''Timeless, Live at the Velvet Lounge'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson, which was recorded in 2005 and released on Delmark. It was the third live recording on

Bob Koester Robert Gregg Koester (October 30, 1932 – May 12, 2021) was an American record producer and businessman who was the founder and owner of Delmark Records, a jazz and blues independent record label. He also operated the Jazz Record Mart in Chi ...

's label made at Fred's own club, the

Velvet Lounge The Velvet Lounge was a nightclub in the South Loop of Chicago. It started as a jazz club and was called the "dusty epicenter of the Midwest's free form jazz scene." It was located at 2128 1/2 S. Indiana Avenue before moving to 67 E. Cermak when th ...

, shortly before the original venue's demolition and a month after Anderson was honored at the 2005

Vision Festival The Vision Festival is the world's premier festival of experimental music (typically free jazz/avant-garde jazz), art, film and dance, held annually in May/June on the Lower East Side of New York City from 1996 to 2011, in Brooklyn from 2012-2014, ...

. He's backed by long-time associates, bassist Harrison Bankhead and drummer Hamid Drake. The event was also filmed and issued on DVD.''Timeless, Live at the Velvet Lounge''
at Delmark

Reception

In his review for

AllMusic 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 databa ...

, Sean Westergaard states "The whole performance is practically a non-stop series of highlights, although the title track alone might be worth the price of admission. The interplay between these players is simply amazing; improvised music doesn't get much better than this." The

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

review by Glenn Astarita notes that "On these extended workouts, the trio exposes its force with hypnotically engineered Latin grooves, African rhythms and expansive ostinatos. In addition, Anderson sets himself apart from many of his peers, navigating the avant-garde with melodic phrasings which serve as improvisational forays."Astarita, Glenn
''Timeless, Live at the Velvet Lounge'' review
at

The ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade of growt ...

'' review by Chris Kelsey says "Each of Anderson’s stream-of-consciousness phrases is unique unto itself. His elliptical lines move in, around, above and below the rhythm section, engaging then disengaging the rhythm and harmony with a gruff capriciousness. With Bankhead in the bass chair, this is one of the best trios going."Kelsey, Chris
''Timeless, Live at the Velvet Lounge'' review
at ''

'' The ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' review by Daniel Spicer claims "This is breathtaking stuff" and notes that "Anderson may be 77 years old but his is a powerful, thrashing, muscular tone that’s not afraid to take risks. You get the feeling that, here in his own club, he’s comfortable enough to just blow."Spicer, Daniel
''Timeless, Live at the Velvet Lounge'' review
at ''

Track listing

:''All compositions by Anderson / Bankhead / Drake'' # "Flashback" - 14:05 # "Ode to Tip" - 16:11 # "By Many Names" - 12:35 # "Timeless" - 23:31

Personnel

* Fred Anderson -

tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the Alto saxophone, alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key ...

*Harrison Bankhead - bass * Hamid Drake - drums,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

References

{{reflist 2006 live albums Fred Anderson (musician) live albums Delmark Records live albums