FRED FRIED
Genres: Post Bop, Classic Fusion • United States

As a kid in New York Fred enjoyed everything from early rock and roll to show tunes. He remembers listening to cast albums of Oklahoma, South Pacific and West Side Story. He loved Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and pretended to conduct the orchestra in front of the record player. In retrospect, Fred notes that it was very beneficial to have loved different kinds of music before he became involved with the guitar. “That way,” he states, “the musical palette before me was larger than had I first discovered the guitar and started listening to just guitarists. I knew there was a bigger picture.” From age 12, Fred played clarinet and was in various junior high school bands and orchestras. As a teenager Fred attended New York’s High School of Performing Arts as a drama major. But he remembers many times listening to the school’s orchestra and being amazed at the high read more...