July 5, 2010: Tribute to saxophonist Fred Anderson (March 22, 1929-June 24, 2010)

July 5, 2010: Tribute to saxophonist Fred Anderson (March 22, 1929-June 24, 2010)
Fred Anderson made his transition to another dimension on the very night when he was scheduled to play with long time collaborators/friends Hamid Drake and William Parker at the Vision Festival in New York. The void that he leaves in the music world is unmeasurable. He was an innovator, an educator, an enabler and above all a great tenor saxophonist. He co-founded the still very active AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians) in Chicago in the mid 60's. He also owned and operated The Velvet Lounge for many years. This was a jazz venue for uncompromising musicians. It was here that many careers were launched and developed. A venue where different generations of musicians and listeners were inspired. But it was the sound of his tenor that we will miss most. a soft big sound like no other...