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| Chico Freeman Celebrates His First Anniversary Back in the U.S. After living in Europe for more than a dozen years, saxophonist Chico Freeman has been enjoying life at home for the past year. Touring around the country with eyes wide open looking at America with a fresh new perspective, he celebrates the anniversary of his homecoming with concerts in Seattle, Chicago, Baltimore, New York and Pittsburgh. "The moment I returned to New York, I heard the sounds, smelled the aromas, felt the spirit of home, " said Freeman. "I immediately hit the clubs and concert halls and caught as much music as I could. My homecoming reinforced what I had learned about myself and my music while working and living among different cultures – I can draw from the past, experience the present and think about my future, but all I really have to do is play my heart out and reach for infinite possibilities." Chico Freeman's upcoming dates include: Seattle, WA May 20, 2017 Ballard Jazz Festival Chico Freeman - Special Guest headliner performing with the George Colligan Trio Chico Freeman - tenor saxophone George Colligan - piano Evan Flory-Barnes - bass Matt Jorgensen - drummer Nordic Heritage Museum, 3014 NW 67th St., Seattle, WA 98117 (206) 219-3649 www.ballardjazzfestival.com 7:30 pm Chicago, IL May 25-28, 2017 Jazz Showcase Chico Freeman Plus+tet Chico Freeman - tenor saxophone Anthony Wonsey - piano Kenny Davis - bass Rudy Royston - drums George Freeman - guitar (Sunday, May 28, only) Dearborn Station, 806 S. Plymouth Ct., Chicago, IL 60605 (312) 360-0234 www.jazzshowcase.com 8:00 pm, 10:00 pm, plus 4:00 pm on Sunday Baltimore, MD June 1-2, 2017 An die Musik Live Chico Freeman Plus+tet Chico Freeman - tenor saxophone Anthony Wonsey - piano Warren Wolf - vibes Corcoran Holt - bass Billy Hart - drums 409 N. Charles St., Second Floor, Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 385-2638 www.andiemusiklive.com 8:00 pm, 9:30 pm New York, NY June 7-8, 2017 Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola Chico Freeman Plus+tet Chico Freeman - tenor saxophone Anthony Wonsey - piano Warren Wolf - vibes Kenny Davis - bass Nasheet Waits - drums Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th St, New York, NY 10019 (212) 258-9595 www.jazz.org 7:30 pm, 9:30 pm Pittsburgh Jazz Live International Jazz Festival June 18, 2017 Chico Freeman Plus+tet Chico Freeman - tenor saxophone Anthony Wonsey - piano Warren Wolf - vibes Kenny Davis - bass Nasheet Waits - drums Pittsburgh Cultural District (412) 456-6666 www.pittsburghjazzlive.com Born into the Freeman family legacy of Chicago, which includes his father, legendary NEA Jazz Master saxophonist Von Freeman and his uncles, guitarist George Freeman and drummer Bruz Freeman, Chico built a diverse following while performing R&B, blues, hard bop and avant-garde. Returning to Chicago is more than a homecoming for Chico, it is also a 90th birthday celebration for his Uncle George, who will join the band at the Jazz Showcase on Sunday evening. Adding to the Chicago magic, pianist Anthony Wonsey and bassist Kenny Davis were mentored by Chico's father. Expect Chico Freeman's repertoire to be diverse and swinging when he makes his triumphant return to Dizzy's. For the two evenings at Jazz at Lincoln Center, he has written new music and will also draw from his 2016 release, Spoken Into Existence, as well as from early albums. He also will be "tipping his hat" to his friend, the late Bobby Hutcherson, who appeared on Chico's Destiny's Dance. Spoken Into Existence is Freeman's third release on the Austrian label Jive Music, and the first to be released in the U.S. It follows The Essence of Silence (2010) and Elvin: The Elvin Jones Project (2012). Jones, the iconic drummer, hired Freeman in 1976 soon after he moved from Chicago to New York and sponsored Freeman's second recording as a leader, Beyond The Rain, on Contemporary Records. Freeman's collegiate studies in Advanced Composition and Theory at Northwestern University led him to teach composition at the AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) Music School, and while attaining his Masters in Composition and Theory at Governor State University, he studied composition with NEA Jazz Master Muhal Richard Abrams. Although jazz was the first music Freeman was exposed to, many of his early professional gigs were at Chicago clubs with blues artists including Memphis Slim, and Lucky Carmichael. Freeman went on to play with many pop and R & B greats The Temptations, Michael Jackson, The Four Tops, Jackie Wilson, The Dells, The Isley Brothers and The Eurythmics as well as Latin stars Chucho Valdes, Tito Puente, Machito, Irakere, Arturo Sandoval, Celia Cruz, Eddie Palmieri and others. After arriving in New York, he soon began working with Jeanne Lee, Mickey Bass, John Stubblefield, and Cecil McBee. Through apprenticeships in New York and abroad with innovators Elvin Jones, Don Pullen, Sam Rivers, Sun Ra and Jack DeJohnette, Freeman developed his own group and rapidly rose to prominence with his energetic and exploratory style. No doubt Chico Freeman is happy to be home, but this jazz nomad frequently hits the road, making stops around the world including the London Jazz Festival; International Jazz Day in Yerevan, Armenia; Umbria Spring Jazz Festival in Terni, Italy; and Alpha Jazz Festival in Lviv, Ukraine. For more information on Chico Freeman and his music: http://chicofreeman.com https://facebook.com/chicofreeman http://twitter.com/chicofreeman https://instagram.com/chicofreemanjazz https://www.youtube.com/chicofreeman # # # write your comments about the article :: © 2017 Jazz News :: home page |