Artist Features
Making A Name For Himself Around The Seattle Jazz Scene, Andrew Friedrich
Jazz Guitar Today’s Joe Barth talks to jazz guitarist Andrew Friedrich.
Originally from the East, Andrew came to Seattle to study at the University of Washington by way of Texas. I enjoyed Andrew’s music while having lunch with my family at a local eatery and then I set up this opportunity to learn more about him.
JB: You speak of your dad being your first motivation to play guitar. What inspired you to play jazz guitar?
AF: My father, Dennis Friedrich, is a very talented musician who still plays piano regularly at church. He is a multi-instrumentalist who introduced me to the guitar while I was still sleeping in the crib. Before bedtime, he would invent tunes about firetrucks and other sorts of things that might capture the imagination of a little boy. Those are some of my earliest memories.
Many years later, when I began playing the guitar, I was drawn to great rock and blues improvisers like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. My enthusiasm prompted a couple of my teachers to suggest I check out Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny. When I started listening to those guys, I made it my mission to play like them. I really wasn’t sure how to start, so I began just learning some of their solos. I remember playing along with Pat’s solo on “Minuano (Six-Eight)” over and over again without having much of a clue what was going on theoretically. I just wanted to feel what it was like to execute something like that on the guitar.
All of this is to say that I’ve always been drawn to the act of musical improvisation. I still think it is one of the most mysterious and wonderful things that human beings do.
JB: Talk about the things you appreciated most about your undergraduate guitar studies and then what brought you to Seattle to study at the University of Washington.
AF: I spent three semesters at Berklee College of Music before deciding to transfer to University of Texas at Austin. There I had the opportunity to study with guitarists Mitch Watkins and Bruce Saunders – two wonderful and distinct voices on the guitar. The program at UT was smaller and much more affordable. There was also a substantial enrollment of graduate students who, at that point, had a lot more professional experience than I did. In addition to the great faculty, spending time with those guys was an essential part of my musical growth. There were also numerous opportunities to perform in Austin. For that reason alone, the city itself had the most enduring impact on my musical growth during that period of my life.
I was drawn to Seattle for the opportunities to study with the faculty at the University of Washington – Cuong Vu, Steve Rodby, and Ted Poor. Those guys had been in my ears for decades (especially Steve) before I ever met them. The first time I met Steve, he asked me, “So why are you here?” I told him, “Because I saw you and Cuong on ‘The Way Up’ tour in Boston in 2006, and it changed my life!”
JB: To you, what are three of the most influential jazz guitar albums in your development as a guitarist, and why?
AF: East/West – Bill Frisell
The album is split into two live performances, the first set from Yoshi’s (West) and the Village Vanguard (East). What’s remarkable about it is how Bill is so completely himself in two very different musical settings. The two recordings almost sound like different genres of music, but both are unmistakably Bill. I think playing like he does requires a complete commitment to make the very best music possible with whomever he is sharing the stage.
The Bridge – Sonny Rollins
When students ask me for examples of great guitar comping, I immediately tell them to check out The Bridge. It’s so good that when I play “Without a Song” at a gig, I need to remind myself not to copy Jim! His lines are so strong they’ve become canonized in the way that tune is played. The groove he creates with Ben Riley and Bob Cranshaw is just incredible, and it’s a very specific concept that fits perfectly with Sonny’s playing. As always, his solos are gems.
The Way Up – Pat Metheny
When I first heard it, I was 18, and I thought, “Wow! This is what modern jazz sounds like?!?” It turns out I was only partially correct. Any time I turn it on, I must finish it, which is saying something for a 68-minute long through-composed piece of music. Every moment of the album is kinetic but dynamic. The composition is iterative but constantly changing. I could spend thousands of words describing what I love about any 60-second clip of this album. Listening to this record when it came out in 2005 was a paradigm shift for my musical worldview. Almost twenty years later, I’m still discovering new things to love about it.
JB: On YouTube, you have a Five Tips (or important things to remember) video. Tell us briefly about these.
AF: I recorded that video several years ago because I was finding myself saying the same things to so many of my students and thought, “Perhaps I should turn all this into a helpful video to share!” I discuss posture, finger placement, timekeeping, slow practice, and frequent practice. I still think they’re good things to be mindful of, regardless of whether you are brand new to guitar or a seasoned pro. Putting those values into a public video also meant that I had to take my own advice. Ten years later, hopefully, it’s evident in my playing and teaching.
JB: Do you have any CDs out?
AF: In 2021, I recorded my first album as a leader: Human Resource. I wrote most of the music during the pandemic, specifically with Richard Mikel (bass) and Daniel Dufour (drums) in mind. It’s available on all the streaming platforms, and there are some nice videos of our first performances of the music on YouTube – thanks to Collin Shook and Monk’s Jazz in Austin.
JB: What do you appreciate most about the Eastman guitar you use?
AF: I began using the Eastman AR910CE in 2014. It is a very durable and well-crafted instrument. It’s also a terrific value. I started using that guitar when I was especially busy playing solo jazz guitar and accompanying singers. It’s a perfect tool for those tasks. It has a big, three-dimensional sound that I can’t get out of a solid or semi-hollow body guitar. I love an electric guitar that still has acoustic, woody quality even when run through delay, overdrive, and plugged into a tube amp.
For the last several months I’ve been using a semi-hollow Epiphone Dot with 57 Classic pickups. Lately, my sensibilities have me craving more volume and sustain, and that is the guitar for the job.
JB: Talk about the jazz scene in Seattle and the gigs that you do.
AF: There’s a lot to love about the scene in Seattle. There’s an abundance of young talent, and I think the high school programs, along with the numerous non-profits supporting jazz, do an excellent job of fostering it. Seattle audiences also have a unique appetite for new music. I’ve been fortunate to play some of my own original work at venues like Collective Seattle, Tin Lizzie Lounge, and the Good Shepherd Center. Recently, I played music supporting new work by choreographer Kyrin Grey, as well as new music with the Seattle Opera Creation Lab. In November, I’ll be recording with a wonderful local saxophonist named Darian Asplund. We’ll be performing his new music in and around Seattle in early 2025.
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