Half and Half

Janice Friedman established her career path early on—fed (by her pianist mother) a diet of Errol Garner, Oscar Peterson, Marian McPartland, Bill Evans and Ahmad Jamal; playing organ and then piano before starting kindergarten; seriously studying classical piano and then jazz piano while playing for school and private events well before high school. After earning a jazz studies degree from Indiana University and touring with the Woody Herman Orchestra, she made her way back to her native New York, soon appearing at such venues as Carnegie Hall, Town Hall and many of Manhattan’s famed jazz clubs, eventually appearing on Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz. Four albums furthered her reputation – her own Tryptych: A Trio of Trios, Finger Paintings, and Swinging for the Ride, her first displaying her vocal as well as keyboard talents; and her contribution to Judi Silvano’s Womens Work. And now comes her long-awaited solo project, Solo: Half and Half.

Janice Friedman©Andrea Canter

Thus, rather than looking back on an already-acclaimed oeuvre of recordings and performances, Janice Friedman brings us Half and Half, the solo project she initiated a few years ago, put on hold, and has now completed. And whichever tracks came before versus after the last surgery, she’s not telling, only noting in her liner commentary, “I am grateful to say that no one can tell the difference! I really don't know how that can be, but that is the real story.”

And it is a far-ranging tale, covering a wide swath of 20th century music from Fats Waller and  Hoagy Carmichael to Duke Ellington, from Jobim to Lennon & McCartney, from ballads to boogie, from swing to bop, mostly  familiar music given fresh interpretation, along with one original composition with lyrics. All that actually makes sense when you consider the pianist, who manages to blend all of her early influences into a showcase of stylings that reveal the history of jazz piano without sounding generic.  Nearly all of the 14 selections are known for their lyrics, yet Friedman adds vocals to only four tracks, largely leaving the focus on her keyboard skills that, indeed, “swing for the ride.”

Janice Friedman©Andrea Canter

Earlier 20th century works get expert keyboard treatment, from the old-time swing and stride of Fat’s Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’” to the surprise inclusion of “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” which starts with a majestic slow pace before moving into a more complex, swinging affair. Songs from the 40s and 50s are clearly favorites. “My Foolish Heart” is a graceful statement with exquisite voicings and delicate figures that help propel the never–absent swing. A chestnut from the Burke and Van Heusen catalog, “Here’s That Rainy Day” is given an ornate swing with rhythmic surprises, sudden shifts of mood and tempo, Janice suggesting that Fats Waller, Oscar Peterson and Thelonious Monk all had their say. And it’s hard to imagine a fresh take on “Skylark,” but Janice recreates it as an elegant song without words, with extended voicings and well-considered choices in timing and phrasing. On “Moonlight in Vermont,” however, Janice lets the beauty of the ballad shine without ornamentation—just sheer elegance.

More recent songbooks receive their due. On Miles Davis’s “All Blues,” Janice keeps the familiar vamp moving in the left hand, while her right hand fills in a full quintet of music with snippets of boogie woogie and an exaggeration of Miles’ rhythm. At time it seems as if a 1930s pianist has returned to interpret a cool jazz score. Lennon and McCartney’s “Come Together” has been reinterpreted by a number of jazz artists, none more effectively than Friedman, who takes the Beatles from boogie and blues to swampy voodoo, ending with a thick series of arpeggios. Janice closes out the album with Bill Evans’ " Turn Out the Stars," the longest and most wistful track, with a passing reference to “Someday My Prince Will Come.”

As she proves with Solo: Half and Half, the stars have not turned out for Janice Friedman. Whether by “sheer stubbornness,” medical wizardry, or good fortune, she’s still making music that moves us through all the twists and turns of a century of jazz piano, judiciously adding human voice to a keyboard that never stops talking.

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