| Block Ice & Propane | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 14, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | August 22 & 23, 2005 Pueblo Street, San Francisco | |||
| Genre | Avant-garde, Jazz, Americana, Contemporary classical music | |||
| Length | 45:19 | |||
| Label | Skipstone 001 | |||
| Producer | Erik Friedlander | |||
| Erik Friedlander chronology | ||||
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Block Ice & Propane is a solo album by cellist Erik Friedlander performing compositions inspired by memories of childhood camping trips across the United States. [1]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Pitchfork |    [3] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [4] |
The Allmusic review by Jo-Ann Greene awarded the album 4 stars stating "It's a picture of Americana at once familiar, yet unlike anything heard before, as the musician coaxes his cello into the aural shape of banjos and fingerpicked guitars; a truly astounding set". [2]
Pitchfork rated the album 7.7 out of 10 observing that "Friedlander wields not only unfathomable technical ability but also uncommon inquisitiveness tailed by imagination. Block Ice, more personal than his previous solo work, is the product of such breadth: In his hands, the cello is capable of long, daunting tones, hanging, impressionistic pizzicato phrases, and short, furious hybrid bursts of both". [3]
The New York Times review by Ben Sisario called it "the avant-cello album of the summer". [5] Writing for All About Jazz, John Kelman commented "Block Ice & Propane supports his reputation as the most innovative, imaginative and stylistically unbound cellist in improvised music". [6] Michael J. West stated in JazzTimes that "Friedlander is both a virtuoso and a stirring melodist; with those combined attributes, the tracks sound simple and hummable (more so than they actually are), and haunt from the moment they’re heard. The harmonies also give great pleasure, and suggest that Friedlander’s studied British folk". [7]
All compositions by Erik Friedlander
Erik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City.
Parallel Worlds is the debut album by trumpeter Dave Douglas released on the Italian Soul Note label in 1993. It features six of Douglas' compositions and compositions by Anton Webern, Kurt Weill, Duke Ellington and Igor Stravinsky performed by Douglas, Mark Feldman, Erik Friedlander, Mark Dresser and Michael Sarin.
Five is the fifth album by trumpeter Dave Douglas and the second to feature his string group following Parallel Worlds (1993). It was released on the Italian Soul Note label in 1996 and features performances by Douglas, Mark Feldman, Erik Friedlander, Drew Gress and Michael Sarin.
Convergence is the 12th album by trumpeter Dave Douglas. It was released on the Italian Soul Note label in 1998 and features performances by Douglas, Mark Feldman, Erik Friedlander, Drew Gress and Michael Sarin.
El Encuentro is a live album by Argentine bandoneon player and composer Dino Saluzzi with cellist Anja Lechner and The Metropole Orchestra recorded in 2009 and released on the ECM label.
Broken Arm Trio is an album by cellist Erik Friedlander, bassist Trevor Dunn, and drummer Mike Sarin performing compositions inspired by Oscar Pettiford's cello work and the music of Herbie Nichols.
Bonebridge is an album by cellist Erik Friedlander which was released in 2011 on the Skipstone label.
Prowl is a 2006 album by cellist Erik Friedlander performing his compositions with the quartet that previously appeared on Topaz which was released on the Cryptogramophone label.
Quake is a 2003 album by cellist Erik Friedlander which was released on the Cryptogramophone label featuring the quartet that previously appeared on Topaz.
Skin is a 2000 album by cellist Erik Friedlander which was released on the Siam label and features the quartet that previously appeared on Topaz. The album was also released as a DVD
Topaz is a 1999 album by cellist Erik Friedlander which was released on the Siam label and features the quartet that became known as Topaz.
The Watchman is a 1996 album by cellist Erik Friedlander which was released on the Tzadik label.
Chimera is the 1995 debut album by cellist Erik Friedlander which was released on the Japanese Avant label.
Grains of Paradise is a 2001 album by cellist Erik Friedlander which was released on the Tzadik label.
Maldoror is a solo album by cellist Erik Friedlander recorded in Berlin and released on the Brassland label featuring music inspired by the French poet Comte de Lautréamont's Les Chants de Maldoror.
Nighthawks is an album by cellist Erik Friedlander which was released in 2014 on the Skipstone label. The album was composed by Friedlander during a 5-day power outage following the impact of Hurricane Sandy.
Oscalypso is an album by cellist Erik Friedlander performing compositions by Oscar Pettiford which was released in 2015 on the Skipstone label.
Claws and Wings is an album by cellist Erik Friedlander which was released in 2013 on the Skipstone label. The album was composed by Friedlander in tribute to his late wife and while recovering from an injury which left him unable to play cello.
Illuminations is a solo album by cellist Erik Friedlander which was released in 2015 on the Skipstone label. The music was commissioned by the Jewish Museum in New York City to commemorate an exhibit of ancient Arabic, Latin and Hebrew books from Oxford University's Bodleian Collection.
Rings is an album by cellist Erik Friedlander which was released in 2016 on the Skipstone label.
