Described by critics as a cross between Hoagy Carmichael, Woody Allen, and Noel Coward, and linked as a composer-craftsman with Mercer, Porter and Sondheim, Frishberg described himself as “a pianist who has always written songs and finally summoned up the nerve to sing them in public.”
Dave Frishberg enjoyed a career remarkable for both its quality and its diversity. Known as one of the outstanding pianists in jazz, Frishberg also established himself as an internationally recognized composer and lyricist as well as a solo performer with a loyal following.
Early in his career, during the 1960s, he was a busy pianist in New York City, playing regularly with the major jazz artists of the time, including Ben Webster, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Carmen McRae, and Gene Krupa. In 1971 he moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a studio musician and stayed active in jazz circles. He has recorded with a diverse array of artists, including Manhattan Transfer, Jimmy Rushing, Bud Freeman, Bill Berry’s L.A. Band, Susannah McCorkle, Kenny Davern, and Rebecca Kilgore.
Frishberg was best known for writing and recording his own songs and performing them in prominent jazz and cabaret venues. His song credits include cult classics My Attorney Bernie, Van Lingle Mungo, Peel Me A Grape and You Are There.
Four Frishberg albums have earned Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Vocal. Other artists who have recorded his songs include Susannah McCorkle, Rosemary Clooney, Michael Feinstein, Diana Krall, Blossom Dearie, Carol Sloane, John Pizzarelli, Bob Dorough, Tony Bennett, Jamie Cullum, and Mel Torme. His songs, including the well-known I’m Just A Bill, appeared regularly on ABC’s Schoolhouse Rock series.
His songs appeared regularly on ABC Television’s popular Schoolhouse Rock series, including Seven-Fifty Once A Week, Walkin’ On Wall Street and the well-known I’m Just A Bill. Frishberg’s three-character musical show Quality Time premiered at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in 1996.
Thanks to his four Grammy-nominated albums and his appearances on The Tonight Show, CBS’ Sunday Morning and public radio’s Prairie Home Companion and Fresh Air, Frishberg was a familiar figure as a solo performer at festivals and clubs, on cabaret stages and in concert halls in America and abroad.
Dave’s fascinating autobiography, My Dear, Departed Past was published in 2017. This 224-page memoir includes 20 songs and is available for purchase on Amazon.
Listen Here: Songs by Dave Frishberg is a collection of 40 of his songs as sheet music. It is currently available through Hal Leonard music.
Dave Frishberg Jazz Play-Along Volume 98 is a book with an accompanying cd, which was a first-of-its-kind package that makes learning to play jazz easier than ever before. It is available for purchase through JW Pepper.