa

Read the All About Jazz Review

1. When Winter Comes - Listen
2. Patty's Song
3. Into the Wind
4. Hold Your Breath
5. Let's Go For A Ride
6. Pathos - Listen
7. The Rain
8. Children Can Fly - Listen
9. The Things That Happen

When Winter Comes
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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."

Following in his mentor's footsteps, Fried adopted an uncanny pianistic approach on his custom made Mark Wescott 7-string acoustic. He released a series of impressive trio and solo recordings during the 90's on the Ballet Tree label. His latest project, 2003's When Winter Comes, is his most ambitious offering yet- a gorgeous collection of impressionistic originals with bassist Steve LaSpina and drummer Billy Drummond, augmented by a lush 11-piece string section."

All Compositions by Fred Fried

Fred Fried - 7-String Acoustic Guitar
Steve LaSpina - Bass
Billy Drummond - Drums

Strings Arranged and Conducted by Richard DeRosa

Read the All About Jazz Review

1. Infantry of Leaves - Listen
2. Gale
3. Secrets Told Softly
4. Lullaby
5. Andromeda
6. There
7. Late Bloomer - Listen
8. Smile Through
9. Samsara
10. Sun Descending

Infantry of Leaves
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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.

All Compositions by Fred Fried

Fred Fried - 7-String Acoustic Guitar
Steve LaSpina - Bass
Billy Drummond - Drums

Read the All About Jazz Review

1. Wisdom of Notes (Fried)
2. Nobody Else But Me
3. Dream Sequence
4. No Walls
5. Reflecting on Jimmy
6. Careful
7. Late Again - Listen
8. Pannonica
9. Jordu
10. This Over That (Fried) - Listen 

This Over That
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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.

Mitch Seidman - Acoustic Guitar
Fred Fried - Acoustic 7-String Guitar

1. What Kind of Fool Am I? - Listen
2. Barbara (Fried)
3. Turn Out The Stars
4. Round Midnight
5. Upper Manhattan Medical Group
6. I Loves You Porgy
7. Tenderly
8. Always In Our Heart
9. Young and Foolish
10. Nardis
11. Nobody Else But Me

Nobody Else But Me
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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.

Fred Fried - Acoustic 7-String Guitar

1. Opening (Fried) - Listen
2. Barbara (Fried)
3. In One Peace (Fried)
4. I Fall in Love Too Easily
5. Cloud Three (Fried)
6. Everything I Love
7. A Sleepin' Bee
8. B Minor Waltz - Listen
9. I Hear A Rhapsody
10. Secret Hearts
11. Waltzaling (Fried)
12. Closing (Fried)

Cloud 3
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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.

Fred Fried - Acoustic 7-String Guitar
Bob Nieske - Bass
Matt Gordy - Drums

1. The Second Time Around - Listen
2. I Love My Wife
3. Old Friends
4. Alfie - Listen
5. Out of My Dreams
6. After You
7. The Music That Makes Me Dance
8. Almost Blue (Fried)

Out of My Dreams
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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.

All Compositions by Fred Fried

Fred Fried - Acoustic 7-String Guitar
Steve LaSpina - Bass
Gary Johnson - Drums

1. Little Miracle
2. When They Took The Sky - Listen
3. Lake of the Coheeries
4. Nanette - Listen
5. B's Time in the Morning
6. The Way It Goes
7. Sashay
8. Crystalline
9. Song For Mark
10. The Voice Within

Crystalline
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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.”

All Compositions by Fred Fried

Fred Fried - Acoustic 7-String Guitar
Steve LaSpina - Bass
Gary Johnson - Drums