Photo: Nomo michael hoefner http://www.zwo5.de / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Erik Friedlander is exactly the sort of musician I think more people should know and more people inevitably don't. A cellist who made his name in New York's experimental downtown scene, he turned an instrument most listeners file under classical strings into a voice for improvised, genre-bending jazz. His long collaboration with John Zorn tells me everything about the company he keeps and the risks he's willing to take. I admire artists who pick a hard, unfashionable lane and just commit. Friedlander isn't chasing charts; he's expanding what a cello is allowed to do, and that quiet stubbornness is its own kind of greatness.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Erik Friedlander
- Name (Japanese)
- エリック・フリードランダー
- Reading
- えりっく・ふりーどらんだー
- Born
- July 1, 1960 (age 66)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Rat
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Occupation
- jazz musician / cellist / composer / musician / bandleader
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Erik Friedlander born?
Born July 1, 1960 (age 66).
Where is Erik Friedlander from?
Erik Friedlander is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Erik Friedlander do?
Erik Friedlander works as jazz musician, cellist, composer, musician, bandleader.
Jazz musician — see all → · Cellist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.