Earle Lavon "Von" Freeman Sr. (October 3, 1923 – August 11, 2012) was an American hard bop

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 m ...

tenor saxophonist.

Biography

Born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, Freeman as a young child was exposed to jazz. His father, George, a city policeman, was a close friend of

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

with Armstrong living at the Freeman house when he first arrived in Chicago. Freeman's father taught him to play piano and bought him his first saxophone when he was seven. His musical education was furthered at DuSable High School, where his band director was Walter Dyett. Freeman began his professional career at the age of 16 in

Horace Henderson Horace W. Henderson (November 22, 1904 – August 29, 1988), the younger brother of Fletcher Henderson, was an American jazz pianist, organist, arranger, and bandleader. Henderson was born in Cuthbert, Georgia, United States. While later a ...

's Orchestra. Freeman enlisted into the Navy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and was trained at Camp Robert Smalls in Chicago. "All the great musicians ended up at Great Lakes", he recalled. "It was an incubator for the best and the brightest lights in the jazz world at that time, and the musical jam sessions were simply phenomenal." After training, he was sent to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

as part of the Hellcats stationed at Barbers Point Naval Air Station in a band that starred Harry "Pee Wee" Jackson, the trumpeter from Cleveland whose nickname was Gabriel. The Hellcats were frequent winners of the islands' competitive Battle of the Bands competitions and included musicians who had formerly played in bands fronted by

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was bas ...

Fletcher Henderson James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black music ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

, Lucky Millinder, Les Hite,

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, violinist, singer, and comedic entertainer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz pi ...

, and Tiny Bradshaw. After his return to Chicago, where he remained for the duration of his career, Freeman played with his brothers George on guitar and Eldridge "Bruz" Freeman on drums at the Pershing Hotel Ballroom. Various leading jazzmen such as

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 ...

, Roy Eldridge and

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but a ...

played there with the Freemans as the backing band. In the early 1950s, Von played in Sun Ra's band. Von Freeman's first venture into the recording studio took place in 1954, backing a vocal group called The Maples for Al Benson's Blue Lake label. He appeared on Andrew Hill's second single on the Ping label in 1956, followed by some recording for Vee-Jay with Jimmy Witherspoon and Albert B. Smith in the late 1950s, and a recorded appearance at a Charlie Parker tribute concert in 1970. In 1972, Freeman first recorded under his own name, the album ''Doin' It Right Now'' with the support of Roland Kirk. His next effort was a marathon session in 1975 released over two albums by Nessa. After that he lived, regularly performed, and recorded in Chicago. His recordings included three albums with his son, the tenorist Chico Freeman, and '' You Talkin' To Me'' with 22-year-old saxophonist

Frank Catalano Frank Catalano is an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Frank Catalano began playing saxophone at age 7. When he was 16, his right middle finger was severed while working on a car engine. Following reconstructive surgery, he forced his hands t ...

, following their successful appearance at the

Chicago Jazz Festival The Chicago Jazz Festival is an admission-free, four-day annual jazz festival in Chicago's Millennium Park. It is run by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and programmed with the assistance of Jazz Institute of Chicago during ...

in 1999. Four live albums for SteepleChase Records, "Inside Chicago" documented his partnership with trumpeter Brad Goode. One of Freeman's contributions was his mentoring of countless younger musicians such as Corey Wilkes and

Ben Paterson Ben Paterson (born June 23, 1982) is an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and Steinway Artist. Early life Paterson graduated from the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia after having spent his earlier years studying classical as we ...

as well as his steadfast support of what he liked to call "hardcore jazz" (as he still did in a 2001 article in DownBeat.) Freeman's quartet played Monday nights throughout the 1970s and the mid-1980s at The Enterprise Lounge which closed when he toured Japan, and then Tuesdays at The New Apartment Lounge with his longtime trio of sidemen composed of drummer Michael Raynor, guitarist Mike Allemana and bassist Matt Ferguson. The quartet played a long set first, the vehicle that showcased Freeman's range from sensitively unwound ballads to intense improvisations that utilized his sometimes rough timbre and indefinite pitch to create a unique avant garde style of his own. His performances were also impressive verbal ones, as he served as an important figure that both helped African-American culture thrive on the South Side as well as invited the participation of European Americans and others into the warmth of the community he and the rest of the Enterprise and Apartment created. Freeman was considered a founder of the "Chicago School" of jazz tenorists along with

Gene Ammons Eugene "Jug" Ammons (April 14, 1925 – August 6, 1974), also known as "The Boss", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. The son of boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, Gene Ammons is remembered for his accessible music, steeped in soul and ...

, Johnny Griffin and Clifford Jordan. His music has been described as "wonderfully swinging and dramatic" featuring a "large rich sound". "Vonski", as he was known by his jazz fans, was selected to receive the nation's highest jazz honor, the NEA Jazz Masters award. Freeman died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

on August 11, 2012, in his home town, at the age of 88. Freeman was the father of jazz saxophonist Chico Freeman.

Discography

As leader

* 1972: ''Doin' It Right Now'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

) * 1975: ''Have No Fear'' ( Nessa) * 1975: ''Serenade and Blues'' (Nessa) * 1977: ''Young and Foolish'' (Daybreak/Challenge) * 1981: ''Freeman & Freeman'' with Chico Freeman (

India Navigation India Navigation was an American record company and independent record label that specialized in avant-garde jazz in the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded by Bob Cummins, a corporate lawyer who helped jazz musicians with legal matters. Its catalogu ...

) * 1989: ''Walkin' Tuff'' (Southport) * 1992: ''Never Let Me Go'' (

Steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

) * 1993: ''Lester Leaps In'' (Steeplechase) * 1994: ''Dedicated to You'' (Steeplechase) * 1996: ''Fire'' (Southport) * 1999: ''Von & Ed'' with Ed Petersen ( Delmark) * 1999: ''Live at the Blue Note'' ( Half Note) * 2000: ''You Talkin' to Me?'' with

(Delmark) * 2001: ''Live at the Dakota'' (Premonition) * 2002: ''The Improvisor'' (Premonition) * 2004: ''The Great Divide'' (Premonition) * 2006: ''Good Forever'' (Premonition) * 2009: ''Vonski Speaks'' (Nessa)

As sideman

With Brad Goode * 2001 ''Inside Chicago, Volume 1 with Von Freeman'' (SteepleChase) * 2001 ''Inside Chicago, Volume 2 with Von Freeman'' (SteepleChase) * 2002 ''Inside Chicago, Volume 3 with Von Freeman'' (SteepleChase) * 2002 ''Inside Chicago, Volume 4 with Von Freeman'' (SteepleChase) With April Aloisio * 1994 ''Brazilian Heart'' * 1996 ''Footprints'' * 1998 ''Easy to Love'' With Francesco Crosara * 1999 ''Colors'' (Southport) * 2003 ''Emotions'' (TCB) With Kurt Elling * 1995 ''Close Your Eyes'' * 2000 '' Live in Chicago'' With Chico Freeman * 1988 ''You'll Know When You Get There'' * 2010 ''Lord Riff and Me'' With George Freeman * 1969 '' Birth Sign'' ( Delmark) * 1973 '' New Improved Funk'' (

Groove Merchant Groove Merchant was an American jazz and R&B record label during the 1970s. It was run by producer Sonny Lester and distributed by Pickwick Records. Notable artists included Chick Corea, O'Donel Levy, Buddy Rich, Jimmy McGriff, Lonnie Smith ...

) * 1977 ''All in the Game'' * 1995 ''Rebellion'' * 1999 ''George Burns'' * 2001 ''At Long Last George'' With Joanie Pallatto * 1995 ''Passing Tones'' * 2000 ''The King and I'' With others * 1978 ''Lockin' Horns'', Willis Jackson * 1981 '' Hyde Park After Dark'', Clifford Jordan ( Bee Hive, 1981) * 1982 ''Fathers and Sons'',

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...

* 1991 ''

Rhythm in Mind ''Rhythm in Mind'' is an album by saxophonist Steve Coleman, recorded in 1991 and released by Novus Records. Reception The ''Toronto Star'' wrote that "the fluid emotional work of altoist Coleman headlines an octet gathering of post-bop conservati ...

'',

Steve Coleman Steve Coleman (born September 20, 1956) is an American saxophonist, composer, bandleader and music theorist. In 2014, he was named a MacArthur Fellow. Early life Steve Coleman was born and grew up in South Side, Chicago. He started playing ...

(Novus) * 1992 ''No One Ever Tells You'',

Eden Atwood Eden Atwood is an American jazz singer and actress. She is the daughter of composer Hubbard Atwood and the granddaughter of the novelist A. B. Guthrie Jr. Career Atwood was born in Memphis, Tennessee. When she was five, her parents got a divor ...

* 1994 ''Silvering'', Louis Smith * 1999 ''Some Cats Know'', Connie Evingson * 1999 ''Spaces'', Doug Hammond * 2000 ''Come Walk with Me'', Martha Lorin * 2003 ''Emotions'', Lilian Terry * 2006 ''Solitaire Miles'', Solitaire Miles

References

External links

* * All Music {{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Von 1923 births 2012 deaths Musicians from Chicago American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists Hard bop saxophonists Post-bop saxophonists Atlantic Records artists HighNote Records artists Nessa Records artists SteepleChase Records artists Jazz musicians from Illinois American male jazz musicians 20th-century American saxophonists