The name “Ben Freidkin” has appeared last year more than 100 times on concert ads at the world’s most prestigious venues such as NYC’s Bitter End, Nublu and Ornithology Jazz Club as well as in Israel’s finest jazz clubs: Levontin 7, Shablul and Beit Ha’amudim.

Performing with musicians of distinguished reputation in Israel and abroad, Freidkin has made a name for himself as a virtuoso jazz drummer whose absolute control of his instrument enables him to perform in a wide variety of musical genres.

Freidkin reaches, however, the pinnacle of his craft when he leads his own band, and captures the hearts of the audience with his original and challenging music. He manages to create intimate communication with the audience and convey his unique artistic statement. I got to experience this phenomenon this past August, when he played with his band at Ornithology – one of NYC’s new hottest jazz clubs, opened by Mitch Borden, the founder of the iconic Smalls. The audience was completely captivated by Freidkin’s extraordinary performance.

I was so happy to receive Ben’s long awaited debut album “Trial & Error” this past October 3rd. I found especially impressive and enjoyable the interactive interplay between Ben and his fellow bandmates, especially on the background of odd meters and complex forms. As written by distinguished jazz critic and historian Scott Yanow in his review of Ben’s album, “Ben Freidkin never plays the expected on drums, constantly creating a musical commentary that inspires the other musicians”.

Ben Freidkin’s next few engagements in Israel will have him team up with some of Israel’s top musicians including prime minister award winner Amit Friedman, Eli Magen, Nitzan Bar and Avri Borochov in famous venues such as Beit Ha’amudim, Shablul and others. He revealed to me in secret that he has already written the material for his next album, so I guess we will have to patiently wait for it.