Bud Freeman
Bud Freeman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lawrence Freeman 13 April 1906 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | 15 March 1991 (aged 84) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Other names | Bud Freeman |
| Occupation(s) | Jazz musician, bandleader, composer |
| Years active | 1922–1980s |
| Known for | Tenor saxophone and clarinet playing; member of Austin High School Gang; leader of Summa Cum Laude Orchestra; Broadway musical Beg, Borrow or Steal |
Lawrence "Bud" Freeman (April 13, 1906 – March 15, 1991) was an American jazz artist, bandleader, and composer, best recognized for his expertise on the tenor saxophone and clarinet.
Biography
In 1922, Freeman and several classmates from Austin High School established the Austin High School Gang. Initially, he played the C melody saxophone, but two years later transitioned to the tenor saxophone. Inspired by groups like the New Orleans Rhythm Kings and musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Freeman frequently attended shows at Lincoln Gardens alongside Jimmy McPartland. Their ensemble earned the nickname "Alligators."
Freeman relocated to New York City in 1927, where he worked as a session musician and performed with bands led by Red Nichols, Roger Wolfe Kahn, Ben Pollack, and Joe Venuti. His acclaimed solo on Eddie Condon's 1933 track The Eel earned him his moniker due to its elongated, serpentine improvisations. He was a member of Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra from 1936 to 1938, joined Benny Goodman's band in 1938, and created the Summa Cum Laude Orchestra between 1939 and 1940. During World War II, he directed a U.S. Army band stationed in the Aleutian Islands.
Following the war, Freeman returned to New York City to lead his own ensembles and collaborated with musicians such as Buck Clayton, Ruby Braff, Vic Dickenson, and Jo Jones. In 1960, he authored the book and lyrics for the Broadway musical Beg, Borrow or Steal, which featured the ballad "Zen Is When," later recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Between 1969 and 1970, he was a member of the World's Greatest Jazz Band. In 1974, Freeman moved to England to continue his recording and performance career, including periods spent on the Isle of Man where he worked with Manx musician Jim Caine. He returned to Chicago in 1980 and remained musically active into his eighties.
Freeman penned two memoirs—You Don't Look Like a Musician (1974) and If You Know of a Better Life, Please Tell Me (1976)—as well as an autobiography titled Crazeology, co-written with Robert Wolf. In 1992, he was honored with induction into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.
Death
Freeman passed away on March 15, 1991, at age 84 while at the Warren Barr Pavilion nursing home in Chicago. His death occurred just days after fellow Austin High School Gang alumnus Jimmy McPartland died.
Discography
- 1928-38 - The Chronological 1928-1938 (Classics, 1994)
- 1939-40 - The Chronological 1939-1940 (Classics, 1995)
- 1945-46 - The Chronological 1945-1946 (Classics, 1997)
- 1939-41 - Battle of Jazz, Vol. 1 (Brunswick, 1953) with His Summa Cum Laude Orchestra
- 1940 - Comes Jazz (Columbia, 1940)
- 1955 - Bud Freeman (Bethlehem, 1955), reissued as The Test of Time (Bethlehem, 1977)
- 1945 - Midnight at Eddie Condon's (Emarcy, 1955)
- Bud Freeman and the Chicagoans (ABC-Paramount, 1954)
- 1927-35 - Jazz: Chicago Style (Columbia, 1955)
- Bud Freeman and His All-Star Jazz (Harmony, 1957)
- 1958-59 - The Bud Freeman Group (Stere-O-Craft)
- 1957 - Chicago/Austin High School Jazz in Hi-Fi (RCA, 1958)
- 1958 - Bud Freeman & His Summa Cum Laude Trio (Dot, 1959)
- 1960 - The Bud Freeman All-Stars featuring Shorty Baker (Swingville, 1961) with Shorty Baker
- 1959 - Midnight Session (Dot, 1960) with Mary Mulligan
- Summer Concert 1960 (Jazz Archives, 1960)
- 1962 - Something to Remember You By (Black Lion, 1962)
- Chicago (Black Lion, 1962)
- 1963 - Something Tender (United Artists, 1963)
- 1969 - The Compleat Bud Freeman (Monmouth, 1970)
- 1974 - The Joy of Sax (Chiaroscuro, 1974)
- Jazz Meeting in Holland (Circle, 1975)
- Song of the Tenor (Philips, 1975)
- 1975 - Bud Meets Buddy (Circle, 1976), reissued as Two Beautiful (Circle, 1983)
- 1976 - Bucky and Bud (Flying Dutchman, 1976)
- Live in Harlem (Cat, 1978)
- 1983 - California Session (Jazzology,1982)
- 1983 - The Real Bud Freeman (Principally Jazz,1985)
- 1974 - Superbud (Jazzology; reissued in1992)
With Rex Stewart and Cootie Williams
- The Big Challenge (Jazztone,1957)
With George Wein
- Newport Jazz Festival All Stars (Atlantic,[1960]) featuring Buck Clayton, Pee Wee Russell, Vic Dickenson, Champ Jones and Jake Hanna
- George Wein & the Newport All-Stars (Impulse!,1962)
External links
- Roger Isaacs Collection of Bud Freeman Papers 1918-1995 Guide hosted by the University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center
- Bud Freeman: Jazz Profile available on Syncopatedtimes.com
- Recordings of Bud Freeman listed in the Discography of American Historical Recordings
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1906 births
- 1991 deaths
- Jazz musicians from Chicago
- 20th-century American male musicians
- 20th-century American clarinetists
- 20th-century American saxophonists
- American expatriates in the United Kingdom
- American jazz bandleaders
- American jazz clarinetists
- American jazz tenor saxophonists
- American male jazz musicians
- American male saxophonists
- Dixieland jazz musicians
- Jewish American musicians
- United States Army Band musicians
- World's Greatest Jazz Band members
- Chiaroscuro Records artists
- Columbia Records artists
- EmArcy Records artists
- Majestic Records artists
- 20th-century American Jews
- Austin Community Academy High School alumni