Fred Anderson (musician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fred Anderson
Fred Anderson in 2005; photo by Seth Tisue
Background information
Born	(1929-03-22)March 22, 1929 Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	June 24, 2010(2010-06-24) (aged 81)
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Saxophone

Fred Anderson (born March 22, 1929 – died June 24, 2010) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He lived and worked in Chicago, Illinois. Fred Anderson's music was based on swing music and hard bop styles. But he also added new ideas from free jazz.

Many people knew Fred Anderson for helping and teaching young musicians. A famous music critic, Ben Ratliff, called him "a father figure of experimental jazz in Chicago." Another writer, John Corbett, said he was a "scene caretaker" and a "quiet force for good." In 2001, author John Litweiler called Anderson "the finest tenor saxophonist" in his style of jazz.

Biography

Early Life and Music

Fred Anderson was born in Monroe, Louisiana. When he was ten, his parents separated. He then moved to Evanston, Illinois. There, he lived with his mother and aunt in a small apartment.

As a teenager, a friend showed him the music of Charlie Parker. Fred quickly decided he wanted to play the saxophone. He bought his first instrument for $45. He listened to many great saxophonists like Lester Young and Johnny Hodges. These musicians greatly influenced his own playing style. He also saw Young and Parker play live many times.

Unlike many musicians, Fred did not play in school bands. Instead, he focused on practicing a lot. He took private lessons and studied music theory. He went to the Roy Knapp Conservatory in Chicago. To support his family, he worked as a waiter. He worked hard to create his own unique sound. He wanted to mix the "big sound" of Gene Ammons with the speed of Charlie Parker.

Fred said about Charlie Parker: "I tried to figure out how he was doing certain things. Not just the notes he was playing. He had a special way of placing things." He also remembered: "Charlie Parker was one of the freest musicians I had ever heard. His technique was amazing. Every note would just come out and hit you. His music was so complex. It was hard." Around this time, he started creating special exercises. These became part of his daily practice. Later, they became a book called "Exercises for the Creative Musician."

Joining the AACM

In the early 1960s, Fred Anderson began listening to Ornette Coleman. He quickly saw how Coleman's music was similar to Charlie Parker's. He said: "When I heard Ornette Coleman back then, I knew exactly what he was doing. It wasn’t strange to me. I knew exactly where he was coming from."

Around this time, inspired by Coleman, he started a band without a piano. He played with trumpeter Bill Brimfield, bassist Bill Fletcher, and drummer Vernon Thomas. They played a mix of jazz standards and Fred's own songs.

In 1963, Fred started going to weekly jam sessions in Chicago. There, he met Roscoe Mitchell, Joseph Jarman, and Richard Abrams. They started talking about forming a new group to promote their music. In 1965, the AACM was created. Fred Anderson was one of its first members.

On August 16, 1965, Fred played at the very first AACM event. He was part of the Joseph Jarman Quintet. In 1966, he helped record Jarman's first album, Song For. In 1968, he played on Jarman's As If It Were the Seasons. Both albums were released by Delmark.

Staying in Chicago and Mentoring

In the late 1960s, many of Fred's friends from the AACM moved to Europe. But Fred decided to stay in Chicago. He supported his wife and three young children by working at a rug company. He also kept practicing his saxophone. He led the AACM's Evanston chapter with Bill Brimfield.

Around 1972, he formed the Fred Anderson Sextet. This group included trombonist George E. Lewis, reed player Douglas Ewart, bassist Felix Blackmon, drummer Hamid Drake, and singer Iqua Colson. All of these musicians were much younger than Fred.

Paul Steinbeck, a writer from the University of Chicago, noted how Fred let younger, less experienced musicians have a big role in his band. He wrote that Fred's band was like a "mutuality." This means everyone worked together as "full partners." Fred's way of including and supporting his bandmates helped erase age differences. It also kept the group focused on their creative goals. George E. Lewis remembered: "Fred let you play as long as you wanted. And you could try out anything."

In February 1977, Fred and Bill Brimfield visited Europe. They recorded an album called Accents with an Austrian trio. In May of that year, Fred opened his own music club in Chicago. He named it the Birdhouse, after Charlie Parker. But he faced problems from officials and neighbors. So, he closed the club a year later. In 1978, Fred went to Europe again with his band. He played at the Moers festival. There, he recorded Another Place, his first album as a band leader. In 1979, he recorded Dark Day and The Missing Link.

The Velvet Lounge

In 1982, Fred Anderson took over a bar in Chicago called the Velvet Lounge. He turned it into a very important place for jazz and experimental music in the city. He hosted Sunday jam sessions and many concerts there. The club became bigger and moved to a new location in 2006.

According to John Fordham, the Velvet Lounge became a "spiritual home" for many musicians. It was a place run by and for people who truly loved music. Paul Steinbeck wrote that under Fred's guidance, musicians were encouraged to play in ways that were "contributive, not competitive." The ideas and practices from Fred's bands spread to many other musicians and listeners through the Velvet Lounge.

Later Years and Legacy

Even though he kept performing, Fred rarely recorded new music for about ten years starting in the early 1980s. Some recordings from this time were Vintage Duets (recorded in 1980, released in 1994) and The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1 (recorded in 1980, released in 2000).

In 1990, he received the first Jazz Masters Fellowship from Arts Midwest. By the mid-1990s, he started recording more often. He recorded as a solo artist and with younger musicians. He also worked with old friends like Hamid Drake and Bill Brimfield. In 1994, he toured with pianist Marilyn Crispell.

In 1999, Fred Anderson and Von Freeman performed with a 30-piece orchestra. This was at the Chicago Jazz Festival. In 2002, the festival honored Fred. He performed with the NOW Orchestra, led by George E. Lewis. The Velvet Lounge became famous worldwide, attracting artists from everywhere.

In 2005, the Vision Festival held a "Fred Anderson Day" to honor him. In 2009, the Velvet Lounge hosted an 80th-birthday celebration. It featured four sets of music from Chicago's best jazz artists. Fred continued to record and tour in the 2000s. He also kept mentoring many young musicians. These included Harrison Bankhead, Nicole Mitchell, and Dee Alexander. He said, "My role in the city is to keep young musicians playing. I will always have a place for them to play."

Fred Anderson passed away on June 24, 2010, at age 81. He was supposed to perform on the day he died. He is remembered for his amazing music and for being a kind mentor to many.

Discography

A discography is a list of all the music albums and recordings an artist has made.

As leader

As sideman

With Muhal Richard Abrams

• SoundDance (Pi, 2011)

With The Art Ensemble of Chicago

• Live at Earshot Jazz Festival, 2002 (Milo Records, 2006)
• Peace Be Unto You (AECO, 2008)

With Joseph Jarman

• Song For (Delmark, 1967)
• As If It Were the Seasons (Delmark, 1968)

With Misha Mengelberg

• Two Days In Chicago (hatOLOGY, 1999)

With Neighbours

• Accents (MRC, 1978)

With Matana Roberts

• The Chicago Project (Central Control, 2008)

With Irene Schweizer and Hamid Drake

• Willisau & Taktlos (Intakt, 2007)

With Ken Vandermark and Territory Band-6

• Collide (Okka Disk, 2007)