An astonishing thing to witness when viewing Fred Anderson’s live performance on DVD, 21st Century Chase, was the sight of a guy celebrating his 80th birthday splaying notes from his saxophone with abandon, power and purpose. And then, when he finished his solo, witnessing a dude only six years hisRead More

AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File by S. Victor Aaron Fred Anderson, a forward thinking tenor saxophonist for more than six decades and a major force in Chicago’s vital jazz scene, died Thursday following a heart attack. He was 81 years old. What I’ve found so remarkable about Anderson isn’t so muchRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Birthday parties are almost always such fun events and nowadays, they all get captured on video. When someone marks their eightieth birthday, that’s a real cause for celebration. And when the birthday boy celebrates it by ripping it up making some great music, that’s just icingRead More

by S. Victor Aaron Oftentimes the battle for getting the recorded music of experimental and forward-thinking musicians out to the public is largely undertaken by hundred if not thousands of tiny record labels. These labels are not founded by those with the idea of making a lot of money, butRead More