Erik Friedlander: Block Ice & Propane
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Erik Friedlander: Block Ice & Propane

“One of today’s most ingenious and forward-thinking musical practitioners.” —Billboard

This collection of cinematic cello compositions by jazz/new music phenom Erik Friedlander (John Zorn, Laurie Anderson) was inspired by years of family road trips with all the trimmings: campers, tourist traps, picnic tables, truck stops, lonely highways, stark panoramas. In Block Ice & Propane, these new compositions are paired with family and “road cycle” images created by his father, celebrated photographer Lee Friedlander, and mother Maria Friedlander, films by Bill Morrison, and engaging short tales about the kind of travels familiar to so many of us. Taking inspiration from American roots music, Friedlander executes extraordinary finger-picking technique and reverberant tunings, creating a fresh form of American cello music that is lyrical, plainspoken, and emotional.

Walker Commission