Von Freeman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Freeman in the 1990s | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Earle Lavon Freeman (1923-10-03)October 3, 1923 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 11, 2012(2012-08-11) (aged 88) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Tenor saxophone |
| Years active | 1932–2012 |
| Labels | |
Earle Lavon "Von"Freeman Sr. (October 3, 1923 – August 11, 2012) was an Americanhard bopjazz tenor saxophonist.
Born inChicago, Illinois, Freeman was exposed as a young child to jazz. His father, George, a city policeman,[1] was a close friend ofLouis Armstrong, with Armstrong living at the Freeman house when he first arrived in Chicago.[2] Freeman's father taught him to play piano and bought him his first saxophone when he was seven. His musical education continued atDuSable High School, where his band director wasWalter Dyett. Freeman began his professional career at the age of 16 inHorace Henderson's Orchestra.
Freeman enlisted into the Navy duringWorld War II and was trained at Camp Robert Smalls in Chicago. "All the great musicians ended up at Great Lakes", he recalled. "It was an incubator for the best and the brightest lights in the jazz world at that time, and the musical jam sessions were simply phenomenal." After training, he was sent toHawaii as part of the Hellcats[3] stationed at Barbers Point Naval Air Station in a band that starred Harry "Pee Wee" Jackson, the trumpeter from Cleveland whose nickname was Gabriel.[4] The Hellcats were frequent winners of the islands' competitive Battle of the Bands competitions and included musicians who had formerly played in bands fronted byDuke Ellington,Fletcher Henderson,Ella Fitzgerald,Lucky Millinder,Les Hite,Count Basie,Fats Waller, andTiny Bradshaw.[5] After his return to Chicago, where he remained for the duration of his career, Freeman played with his brothersGeorge on guitar andEldridge "Bruz" Freeman on drums at the Pershing Hotel Ballroom. Various leading jazzmen such asCharlie Parker,Roy Eldridge andDizzy Gillespie played there with the Freemans as the backing band. In the early 1950s, Von played inSun Ra's band.[6]
Von Freeman's first venture into the recording studio took place in 1954, backing a vocal group called The Maples forAl Benson'sBlue Lake label. He appeared onAndrew Hill's second single on the Ping label in 1956, followed by some recording forVee-Jay withJimmy Witherspoon and Albert B. Smith in the late 1950s, and a recorded appearance at a Charlie Parker tribute concert in 1970. In 1972, Freeman first recorded under his own name, the albumDoin' It Right Now with the support ofRoland Kirk. His next effort was a marathon session in 1975 released over two albums by Nessa. After that he lived, regularly performed, and recorded in Chicago. His recordings included three albums with his son, the tenoristChico Freeman, andYou Talkin' to Me with 22-year-old saxophonistFrank Catalano, following their successful appearance at theChicago Jazz Festival in 1999. Four live albums for SteepleChase Records,Inside Chicago documented his partnership with trumpeterBrad Goode.
One of Freeman's contributions was his mentoring of countless younger musicians such asSteve Coleman, Corey Wilkes andBen Paterson as well as his steadfast support of what he liked to call "hardcore jazz" (as he still did in a 2001 article in DownBeat.)[7] Freeman's quartet played Monday nights throughout the 1970s and the mid-1980s at The Enterprise Lounge which closed when he toured Japan, and then Tuesdays at The New Apartment Lounge with his longtime trio of sidemen composed of drummer Michael Raynor, guitarist Mike Allemana and bassist Matt Ferguson. The quartet played a long set first, the vehicle that showcased Freeman's range from sensitively unwound ballads to intense improvisations that utilized his sometimes rough timbre and indefinite pitch to create a unique avant garde style of his own. His performances were also impressive verbal ones, as he served as an important figure that both helped African-American culture thrive on the South Side as well as invited the participation of European Americans and others into the warmth of the community he and the rest of the Enterprise and Apartment created.[8] Freeman was considered a founder of the "Chicago School" of jazz tenorists along withGene Ammons,Johnny Griffin andClifford Jordan. His music has been described as "wonderfully swinging and dramatic" featuring a "large rich sound".[9] "Vonski", as he was known by his jazz fans, was selected to receive the nation's highest jazz honor, theNEA Jazz Masters award.[10] Freeman died ofheart failure on August 11, 2012, in his home town, at the age of 88.[11] Freeman was the father of jazz saxophonistChico Freeman.[11][12]
With Brad Goode
WithApril Aloisio
WithKurt Elling
WithChico Freeman
WithGeorge Freeman
WithJoanie Pallatto
With others
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