Fred Anderson (musician)
Encyclopedia
Fred Anderson was an American
jazz
tenor saxophonist who was based in Chicago, Illinois. With a distinctive forward-bent playing posture, Anderson's playing was rooted in the swing music and hard bop
idioms, but also incorporated innovations from free jazz
, rendering him, as critics Ron Wynn
and Joslyn Layne have written, "a seminal figure among Chicago musicians in the '60s."
, Louisiana
. He grew up in the Southern United States
and learned to play the saxophone by himself when he was a teenager. Anderson moved his family to Evanston, Illinois
in the 1940s. He studied music formally at the Roy Knapp Conservatory in Chicago
, and had a private teacher for a short time. Fred worked installing carpet for decades to sustain his music and his family, before opening up a succession of important Chicago nightclubs. Despite Anderson's prominence as an avant-garde musician, his guiding inspiration was Charlie Parker
, portraits of whom are prominently displayed at Anderson's club, the Velvet Lounge
.
He was one of the founders of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
(AACM) and an important member of the musical collective. His partner for many years was the Chicago jazz trumpeter Billy Brimfield.
Anderson appeared on several notable avant garde albums in the 1960s, notably the seminal Delmark recordings of saxophonist Joseph Jarman
, As If It Were The Seasons (1968), and Song For (1966), which includes Anderson's composition "Little Fox Run."
In 1983, Fred Anderson took over ownership of the Velvet Lounge in Chicago, which quickly became a center for the city's jazz and experimental music scenes. The club expanded and relocated in the summer of 2006. Before that, his eclectic Beehive
bar in west Chicago
was a draw where musicians from around the world drank beer and played, mostly for each other.
Though he remained an active performer, Anderson recorded rarely for about a decade beginning in the mid-1980s. By the 1990s, however, he resumed a more active recording schedule, both as a solo artist, and in collaboration with younger performers, notably saxophonist Ken Vandermark
and drummer Hamid Drake
.
Anderson acted as mentor to young musicians who have gone on to prominent careers in music, either by featuring them in his groups or as performers at the Velvet Lounge. The list of musicians who he helped bring to public attention includes Drake, Harrison Bankhead, David Boykin, Nicole Mitchell
, Justin Dillard, Aaron Getsug, Josh Abrams, Fred Jackson, Jr., George Lewis
, Karl E. H. Seigfried
, Isaiah Sharkey, and Isaiah Spencer. His son, Eugene Anderson
, is a drummer.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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 who was based in Chicago, Illinois. With a distinctive forward-bent playing posture, Anderson's playing was rooted in the swing music and 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...
idioms, but also incorporated innovations from free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
, rendering him, as critics Ron Wynn
Ron Wynn
Ron Wynn is a music critic, author, and allmusic editor. Wynn was the editor of the first edition of The All Music Guide to Jazz , and from 1993 to 1994 served as the jazz and rap editor of the All Music Guide. Wynn is the former editor of New Memphis Star and the former chief jazz and pop music...
and Joslyn Layne have written, "a seminal figure among Chicago musicians in the '60s."
Biography
Anderson was born MonroeMonroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. He grew up in the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
and learned to play the saxophone by himself when he was a teenager. Anderson moved his family to Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
in the 1940s. He studied music formally at the Roy Knapp Conservatory in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and had a private teacher for a short time. Fred worked installing carpet for decades to sustain his music and his family, before opening up a succession of important Chicago nightclubs. Despite Anderson's prominence as an avant-garde musician, his guiding inspiration was Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
, portraits of whom are prominently displayed at Anderson's club, the Velvet Lounge
Velvet Lounge
Located on Chicago's South Side, the Velvet Lounge is one of the city's longest-running jazz clubs. Hundreds of established modern jazz musicians have played in the club, leading to its reputation as "dusty epicenter of Midwest's free form jazz scene....
.
He was one of the founders of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians is a non-profit organization, founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, by pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran....
(AACM) and an important member of the musical collective. His partner for many years was the Chicago jazz trumpeter Billy Brimfield.
Anderson appeared on several notable avant garde albums in the 1960s, notably the seminal Delmark recordings of saxophonist Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman
Joseph Jarman , is a jazz musician, composer and Shinshu Buddhist priest. He is perhaps best known as one of the first members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.-Early life:Jarman grew up in Chicago, Illinois...
, As If It Were The Seasons (1968), and Song For (1966), which includes Anderson's composition "Little Fox Run."
In 1983, Fred Anderson took over ownership of the Velvet Lounge in Chicago, which quickly became a center for the city's jazz and experimental music scenes. The club expanded and relocated in the summer of 2006. Before that, his eclectic Beehive
Beehive
A beehive is a structure in which bees live and raise their young.Beehive may also refer to:Buildings and locations:* Bee Hive, Alabama, a neighborhood in Alabama* Beehive , a wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings...
bar in west Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
was a draw where musicians from around the world drank beer and played, mostly for each other.
Though he remained an active performer, Anderson recorded rarely for about a decade beginning in the mid-1980s. By the 1990s, however, he resumed a more active recording schedule, both as a solo artist, and in collaboration with younger performers, notably saxophonist Ken Vandermark
Ken Vandermark
Ken Vandermark is an American jazz composer and saxophone and clarinet player.A fixture on the Chicago-area music scene since the 1990s, Vandermark has earned wide critical praise for his playing and his multilayered compositions, which typically balance intricate orchestration with passionate...
and drummer Hamid Drake
Hamid Drake
Hamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates....
.
Anderson acted as mentor to young musicians who have gone on to prominent careers in music, either by featuring them in his groups or as performers at the Velvet Lounge. The list of musicians who he helped bring to public attention includes Drake, Harrison Bankhead, David Boykin, Nicole Mitchell
Nicole Mitchell (musician)
Nicole Mitchell is an American jazz flautist and former president of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians .-Biography:...
, Justin Dillard, Aaron Getsug, Josh Abrams, Fred Jackson, Jr., George Lewis
George Lewis (trombonist)
George E. Lewis is a trombone player, composer, and scholar in the fields of jazz and experimental music. He has been a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians since 1971, and is a pioneer of computer music.- Biography :Lewis graduated from Yale University with a...
, Karl E. H. Seigfried
Karl E. H. Seigfried
Karl E. H. Seigfried is a German-American jazz, rock, and classical bassist, guitarist, composer, bandleader, writer and educator based in Chicago....
, Isaiah Sharkey, and Isaiah Spencer. His son, Eugene Anderson
Eugene Anderson
Eugene Robert Anderson was an American trial lawyer who developed creative solutions to require insurance companies to cover commercial claims related to asbestos exposure and pollution, years after the original policies had been issued.-Early life:Anderson was born on October 24, 1927, in...
, is a drummer.
As leader
- Dark Day + Live in Verona 1979 (Atavistic, 1979) with Billy Brimfield, Steven Palmore, Hamid DrakeHamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates....
- The Missing Link (Nessa, 1979, issued 1984) with Larry Hayrod, Hamid DrakeHamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates....
- Vintage Duets: Chicago, January 11, 1980 (Okkadisk, 1994) Duo with Steve McCallSteve McCallStephen Harold "Steve" McCall is a retired English footballer who now works as a scout for Ipswich Town.A defensive midfielder during his playing days, McCall built a reputation as a cultured midfield player, with immaculate passing ability. He began his career with Ipswich Town and quickly...
(dr) - The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1 (Atavistic, 1980) with Billy Brimfield, Larry Hayrod, Hamid DrakeHamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates....
- Black Horn Long Gone (Southport, 1993, issued 2009) with Malachi Favors Maghostut, Ajaramu (AJ Shelton)
- Birdhouse (Okkadisk, 1995) with Jim Baker, Harrison Bankhead, Hamid DrakeHamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates....
, and Marilyn CrispellMarilyn CrispellMarilyn Crispell is an American jazz pianist and composer.-Biography:Crispell studied classical piano and composition at the New England Conservatory of Music. She has been a resident of Woodstock, NY since 1977 when she came to study and teach at Karl Berger's Creative Music Studio...
(one track only) - Fred Anderson/DKV Trio (Okkadisk, 1997) with Ken VandermarkKen VandermarkKen Vandermark is an American jazz composer and saxophone and clarinet player.A fixture on the Chicago-area music scene since the 1990s, Vandermark has earned wide critical praise for his playing and his multilayered compositions, which typically balance intricate orchestration with passionate...
, Kent KesslerKent KesslerKent Kessler is an American jazz double-bassist, best known for his work in the Chicago jazz and avant garde music scene.Kessler, born in Crawfordsville, IN, grew up on Cape Cod and began playing trombone at age ten. He and his family moved to Chicago when he was 13, and a few years later Kessler...
, Hamid DrakeHamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates.... - Fred: Chicago Chamber Music (Southport, 1997) with 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...
, Afifi Phillard - Live at the Velvet Lounge (Okkadisk, 1998) with Peter KowaldPeter KowaldPeter Kowald was a German free jazz musician.A member of the Globe Unity Orchestra, and a touring double-bass player, Kowald collaborated with a large number of European free jazz and American free-jazz players during his career, including Peter Brötzmann, Irène Schweizer, Karl Berger, Fred...
, Hamid DrakeHamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates.... - Fred Anderson Quartet, Volume One (Asian Improv Records, 1999)
- Fred Anderson Quartet, Volume Two (Asian Improv Records, 2000)
- On the Run, Live at the Velvet Lounge (Delmark, 2000) with 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...
, Hamid DrakeHamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates.... - Duets 2001: Live at the Empty Bottle (Thrill JockeyThrill JockeyThrill Jockey Records is an American independent record label established in 1992 in New York City by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards.-History:...
, 2001) Duo with Robert BarryRobert BarryRobert Barry may refer to:*Robert Barry , Irish MP for Charleville*Robert Barry , Scottish Canadian merchant*Robert R. Barry , U.S. Representative from New York*Robert L. Barry, U.S...
(dr) - Back at the Velvet Lounge (Delmark, 2002) with Maurice Brown, Jeff ParkerJeff Parker (musician)Jeff Parker is an American jazz and rock guitarist based in Chicago. Parker is best known as an experimental musician, working with avant-garde electronic, rock, and improvisational groups....
, Harrison Bankhead, 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...
, Chad Taylor - Back Together Again (Thrill Jockey, 2004) Duo with Hamid DrakeHamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates....
(dr) - Blue Winter (Eremite, 2004) with William ParkerWilliam Parker (musician)William Parker is an American free jazz double bassist, poet and composer.-Biography:Parker was not formally trained as a classical player, though he did study with Jimmy Garrison, Richard Davis, and Wilbur Ware and learned the tradition. Parker is one of few jazz bassists who regularly plays arco...
, Hamid DrakeHamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates.... - From The River To The Ocean (Thrill Jockey, 2007) Duo with Hamid DrakeHamid DrakeHamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates....
(dr) - Fred Anderson Quartet, Volume Three (Asian Improv Records, 2008)
- Staying in the Game (Engine Studios, 2009) with Harrison Bankhead, Tim Daisy
- 21st Century Chase: 80th Birthday Bash, Live at the Velvet Lounge (Delmark, 2009) with Kidd JordanKidd JordanEdward "Kidd" Jordan is an American jazz saxophonist and music educator from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, Harrison Bankhead, Jeff ParkerJeff Parker (musician)Jeff Parker is an American jazz and rock guitarist based in Chicago. Parker is best known as an experimental musician, working with avant-garde electronic, rock, and improvisational groups....
, Chad Taylor
External links
- [ Allmusic]