Fred Fried

A small movement exists in guitar circles in which the player ups the number of strings to seven, increasing the possibilities of harmonic voicings and range and encouraging good-luck winks from numerologists. The great jazz guitarist George Van Eps was a leader of this extra-string philosophy, and the player with the delightfully crispy name of Fred Fried is one of his disciples. Fried hails from New York City, but sizzled his away across the country to Los Angeles, where he managed to study for a whole five years with Van Eps himself. The latter artist is often called "the father of the seven-string guitar," although various slightly demented bluesmen such as Big Joe Williams were certainly known to attach an additional string, sometimes more than one. Having absorbed as much as he could from Van Eps, Fried headed back home in the mid-'80s and found a gig that lasted for four years, playing with the Judd Woldin Trio at Windows of the World, a club that was located atop the World Trade Center. Fried also began working in the Rainbow Room of Rockefeller Center in both the solo guitar and quintet contexts. As his reputation grew in the Big Apple, Fried began leading groups throughout the metropolitan area in a variety of good venues such as Gregory's and Birdland. The guitarist has performed and recorded with spicy saxophonist Art Pepper, the sturdy but routine pianist Derek Smith, commandeering bandleader Marty Napoleon, smoking vibraphonist Jay Leonhart, and appetizing vocalist Barbara Cook. Fellow jazz guitarist Gene Bertoncini created some excellent collaborations with Fried, whose colorful guitar style had a relaxed essence and even attracted business from vocalists such Perry Como and Helen O'Connell. In the '90s, Fried relocated to Cape Cod, MA, where he performs with such classic jazz artists trumpeter Ruby Braff and vocalist Shawnn Monteirro. He performs at many weddings and social events as well as in jazz venues. His quartet was one of 14, totalling 71 different musicians, that appeared on the syndicated Just Jazz television program. Fried has produced a small series of recordings under his own name, featuring his playing well-represented in various sympathetic small group settings. ~ Eugene Chadbourne