Von Freeman 1923-2012

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 13, 2012 8:30PM

Chicago lost arguably its greatest jazz giant Saturday with the passing of saxophonist Von Freeman. Mr. Freeman died of heart failure at Kindred Chicago Lakeshore care center. He was 88 years old.

Born Oct. 3, 1923, Mr. Freeman’s father was a Chicago policeman and amateur jazz trombonist who worked near the old Grand Terrace Ballroom at 35th Street and Calumet Avenue. Through his father, Mr. Freeman’s early exposure to jazz was directly from the stars of the day: Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller and Earl “Fatha” Hines. Mr. Freeman was playing professionally at the age of 12 and, like many outstanding local jazz players of his day, honed his musical skills under Captain Walter Dyett at DuSable High School. Dyett’s students are a litany of jazz legends: Dinah Washington, Nat King” Cole, Johnny Hartman, Gene Ammons, Johnny Griffin and Clifford Jordan were among Dyett’s students

After a period of service in the Navy during World War II, Mr. Freeman returned to Chicago and developed a saxophone style that became known as the “Chicago style” of jazz. Inspired by all the gigs he played at the time, his style was equal parts improvisation and intensity, rooted in blues and hard bop. The late saxophonist Fred Anderson said you knew immediately it was Mr. Freeman playing the moment he blew his first note.

He’s also recognized by his devotion to the city of Chicago. Mr. Freeman passed up multiple opportunities to chase fame and fortune in other cities in order to stay in Chicago with his family, continually tinkering with his style. Tribune arts critic Howard Reich wrote that Mr. Freeman famously turned down an opportunity to replace John Coltrane in Miles Davis’s first classic quintet. Sun Ra found Mr. Freeman to be as much of an experimentalist as he, and it wasn’t until Mr. Freeman was 49 that released his first album as a bandleader.

Mr. Freeman played into his later years across Chicago, most notably a regular Tuesday night residency at the New Apartment Lounge in the Grand Crossing neighborhood. Critical success and acclaim finally came to him late in life. His influence is felt among today’s crop of young local jazz players.