Charles Freeman Lee, known as Freeman Lee (August 13, 1927 – June 15, 1997) 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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

Trumpeter, recording with the

Elmo Hope St. Elmo Sylvester Hope (June 27, 1923 – May 19, 1967) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, chiefly in the bebop and hard bop genres. He grew up playing and listening to jazz and classical music with Bud Powell, and both were ...

Quintet,

Bennie Green Bennie Green (April 16, 1923 – March 23, 1977) was an American jazz trombonist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Green worked in the orchestras of Earl Hines and Charlie Ventura, and recorded as bandleader through the 1950s and ...

Babs Gonzales Babs Gonzales (October 27, 1919 – January 23, 1980), born Lee Brown, was an American bebop vocalist, poet, and self-published author. His books portrayed the jazz world that many black musicians struggled in, portraying disk jockeys, club o ...

and

Howard McGhee Howard McGhee (March 6, 1918 – July 17, 1987) was one of the first American bebop jazz trumpeters, with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for his fast fingering and high notes. He had an influence on younger bebo ...

Early life and education

Charles Freeman Lee was born in New York, NY, to Louella Simpson Lee and Charles Henry Lee. He studied at

Wilberforce University Wilberforce University (WU) is a private university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is one of three historically black universities established before the American Civil War. Founded in 1856 by the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC), it is named after ...

, and played with Wilberforce Collegians. He graduated from

Central State University Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio, United States. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-y ...

with a B.S. in Biology.

Early career

In 1950 Lee played piano with

Snooky Young Eugene Edward "Snooky" Young (February 3, 1919 – May 11, 2011) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known for his mastery of the plunger mute, with which he was able to create a wide range of sounds. Biography Young was lead trumpeter of t ...

. In 1951, Lee played trumpet with Candy Johnson. In 1952, Lee played trumpet with

Sonny Stitt Sonny Stitt (born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his era, recording over ...

and

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened to "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

. In 1953 Lee performed with Joe Holiday. In 1954 and 1955 Lee freelanced in New York City. In 1956 he played with James Moody. Lee visited Ohio for a year, later returning to NYC and gigging around, including performances at the jazz club Birdland, playing both piano and trumpet. He also played with

Professional career

Lee was the trumpeter for the

quintet, other members of the group being Hope (piano), Frank Foster (tenor sax),

Percy Heath Percy Heath (April 30, 1923 – April 28, 2005) was an American jazz bassist, brother of saxophonist Jimmy Heath and drummer Albert Heath, with whom he formed the Heath Brothers in 1975. Heath played with the Modern Jazz Quartet througho ...

(bass) and

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

(drums). Foster played on the albums '' Elmo Hope Quintet, Volume 2'' (1952) and '' Hope Meets Foster'' (1955). Lee wrote the song "My Delight" on the album ''Shades of Blue'' by

. Lee was a member of a group of singers called "The Modern Sounds" who sang on the tracks "Movin' and Groovin'" and "The Doomed" on Gonzales' album ''Voila the Preacher'', performed by Gonzales (vocals), Les Spann (flute), Charlie Griffin (tenor sx), Horace Parlan (piano), Charlie Rouse (bass clarinet), Ray Crawford (guitar), Peck Morrison (bass), Roy Haynes (drums) with The Modern Sounds: Joe Bailey, Curtis Lewis, Freeman Lee, Mamie Watts (all vocals). Lee was a composer on the album ''Bennie Green Swings the Blues'', along with Arthur Johnston and John Burke, and producer Teddy McRae. Other artists were Paul Gusman on drums,

on trombone,

Sonny Clark Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark (July 21, 1931 – January 13, 1963) was an American jazz pianist and composer who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom. Early life Clark was born and raised in Herminie, Pennsylvania, a coal mining town east of P ...

on piano, and Jimmy Forrest on tenor sax. In 2017 a book about the life of Lee was published entitled “A Jazzman’s Tale”. It was written by Annette Johnson, who was inspired to write the book after having met Lee in his later years.

Personal life

After his career as a jazz trumpeter, Lee was a science educator who inspired his students greatly at Krueger Junior High School in

Michigan City, Indiana Michigan City is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States. It had a population of 32,075 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along Lake Michigan in the Michiana region, the city is about east of Chicago and is west o ...

. His sisters Mary W. White and Jane Lee Ball were also educators. He never married but has a daughter, granddaughter, seven grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. He was buried in Xenia Ohio.

Discography

*2011 Bebop: It Began in the Big Apple: Trumpet *2008 New York Is Our Home: Trumpet *2004 Swings the Blues,

: Composer *1997

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

: A Story of Modern Jazz, Trumpet *1973.

- Shades Of Blue, Writing and Arrangement *1958. The Preacher - Voila: Performed by

: vocals, as part of The Modern Sounds quartet *1957

Trio and Quintet Trio may refer to: Music Groups * Trio (music), an ensemble of three performers, or a composition for such an ensemble ** Jazz trio, pianist, double bassist, drummer ** Minuet and trio, a form in classical music ** String trio, a group of three ...

, Main Personnel: Trumpet *1955 Hope Meets Foster,

and Frank Foster : Trumpet *1954 Elmo Hope Quintet (New Faces-New Sounds, Vol. 2) Elmo Hope Quintet: Trumpet

References

Sources

1
Discography from Allmusic
2
Trio and Quintet, 1953
3. Cook, Richard: Blue Note Records: The Biography, page 70. 4. Reisner, Robert: Bird: The legend of Charlie Parker, page 230. 5

6
Mary White obituary, Michigan City News Dispatch
7
Howard Mcghee, Shades of Blue
8. http://www.discogs.com/artist/1202068-Freeman-Lee 9
Elmo Hope Discography
10. Candice Watkins, Arnett Howard, James Loeffler. Ohio Jazz: A History of Jazz in the Buckeye State, page 43 11
A Literary Fugue in Three Parts: A Jazzman’s Tale

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Charles Freeman 1927 births 1997 deaths American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Central State University alumni African-American jazz musicians African-American educators 20th-century American educators People from Michigan City, Indiana Wilberforce University alumni 20th-century American trumpeters Educators from Indiana 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians 20th-century African-American musicians