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Arguably one of the greatest lyricists in jazz and vintage pop,
Dave Frishberg wrote more than his share of witty (yet insightful) classics, including "I'm Hip," "Peel Me a Grape," "Dear Bix," "The Underdog," "Saratoga Hunch," "Slappin' the Cakes on Me," "Z's," "My Attorney Bernie," "Blizzard of Lies," "Another Song About Paris," "You Are There," "El Cajon," "Can't Take You Nowhere," and "Let's Eat Home." A fine swing pianist and a world-weary-sounding vocalist, the multi-talented
Frishberg moved to New York in 1957. He worked early on as a pianist with
Carmen McRae,
Kai Winding,
Gene Krupa (1960 to 1963),
Wild Bill Davison,
Bud Freeman,
Ben Webster,
the Al Cohn-Zoot Sims Quintet, and
Bobby Hackett, among others, and cut an album with
Jimmy Rushing. He recorded a commercial record for CTI (1968) that generated a surprise hit in "Van Lingle Mungo." However, it was not until
Frishberg moved to the West Coast in 1971 and started recording for the Concord label as a vocalist/pianist that he began to make a big impression.
Frishberg cut albums for Omnisound, Fantasy, Bloomdido, and a purely instrumental duet set with Dixieland trumpeter
Jim Goodwin (1992) for Arbors. Many of his originals were covered by other vocalists, including
Mel Tormé and
Rosemary Clooney. On top of his highly successful jazz career, he also wrote "Just a Bill" and other favorites from ABC's popular Schoolhouse Rock cartoon series. In the '90s,
Frishberg branched out into musical theater and continued recording for Arbors.
Dave Frishberg died on November 17, 2021 in Portland, Oregon at the age 88. ~ Scott Yanow