Lawrence "Bud" Freeman (April 13, 1906 – March 15, 1991) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

musician, bandleader, and composer, known mainly for playing

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

, but also the clarinet.

Biography

In 1922, Freeman and some friends from high school formed the Austin High School Gang. Freeman played the

C melody saxophone The C melody saxophone, also known as the C tenor saxophone, is a saxophone pitched in the key of C one whole tone above the common B-flat tenor saxophone. The C melody was part of the series of saxophones pitched in C and F intended by the ins ...

with band members such as

Jimmy McPartland James Dugald "Jimmy" McPartland (March 15, 1907 – March 13, 1991) was an American cornetist. He worked with Eddie Condon, Art Hodes, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, and Tommy Dorsey, often leading his own bands. He was married to pi ...

and

Frank Teschemacher Frank Teschemacher (March 13, 1906 – March 1, 1932) was an American jazz clarinetist and alto-saxophonist, associated with the "Austin High" gang (along with Jimmy McPartland, Bud Freeman and others). Early life and education He was born in ...

. before switching to tenor saxophone two years later. The band was influenced by the

New Orleans Rhythm Kings The New Orleans Rhythm Kings (NORK) were one of the most influential jazz bands of the early to mid-1920s. The band included New Orleans and Chicago musicians who helped shape Chicago jazz and influenced many younger jazz musicians. History The ...

and Louis Armstrong. While Armstrong was in

King Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 8/10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he wr ...

's Creole Jazz Band, Freeman attended performances at Lincoln Gardens with McPartland. They were nicknamed "Alligators". In 1927, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a session musician and band member with

Red Nichols Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols (May 8, 1905 – June 28, 1965) was an American jazz cornetist, composer, and jazz bandleader. Biography Early life and career Nichols was born in Ogden, Utah, United States. His father was a college music profes ...

, Roger Wolfe Kahn,

Ben Pollack Ben Pollack (June 22, 1903 – June 7, 1971) was an American drummer and bandleader from the mid-1920s through the swing era. His eye for talent led him to employ musicians such as Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland, ...

, and Joe Venuti. One of his most notable performances was a solo on Eddie Condon's 1933 recording, ''The Eel'', which became Freeman's nickname for his long snake-like improvisations. Freeman played with

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

's Orchestra (1936–1938) and Benny Goodman's band in 1938, before forming the Summa Cum Laude Orchestra (1939–1940). Freeman joined the U.S. Army during World War II and headed a U.S. Army band in the Aleutian Islands. After the war, Freeman returned to New York and led his own groups. He also worked with

Buck Clayton Wilbur Dorsey "Buck" Clayton (November 12, 1911 – December 8, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter who was a member of Count Basie's orchestra. His principal influence was Louis Armstrong, first hearing the record "Confessin' That I Love You" ...

Ruby Braff Reuben "Ruby" Braff (March 16, 1927 – February 9, 2003) was an American jazz trumpeter and cornetist. Jack Teagarden was once asked about him on the Garry Moore television show and described Ruby as "the Ivy League Louis Armstrong". Braff ...

, Vic Dickenson, and Jo Jones. In 1960, he wrote the book and lyrics for the Broadway musical ''

Beg, Borrow or Steal ''Beg, Borrow or Steal'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Wilhelm Thiele and written by Leonard Lee, Harry Ruskin and Marion Parsonnet. The film stars Frank Morgan, Florence Rice, John Beal, Janet Beecher, Herman Bing and Erik Rho ...

'', which included the ballad "Zen Is When", later recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet on ''Jazz Impressions of Japan'' (1964). He was a member of the

World's Greatest Jazz Band The World's Greatest Jazz Band was an all-star jazz ensemble active from 1968 to 1978. Dick Gibson founded the group at his sixth Jazz Party, an annual event. The group performed mostly Dixieland jazz and recorded extensively. It was co-led by ...

in 1969 and 1970. In 1974, he moved to England and continued to record and perform. Freeman spent some time on the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

and was a guest of Manx musician Jim Caine. After returning to Chicago in 1980, he continued to work into his eighties. He wrote two memoirs (''You Don't Look Like a Musician'' (1974) and ''If You Know of a Better Life, Please Tell Me'' (1976)) and an autobiography (''Crazeology'') with Robert Wolf. In 1992, Freeman was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame.

Death

Freeman died March 15, 1991, at the Warren Barr Pavilion, a nursing home in Chicago. He was 84 years old. His death came days after the March 13 demise of Austin High School Gang member,

Discography

* ''Comes Jazz'' ( Columbia, 1950) * ''Battle of Jazz, Vol. 1'' ( Brunswick, 1953) * ''Bud Freeman and the Chicagoans'' ( Paramount, 1954) * ''Test of Time'' (

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

, 1955) * ''Bud Freeman'' (Bethlehem, 1955) * ''Midnight at Eddie Condon's'' (Emarcy, 1955) * ''Jazz: Chicago Style'' (Columbia, 1955) * ''Bud Freeman and His All-Star Jazz'' ( Harmony, 1957) * ''The Bud Freeman Group'' ( Stere-O-Craft, 1957) * ''Chicago/Austin High School Jazz in Hi-Fi'' (BMG Ariola, 1957) * ''Bud Freeman & His Summa Cum Laude Trio'' ( Dot, 1958) * '' The Bud Freeman All-Stars featuring Shorty Baker'' ( Swingville, 1960) with

Shorty Baker Harold "Shorty" Baker (May 26, 1914 in St. Louis, Missouri, US – November 8, 1966) was an American jazz trumpeter. Baker began on drums, but switched to trumpet during his teens. He started his career on riverboats and played with Don Redman i ...

* ''Midnight Session'' (Dot, 1960) with Mary Mulligan * ''Summer Concert 1960'' (Jazz Archives, 1960) * ''Something to Remember You By'' ( Black Lion, 1962) * ''Chicago'' (Black Lion, 1962) * ''Something Tender'' (

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...

, 1963) * ''The Compleat Bud Freeman'' (Monmouth, 1970) * ''The Joy of Sax'' (

Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

, 1974) * ''Jazz Meeting in Holland'' (

Circle A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is con ...

, 1975) * ''Song of the Tenor'' (

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...

, 1975) * ''Two Beautiful'' (Circle, 1976) * ''Bucky and Bud'' (

Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' ( nl, De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the seven seas forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Du ...

, 1976) * ''Live in Harlem'' (Cat, 1978) * ''California Session'' ( Jazzology, 1982) * ''The Real Bud Freeman'' (1984) (Principally Jazz, 1985) * ''Superbud'' (Jazzology, 1992) With

Rex Stewart Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Career As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart drop ...

and Cootie Williams *'' The Big Challenge'' (Jazztone, 1957) With

George Wein George Wein (October 3, 1925 – September 13, 2021) was an American jazz promoter, pianist, and producer.

*''

Newport Jazz Festival All Stars ''Newport Jazz Festival All Stars'' is a live album by an all star group assembled by pianist/promoter George Wein that featured trumpeter Buck Clayton, saxophonist Bud Freeman, trombonist Vic Dickenson and clarinetist Pee Wee Russell which was ...

'' (Atlantic, 1959

960 Year 960 ( CMLX) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Summer – Siege of Chandax: A Byzantine fleet with an expeditionary force (co ...

with

Pee Wee Russell Charles Ellsworth "Pee Wee" Russell (March 27, 1906 – February 15, 1969), was an American jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but he eventually focused solely on clarinet. With a highly individualistic and sp ...

, Vic Dickenson, Champ Jones and

Jake Hanna Jake Hanna (April 4, 1931 – February 12, 2010) was an American jazz drummer. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States. Hanna first performed in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the house drummer at Storyville nightclub in Boston, ...

*'' George Wein & the Newport All-Stars'' ( Impulse!, 1962)

References

External links

Guide to the Roger Isaacs Collection of Bud Freeman Papers 1918-1995
at th
University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center

Bud Freeman: Profile in Jazz
Syncopatedtimes.com
Bud Freeman recordings
at the Discography of American Historical Recordings. {{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Bud 1906 births 1991 deaths Musicians from Chicago Jazz musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century 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