Chris Anderson (February 26, 1926 – February 4, 2008) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist, who might be best known as an influence on

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

."The Last Post" Obituary at jazzhouse.org
/ref>

Biography

Born in Chicago on February 26, 1926, Anderson taught himself

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

and started playing in Chicago clubs in the mid-1940s and played with

Von Freeman Earle Lavon "Von" Freeman Sr. (October 3, 1923 – August 11, 2012) was an American hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Born in Chicago, Illinois, Freeman as a young child was exposed to jazz. His father, George, a city policeman, was a c ...

and

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

, among others. Despite the respect of his peers, Anderson had difficulty finding work or popular acclaim due in large part to his disabilities. He was blind and his bones were unusually fragile, causing numerous fractures, which at times compromised his ability to perform at the times or places requested,John S. Wilson
"Pop Jazz"
''The New York Times'', September 24, 1982. although he continued to record until he was well into his 70s. A ''

Down Beat ' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...

'' profile indicated he had "Osteogenesis", probably meaning

osteogenesis imperfecta Osteogenesis imperfecta (; OI), colloquially known as brittle bone disease, is a group of genetic disorders that all result in bones that break easily. The range of symptoms—on the skeleton as well as on the body's other organs—may be mi ...

."Not close to lonely" from Down Beat via highbeam
/ref> He died of a stroke on February 4, 2008, in Manhattan, New York City, at the age of 81.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

With

Clifford Jordan Clifford Laconia Jordan (September 2, 1931 – March 27, 1993) was an American jazz tenor 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 ...

* '' Remembering Me-Me'' (Muse, 1977) * ''

The Mellow Side of Clifford Jordan ''The Mellow Side of Clifford Jordan'' is an album by saxophonist Clifford Jordan which was recorded between 1989 and 1991 and released on the Mapleshade label in 1997.Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

* ''An Evening at Home with the Bird'' (Savoy, 1961) * ''One Night in Chicago'' (Savoy, 1980) With others *

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific out ...

, ''Sun Ra Sextet at the Village Vanguard'' (Rounder, 1993) *

Frank Strozier Frank R. Strozier Jr. (born June 13, 1937) is a jazz alto saxophonist. Strozier was born in Memphis, Tennessee, where he learned to play piano. In 1954, he moved to Chicago, where he performed with Harold Mabern, George Coleman, and Booker Littl ...

, '' Long Night'' (Jazzland, 1961)

References

External links

All Music AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

br>''The New York Times'' obituary"Herbie Hancock, Chris Anderson and the Chicago School of Modern Jazz Piano"
a
Jazz.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Chris 1926 births 2008 deaths 20th-century American pianists American jazz pianists American male pianists Bienen School of Music alumni Blind musicians Jazz musicians from Chicago 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians American blind people American musicians with disabilities