(Modern Creative, Chamber Jazz, Cello) Erik Friedlander - Bonebridge - 2011, FLAC (tracks), lossless

If you are fan of Bill Frisell's folk-tinged albums, like Nashville, Ghost Town, or The Willies, you will find much to like about Erik Friedlander's "Bonebridge." A better point of reference might be Jack West (more on him later), but I'll start with the Frisell comparison because Frisell is more widely known. Friedlander is not a conventional jazz musician. For starters, he plays cello, which is almost unheard-of in jazz. He frequently opts for plucking over bowing, though, and he tends to sound more like Edgar Meyer in one of his jazz moods rather than any other cello player. After all, Meyer frequently plays so high up on the fingerboard of his bass that a casual listener might think he is playing cello anyway. Friedlander is joined by up-and-coming guitarist Doug Wamble. Wamble, like Frisell, is a genre-hopping guitarist who is as influenced by folk, country and blues as by jazz. He relies heavily (although not entirely) on his slide skills here, leading to a very interesting dynamic. Since the cello is a fretless instrument, Friedlander frequently slides his fingers across the fingerboard in a way that blends with Wamble's electrified acoustic slide guitar. The two leads are joined here by a bass-and-drum rhythm section, which is quite good, but mostly stays out of the way of Friedlander and Wamble. Stylistically, this is only marginally jazz. The music is improvised, but not based in any specific jazz tradition. There are occasional hints of bebop, and even a reference or two to gypsy jazz, but like some of Bill Frisell's best albums, Friedlander is as influenced by country and folk as by anything in the "pure" jazz world. Wamble brings more delta blues to the table than Frisell ever does, but I keep coming back to Frisell because anyone who likes his roots-based albums will almost certainly like Bonebridge.
Further listening:
Jack West & Curvature. Jack West plays the same kind of acoustic, instrumental folk-jazz that Friedlander does. Also like Friedlander, West likes to experiment with unusual instrumentation. Along with unexpected combinations of backing instruments, he plays a custom-made 8-string acoustic guitar, with a slide, and Wamble's sound on Bonebridge is frequently reminiscent of Jack West. In particular, I recommend "Big Ideas," "Around About Now," and "As We Know It."
Doug Wamble, "Country Libations" and "Bluestate." Doug Wamble's first two albums are absolutely brilliant. On his solo stuff, he also sings, and his voice is a deeply soulful, gospel-influenced blues voice. He shows even more contempt for genre boundaries than Friedlander, and once you hear these two albums, it will be immediately obvious why Friedlander knew that needed Wamble.
Tin Hat Trio. They have several albums out. They use unusual instrumentation to play a vaguely European acoustic folk-jazz with hints of world music. Very adventurous.
Produced by Erik Friedlander
Recorded at Excello by Scott Solter
Mixed at Baucom Road by Scott Solter
Mastered by Steve Berson at Total Sonic Media
All Music by Erik Friedlander

Personnel: Erik Friedlander, cello; Doug Wamble, guitar; Trevor Dunn, bass; Mike Sarin, drums.