Eddie Freeman (musician)
Encyclopedia
Eddie Freeman was a noted English jazz
musician of the first half of the 20th century and a transcriber and teacher of flamenco guitar
music in the latter half. Born Edward F. Freeman in London
, England
, the jazz guitarist and flamenco enthusiast spent time pursuing his music career in England
, Spain
, and the United States
, eventually moving to Dallas, Texas
, where he lived with his family until his death in 1987. His experience playing the tenor banjo led him to create the "Eddie Freeman Special 4-String Guitar" for the Selmer Music Company
, and towards the end of his career, he made accurate transcriptions of the music of famous flamenco guitarists.
at the age of 12 and became a professional violinist in pit orchestras of silent movie houses in England. While playing in movie houses he took up the tenor banjo. To better master that instrument, he traveled to the United States, where he played with Ricardo Giannoni in New York; with a dance orchestra in Baltimore at the Summit Roadhouse near the Pimlico Racetrack; in a Harlem speakeasy; and in engagements with Billy Lustig and the Scranton Sirens.
During this period he found it necessary to abandon the tenor banjo in favor of the six string guitar
which was coming into favor. While convalescing from an illness in Baltimore
, he developed a method for adapting the tenor banjo techniques to the guitar, which later led to his development of a four-string tenor guitar, the Eddie Freeman Special, using his new method.
He returned to London to play in the Harry Roy Orchestra
at the London Pavilion
. When noted bandleader Al Collins
heard of Eddie and listened to him play, Collins signed him up for his orchestra at the Savoy Hotel
in London. When Collins switched to the Berkeley Hotel in 1932, Freeman went with him.
In the early 1930s
Freeman designed the "Eddie Freeman Special 4-String Guitar” for Selmer Music Company
, to implement the guitar method he had developed in Baltimore.
One of the Selmer-Maccaferri guitars, the Eddie Freeman Special had the scale-length and body-size of a standard guitar and used a reentrant CGDA tuning that had a better sound for rhythm guitar than the normal tenor guitar with its very high A. Since it was still tuned CGDA, it could be played by tenor banjoists. Selmer-Maccaferri tenor guitars were produced from 1932 until 1934. Nearly 100 of the some 300 genuine Maccaferri guitars that were built were Eddie Freeman Specials.
The guitar was not a commercial success, despite heavy promotion by Maccaferri, because of opposition from orchestra guitarists in England who thought it was a threat to their livelihoods.
However, in recent years some luthiers such as the late David Hodson in the U.K have started building this four string model again because of demand from their customers.
Freeman spent the war years in Belfast
playing trumpet
and conducting a seven-piece Dixie combo in The Embassy Club. After the war he played trumpet in the Knightsbridge South American Club in London, and doubled with jazz guitar in the Bag O'Nails Club.
Freeman moved with his family to the United States in the early 1950s
, settling first in Oceanside
, California
and supporting himself as a piano tuner. Inspired by flamenco music, which he first heard at the Savoy Hotel, he left his family in California and traveled to Spain to discover its fundamentals. His search was interrupted when he played violin in the Palma de Majorca Symphony, but in Palma he met guitarist Manolo Baron from whom he learned the basics of flamenco. He later formed a flamenco group, Los Tres de Sevilla, with two dancers.
When he returned to the US he moved his family to Dallas, Texas, where wrote, performed, transcribed and perfected his knowledge of flamenco. He made accurate transcriptions of the finest flamenco guitarists: Ramon Montoya
, Sabicas
, Mario Escudero, Carlos Ramos, Esteban de Sanlucar, Nino Ricardo, and Paco de Lucia
. His earliest publication of a flamenco transcription was of a soleares by Esteban de Sanlucar in Issue number 19 of The Guitar Review in 1956, the same year in which he registered his first US copyrights for his transcriptions. He subsequently published a collection of transcriptions of guitar solos (Guajiras, Petenera, and Malaguena) by Carlos Ramos (1967) through Charles H. Hansen Company.
In addition to transcribing and teaching flamenco guitar, Freeman designed and constructed his own flamenco and classical guitars.
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...
musician of the first half of the 20th century and a transcriber and teacher of flamenco guitar
Flamenco guitar
A flamenco guitar is a guitar similar to a classical guitar. Flamenco guitar also refers to toque, the guitar-playing part of the art of Flamenco.-Brief history:...
music in the latter half. Born Edward F. Freeman in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the jazz guitarist and flamenco enthusiast spent time pursuing his music career in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, eventually moving to Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, where he lived with his family until his death in 1987. His experience playing the tenor banjo led him to create the "Eddie Freeman Special 4-String Guitar" for the Selmer Music Company
The Selmer Company
Henri Selmer Paris company is a French family-owned enterprise, manufacturer of musical instruments based in Paris, France in 1885. It is known for its high-quality woodwind and brass instruments, especially saxophones, clarinets and trumpets...
, and towards the end of his career, he made accurate transcriptions of the music of famous flamenco guitarists.
Biography
Eddie learned to play violinViolin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
at the age of 12 and became a professional violinist in pit orchestras of silent movie houses in England. While playing in movie houses he took up the tenor banjo. To better master that instrument, he traveled to the United States, where he played with Ricardo Giannoni in New York; with a dance orchestra in Baltimore at the Summit Roadhouse near the Pimlico Racetrack; in a Harlem speakeasy; and in engagements with Billy Lustig and the Scranton Sirens.
During this period he found it necessary to abandon the tenor banjo in favor of the six string guitar
Classical guitar
The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...
which was coming into favor. While convalescing from an illness in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, he developed a method for adapting the tenor banjo techniques to the guitar, which later led to his development of a four-string tenor guitar, the Eddie Freeman Special, using his new method.
He returned to London to play in the Harry Roy Orchestra
Harry Roy
Harry Roy was a British dance band leader and clarinet player from the 1920s until the 1960s.-Life and career:...
at the London Pavilion
London Pavilion
The London Pavilion is a building located on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue and Coventry Street on the north-east side of, and facing, Piccadilly Circus in London...
. When noted bandleader Al Collins
heard of Eddie and listened to him play, Collins signed him up for his orchestra at the Savoy Hotel
Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the hotel opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by...
in London. When Collins switched to the Berkeley Hotel in 1932, Freeman went with him.
In the early 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
Freeman designed the "Eddie Freeman Special 4-String Guitar” for Selmer Music Company
The Selmer Company
Henri Selmer Paris company is a French family-owned enterprise, manufacturer of musical instruments based in Paris, France in 1885. It is known for its high-quality woodwind and brass instruments, especially saxophones, clarinets and trumpets...
, to implement the guitar method he had developed in Baltimore.
One of the Selmer-Maccaferri guitars, the Eddie Freeman Special had the scale-length and body-size of a standard guitar and used a reentrant CGDA tuning that had a better sound for rhythm guitar than the normal tenor guitar with its very high A. Since it was still tuned CGDA, it could be played by tenor banjoists. Selmer-Maccaferri tenor guitars were produced from 1932 until 1934. Nearly 100 of the some 300 genuine Maccaferri guitars that were built were Eddie Freeman Specials.
The guitar was not a commercial success, despite heavy promotion by Maccaferri, because of opposition from orchestra guitarists in England who thought it was a threat to their livelihoods.
However, in recent years some luthiers such as the late David Hodson in the U.K have started building this four string model again because of demand from their customers.
Freeman spent the war years in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
playing trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and conducting a seven-piece Dixie combo in The Embassy Club. After the war he played trumpet in the Knightsbridge South American Club in London, and doubled with jazz guitar in the Bag O'Nails Club.
Freeman moved with his family to the United States in the early 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
, settling first in Oceanside
Oceanside
-Places:*Oceanside, New South Wales, Australia*Oceanside, British Columbia, Canada*Oceanside, California, United States*Oceanside, New York, United States*Oceanside, Oregon, United States-Other:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and supporting himself as a piano tuner. Inspired by flamenco music, which he first heard at the Savoy Hotel, he left his family in California and traveled to Spain to discover its fundamentals. His search was interrupted when he played violin in the Palma de Majorca Symphony, but in Palma he met guitarist Manolo Baron from whom he learned the basics of flamenco. He later formed a flamenco group, Los Tres de Sevilla, with two dancers.
When he returned to the US he moved his family to Dallas, Texas, where wrote, performed, transcribed and perfected his knowledge of flamenco. He made accurate transcriptions of the finest flamenco guitarists: Ramon Montoya
Ramón Montoya
Ramón Montoya , Flamenco guitarist and composer.Born into a family of Gitano cattle traders, Ramón Montoya used earnings from working in the trade to buy his first guitar...
, Sabicas
Sabicas
Sabicas was a Flamenco guitarist, of Romani origin, who was born in 1912 in Pamplona, Spain and died in 14 April 1990 in New York....
, Mario Escudero, Carlos Ramos, Esteban de Sanlucar, Nino Ricardo, and Paco de Lucia
Paco de Lucía
Paco de Lucía, born Francisco Sánchez Gómez , is a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist and composer. He is considered by many to be one of the finest guitarists in the world and the greatest guitarist of the flamenco genre...
. His earliest publication of a flamenco transcription was of a soleares by Esteban de Sanlucar in Issue number 19 of The Guitar Review in 1956, the same year in which he registered his first US copyrights for his transcriptions. He subsequently published a collection of transcriptions of guitar solos (Guajiras, Petenera, and Malaguena) by Carlos Ramos (1967) through Charles H. Hansen Company.
In addition to transcribing and teaching flamenco guitar, Freeman designed and constructed his own flamenco and classical guitars.