2006 *VON FREEMAN* (1995) CHICAGO, ILLINOIS {REAL PHOTO} RARE POSTCARD! NOTABLE!

Description

FEBRUARY 27, 2006 ***NOTABLE***  ~VON FREEMAN~ "AMERICAN HARD BOP JAZZ TENOR SAXOPHONIST" CHICAGO, ILLINOIS {{{REAL PHOTO TAKEN}}} TODD WINTERS (PHOTOGRAPHER) POSTCARD!    (Approximate dimensions:  4 1/4" wide x 6" high).
""VERY SCARCE POSSIBLY ONE OF A KIND"" Real Photo postcard of Chicago's Music legend!
______________________________________________________________________________
Von Freeman
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Von Freeman
Von Freeman with vocalist
Catherine Whitney
Background information
Birth name
Earle Lavon Freeman
Born
October 3, 1923
Chicago
,
Illinois
, United States
Died
August 11, 2012 (aged 88)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Genres
Jazz
,
hard bop
Occupation(s)
Musician
Instruments
Tenor saxophone
Years active
1930s–2012
Earle Lavon
"
Von
"
Freeman Sr.
(October 3, 1923 – August 11, 2012) was an American
hard bop
jazz
tenor saxophonist.
Biography
[
edit
]
Born in
Chicago
,
Illinois
, Freeman as a young child was exposed to jazz. His father, George, a city policeman,
[1]
was a close friend of
Louis Armstrong
with Armstrong living at the Freeman house when he first arrived in Chicago.
[2]
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
's Orchestra.
Freeman enlisted into the Navy during
World War II
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
as part of the Hellcats
[3]
stationed at Barbers Point Naval Air Station in a band that starred Harry "Pee Wee" Jackson, the trumpeter from Cleveland whose nickname was Gabriel.
[4]
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
,
Fletcher Henderson
,
Ella Fitzgerald
,
Lucky Millinder
,
Les Hite
,
Count Basie
,
Fats Waller
, and
Tiny Bradshaw
.
[5]
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
,
Roy Eldridge
and
Dizzy Gillespie
played there with the Freemans as the backing band. In the early 1950s, Von played in
Sun Ra
's band.
[6]
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
, following their successful appearance at the
Chicago Jazz Festival
in 1999.
One of Freeman's contributions was his mentoring of countless younger musicians such as Corey Wilkes and
Ben Paterson
as well as his steadfast support of what he liked to call "hardcore jazz" (as he still did in a 2001 article in DownBeat.)
[7]
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.
[8]
Freeman was considered a founder of the "Chicago School" of jazz tenorists along with
Gene Ammons
,
Johnny Griffin
and
Clifford Jordan
. His music has been described as "wonderfully swinging and dramatic" featuring a "large rich sound".
[9]
"Vonski", as he was known by his jazz fans, was selected to receive the nation's highest jazz honor, the
NEA Jazz Masters
award.
[10]
Freeman died of
heart failure
on August 11, 2012, in his home town, at the age of 88.
[11]
Freeman was the father of jazz saxophonist
Chico Freeman
.
[11]
[12]
Discography
[
edit
]
As leader
[
edit
]
1972:
Doin' It Right Now
(
Atlantic
)
1975:
Have No Fear
(
Nessa
)
1975:
Serenade and Blues
(Nessa)
1977:
Young and Foolish
(Daybreak/Challenge)
1981:
Freeman & Freeman
with
Chico Freeman
(
India Navigation
)
1989:
Walkin' Tuff
(Southport)
1992:
Never Let Me Go
(
Steeplechase
)
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
Frank Catalano
(Delmark)
2001:
Live at the Dakota
(Premonition)
2002:
The Improvisor
(Premonition)
2004:
The Great Divide
(Premonition)
2006:
Good Forever
(Premonition)
2009:
Vonski Speaks
(Nessa)
[13]
As sideman
[
edit
]
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
)
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
1991
Rhythm in Mind
,
Steve Coleman
(Novus)
1992
No One Ever Tells You
,
Eden Atwood
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
[14]
______________________________________________________________________________
We strive to find rare and unusual vintage pieces to match up with your special collection.
Returns are readily accepted if the item(s) is the same as described. Item(s) must be in the exact condition as delivered. Buyer pays return shipping.
Items .00 or more will be shipped with tracking.
Items 0.00 or more will be shipped with insurance.
Combined shipping discount for multiple purchases (Please wait for us to send invoice for 2 or more items).
Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.
Be sure to check out our "ever changing" inventory of vintage postage stamps, postal covers, postal cards, billheads, letterheads, stock certificates, stock coupons, bank checks, railroad and steamship ephemera, Civil War ephemera, World War I ephemera, World War II ephemera, promissory notes plus many other special items we can pass onto our customers.
Empire Stamp Company
INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING:
USPS FIRST CLASS MAIL INTERNATIONAL/FIRST CLASS PACKAGE INTERNATIONAL SERVICE.
DELIVERY TIMES WILL VARY BY LOCATION FOR INTERNATIONAL BUYERS.