Eli Friedmann's guitar playing draws freely from rock and jazz traditions. Multi-track, self-engineered guitar recording as well as live performance with a variety of ensembles give him two contrasting outlets for his personal musical vocabulary. Eli's sonic explorations and his technical fluidity result in a musical landscape featuring imagination and lyricism.
A graduate of the New School's BFA Program in Jazz and Contemporary Music, Eli developed his improvising and compositional skills under Reggie Workman, George Garzone, Jane Ira Bloom, Andy McKee (Mingus Big Band) and many others. Although trained in jazz, his interests and influences include Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Allan Holdsworth, Jim Hall, Bill Frisell, John Abercrombie, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles as well as many composers such as Bartok and Ligeti.
Eli performs regularly in clubs throughout New York City and New England. In addition, he offers private instruction in both electric and acoustic guitar, and is presently accepting students of all ages and levels. His teaching emphasizes strong technique and efficient physical habits to enable students to find their own style. Since 1997 Eli Friedmann has been teaching students both at his studio in Astoria, Queens and at students' homes throughout New York City.