Von Freeman
Encyclopedia
Earle Lavon Freeman Sr. is an American
hard bop
jazz
tenor saxophonist. He is the father of jazz saxophonist Chico Freeman
.
, where his band director was Walter Dyett
. He began his professional career at age 16 in Horace Henderson
's Orchestra. He was drafted into the Navy during World War II
and played for a Navy band while in the service.
After his return to Chicago, where he has stayed ever since, he played with his brothers George Freeman
on guitar and Bruz (Eldridge) Freeman (who passed away in 2006 aged 85 in Hawaii) on drums at the Pershing Hotel Ballroom. Various leading jazzmen such as Charlie Parker
, Roy Eldridge
and Dizzy Gillespie
played there with the Freemans as the backing band. In the early 1950s, Von played in Sun Ra
's band.
Von Freeman's first venture into the recording studio took place in 1954, backing a vocal group called The Maples for Al Benson's Blue Lake
label. He appeared on Andrew Hill
's second single on the Ping label in 1956, followed by some recording for Vee-Jay
with Jimmy Witherspoon
and Al Smith in the late fifties, and a recorded appearance at a Charlie Parker tribute concert in 1970.
It was not until 1972 that Freeman first recorded under his own name, the album Doin' It Right Now with the support of Roland Kirk. His next effort was a marathon session in 1975 released over 2 albums by Nessa. Since then he has lived, played regularly and recorded in Chicago, his recordings including 3 albums with his son, the tenorist Chico Freeman
and You Talkin' To Me with 22-year old saxophonist Frank Catalano
, following their successful appearance at the Chicago Jazz Festival
in 1999.
Freeman is considered a founder of the "Chicago School" of jazz tenorists along with Gene Ammons
, Johnny Griffin
and Clifford Jordan
. His music has been described as "wonderfully swinging and dramatic" featuring a "large rich sound".
He has a regular Tuesday night set and jam session at the New Apartment Lounge on Chicago's south side, featuring quartet members Mike Allemana (guitar), Matt Ferguson (bass), and Michael Raynor (drums). Von can also be heard at Andy's Jazz Club on select weekends with Ben Paterson (piano), Dan Anderson (bass), Betty Reynolds (voice), and Michael Raynor (drums).
"Vonski," as he is known by his jazz fans, was recently selected to receive the nation's highest jazz honor for the class of 2011-2012, the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters award.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hard bop
Hard bop
Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
tenor saxophonist. He is the father of jazz saxophonist Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman...
.
Biography
Freeman learned to play the saxophone as a child and at DuSable High SchoolDuSable High School
DuSable High School was a public high school in Chicago opened in the Bronzeville neighborhood in 1934. It was named after Chicago's first permanent non-native settler, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. DuSable was built to accommodate the growing Phillips High School in the 1930s. The campus was...
, where his band director was Walter Dyett
Walter Dyett
Walter Henri Dyett was an American violinist and music educator. As musical director at DuSable High School in Chicago, he trained many students who went on to become well-known musicians.- Career :...
. He began his professional career at age 16 in Horace Henderson
Horace Henderson
Horace W. Henderson Born in Cuthbert, Georgia , younger brother of Fletcher Henderson, was an American jazz pianist, organist, arranger, and bandleader....
's Orchestra. He was drafted into the Navy during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and played for a Navy band while in the service.
After his return to Chicago, where he has stayed ever since, he played with his brothers George Freeman
George Freeman (guitarist)
George Freeman is an American jazz guitarist. He was born on Apr 10, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois.By mid-1947, Freeman was a member of a sextet led by Johnny Griffin and Joe Morris and supporting touring musicians such as Lester Young and Charlie Parker...
on guitar and Bruz (Eldridge) Freeman (who passed away in 2006 aged 85 in Hawaii) on drums at the Pershing Hotel Ballroom. Various leading jazzmen such as Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, Roy Eldridge
Roy Eldridge
Roy David Eldridge , nicknamed "Little Jazz" was an American jazz trumpet player. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos and his strong influence on Dizzy Gillespie mark him as one of the most exciting musicians of the swing era and a...
and Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
played there with the Freemans as the backing band. In the early 1950s, Von played in Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
's band.
Von Freeman's first venture into the recording studio took place in 1954, backing a vocal group called The Maples for Al Benson's Blue Lake
Blue Lake Records
Blue Lake was a Chicago-based record label founded in 1954 by disc jockey Al Benson. It specialized in blues, doo-wop, jazz, and gospel. A subsidiary of Benson's Parrot operation, it lasted until mid-1956...
label. He appeared on Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill
Andrew Hill was an American jazz pianist and composer.Hill is recognized as one of the most important innovators of jazz piano in the 1960s...
's second single on the Ping label in 1956, followed by some recording for Vee-Jay
Vee-Jay Records
Vee-Jay Records is a record label founded in the 1950s, specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. It was owned and operated by African Americans.-History:...
with Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon
Jimmy Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.-Early life and career:James Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. He first attracted attention singing with Teddy Weatherford's band in Calcutta, India, which made regular radio broadcasts over the U. S. Armed Forces Radio Service during...
and Al Smith in the late fifties, and a recorded appearance at a Charlie Parker tribute concert in 1970.
It was not until 1972 that Freeman first recorded under his own name, the album Doin' It Right Now with the support of Roland Kirk. His next effort was a marathon session in 1975 released over 2 albums by Nessa. Since then he has lived, played regularly and recorded in Chicago, his recordings including 3 albums with his son, the tenorist Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman
Chico Freeman is a modern jazz tenor saxophonist and trumpeter and son of jazz saxophonist Von Freeman...
and You Talkin' To Me with 22-year old saxophonist Frank Catalano
Frank Catalano
Frank Catalano is an American jazz musician living in Chicago, Illinois.-Biography:Frank Catalano began playing the saxophone at age 7. His right middle finger was severed while working on a car engine when he was 16, but following reconstructive surgery, Catalano forced his hands to relearn...
, following their successful appearance at the Chicago Jazz Festival
Chicago Jazz Festival
The Chicago Jazz Festival is a popular and well-known four day free celebration of jazz at Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park in downtown Chicago. It is run by the Jazz Institute of Chicago during Labor Day weekend, integrating both world-famous and local artists...
in 1999.
Freeman is considered a founder of the "Chicago School" of jazz tenorists along with Gene Ammons
Gene Ammons
Eugene "Jug" Ammons also known as "The Boss," was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons.-Biography:...
, Johnny Griffin
Johnny Griffin
John Arnold Griffin III was an American bop and hard bop tenor saxophonist.- Early life and career :Griffin studied music at DuSable High School in Chicago under Walter Dyett, starting out on clarinet before moving on to oboe and then alto sax...
and Clifford Jordan
Clifford Jordan
Clifford Laconia Jordan was a jazz saxophone player. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after which he recorded three albums for Blue Note. He also recorded with Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, Kenny...
. His music has been described as "wonderfully swinging and dramatic" featuring a "large rich sound".
He has a regular Tuesday night set and jam session at the New Apartment Lounge on Chicago's south side, featuring quartet members Mike Allemana (guitar), Matt Ferguson (bass), and Michael Raynor (drums). Von can also be heard at Andy's Jazz Club on select weekends with Ben Paterson (piano), Dan Anderson (bass), Betty Reynolds (voice), and Michael Raynor (drums).
"Vonski," as he is known by his jazz fans, was recently selected to receive the nation's highest jazz honor for the class of 2011-2012, the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters award.
Discography
- 1972: Doin' It Right Now (Atlantic RecordsAtlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
) - 1975: Have No Fear (Nessa RecordsNessa Records-Discography:*n-1 Lester Bowie - Numbers 1 & 2 *n-2 Roscoe Mitchell - Congliptious...
) - 1975: Serenade and Blues (Nessa Records)
- 1977: Young and Foolish
- 1981: Hyde Park After Dark (Bee Hive RecordsBee Hive Records-Discography:-References:*...
) with Clifford JordanClifford JordanClifford Laconia Jordan was a jazz saxophone player. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after which he recorded three albums for Blue Note. He also recorded with Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, Kenny...
, Cy TouffCy TouffCyril James Touff was a jazz bass trumpeter. He was one of the few jazz musicians known as a bass trumpeter. He was also associated with West coast jazz even though he spent most of his life in Chicago.He started on piano at age 6 and went on to play xylophone and saxophone before settling on... - 1989: Walkin' Tuff
- 1995: Fire- in Chicago with a group including Tatsu AokiTatsu Aokiis a jazz double bass player and record producer.Aoki is an active musician in the field of Asian American jazz and is the founder and artistic director of...
, Mike Raynor & Joanie PallattoJoanie PallattoJoanie Pallatto is a Chicago based singer born in Xenia, Ohio. She moved to Chicago in 1979 after a stint with the Glen Miller band. A singer, composer, record producer and recording engineer, she has worked with Bob Dorough, Von Freeman, Don Moye, Tatsu Aoki and Willie Pickens.-External links:*... - 1997: Live at the Blue Note - the 75th Birthday celebration
- 1999: Colors - Francesco Crosara, featuring Von Freeman (Southport Records)
- 1999: Von Freeman and Frank Catalano You Talkin' To Me?
- 2001: Live at the Dakota
- 2002: Improvisor - with various groups, live in Chicago
- 2003: Emotions - Francesco Crosara, Lilian Terry & Friends, featuring Von Freeman (TCB Records)
- 2004: The Great Divide - with Jimmy CobbJimmy Cobb-External links:* - includes full discography* * * * * * *...
- 2006: Good forever - with drummer Jimmy Cobb, pianist Richard Wyands and bassist John Webber, same trio as on his 2004 record The Great Divide
- 2009: Vonski Speaks - with his New Apartment Lounge Quartet - live in Berlin
External links
- BBC Radio 2
- [ All Music]
- The performer's website