"We Always Swing" Jazz Series

Chico Freeman Plus+tet

Join us March, 21 in Stotler Lounge at 7pm for a reception and official library dedication. The event will feature light refreshments, live music and a presentation about the library. The event is free and open to the public.

This is a special occasion indeed. As part of the Freeman Family Legacy of Chicago; Chico is the son of the legendary NEA Jazz Master saxophonist Von Freeman; his uncles are guitarist George Freeman and drummer Bruz Freeman. And like the Freemans who preceded him, Chico amassed a diverse résumé of performing everything from R&B to blues, from hard bop to the avant-garde. His credits include working with McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones, Jack DeJohnette, Sam Rivers, Sun Ra and Dizzy Gillespie.
Freeman spent the last decade living in Europe, returning to the United States in 2016. His first Columbia appearance saw him perform with pianist John Hicks in the late 1980s; he returned in 1994, as a member of The Leaders, the legendary sextet, that featured trumpeter Lester Bowie, saxophonist Arthur Blythe and a rhythm section that included Kirk Lightsey, Cecil McBee and Don Moye.
Freeman’s most recent Jazz Series appearance was in celebration of his late father’s 80^th birthday, a powerful event that took place 2003. He returns now leading his own star-studded ensemble that he calls the Plus+tet – and to once again celebrate his father with a public dedication of the Von Freeman Memorial Library, the 7,000 volume LP/CD and book collection housed at the Jazz Series. This is a special occasion, indeed!

Thursday, Mar. 22, 2018

"MU Arts and Science Jazz Experience"

Rogers Whitmore Recital Hall

Doors: 6:00 PM | Start: 7:00 PM

Chico Freeman 4+Tet

Chico Freeman: Tenor/Soprano Saxophone
Anthony Wonsey: Piano
Kenny Davis: Bass
Mark Whitfield, Jr.: Drums

"He addresses a cohort of beautiful melodies framed within a diverse array of styles [...] and renders them on tenor and soprano saxophones with keen intention, authoritative execution, and tonal control that transforms his metal instruments into analogue for the human voice."

- All About Jazz

"The saxophonist's penetrating sounc and muscular delivery left no doubt that he's his father's son and was positive that the Chicago tenor tradition lives on. Chico Freeman may be less idiosyncratic than Von - who reveled in arcane harmony and a slightly flat, keeing pitch - but he shows a comprehensive command of his horns. You could hear it in the enormous scale of his sound on tenor, the warmth of his tone on soprano and the fluidity of his improvisations on both."

- Chicago Tribune