Michael Schiefel & David Friedman - Hiptoe (2024) [Official Digital Download]

I made up a definition, solely for myself, a highly subjective description of the result of a truly spontaneous musical interaction. I call it “pure music”. It’s not some term that musicologists might use to analyze musical phenomena. It’s personal. It describes a feeling I get in an ideal improvisational setting. It defines what happens to me when I feel that certain spark of creative excitement beyond the material, structure, form, harmony, etc.

It’s special, selective, the opposite of “the norm”, the “every day” experience.

When I make music with Michael Schiefel this special spark of spontaneous creativity becomes the norm of the moment. It’s for me extremely high level musical interaction, where the material we choose is secondary to our primary goal; making pure music.

We start with something familiar, in this case perhaps a standard, and leap into mutually unknown territory. Our only agreement at the start is that we take this step together, listen to each other and accept what transpires on the way with joy and a sense of child- like playfulness. The only agenda we have is to come out on the other side, relatively unscathed. (That’s a joke, by the way.)

So much for my somewhat lofty description of our process. The more down to earth explanation of how this album happened is the pandemic in 2020-2022. Michael and I coincidentally met on the street and decided to get together at my apartment and jam, both of us hungry to play with someone else after months of musical abstinence.

I set up microphones, placed Michael near my balcony with the door slightly opened. We agreed on a standard and off we went into the stratosphere! Luckily I recorded everything. We weren’t planning on making an album. We just wanted to record our jam and have a good time. The result is “Hiptoe”.

You don’t have to pack a bag in order to join us on our musical adventure. Just sit back and let it happen to you. In essence, we did the same thing.

Michael Schiefel: voice
Davide Friedman: mallets

Tracklist:
01 - Some Other Time
02 - Dolphin Dance
03 - Waltz for Debby
04 - Joy Spring
05 - Laura
06 - How Deep Is the Ocean
07 - Round Midnight
08 - How Insensitive
09 - Giant Steps
10 - My Romance
11 - Tenderly


Thanks to the Original customer!