| Fred Anderson's funky Velvet Lounge, located on Chicago's near
South Side, is known for its legendary jam sessions where both established
and new musicians gain exposure and try out new ideas. This is what
jam sessions have always been about, of course, but Anderson hosts
one of very few that lives up to its name. Anderson is living up
to his ideals, which he put into practice as a cofounder of the
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians back in the
'60s. The Association spawned many avant-garde jazz musicians, including
the famed Art Ensemble of Chicago, but Anderson stayed here in Chicago,
working day jobs and playing until the '80s, when he took over the
Velvet Lounge. Since there weren't a lot of paying gigs, Anderson
started the jam sessions at the Lounge. He didn't charge admission
or charge more for drinks, but he always paid the band, usually
with his own money.
For a long time it was difficult to find any recorded work by
Anderson, but thankfully that is no longer the case. The Velvet
Lounge is recognized as a full-fledged jazz club these days, and
Fred has had 8 CDs released (not to mention some reissues) since
1991. Not surprisingly, the best tend to be those recorded at
the Velvet Lounge, since Anderson and his group are very comfortable
there. On the Run was recorded there in March of 2000,
and features bassist Tatsu Aoki and drummer Hamid Drake, both
of whom have been working with Anderson for some time. The results
demonstrate the remarkable energy and unique style that this Chicago
jazz great can still generate in his seventies.
The disc opens with a melodic Anderson solo cadenza on "Ladies
In Love". It gives an opportunity to hear Anderson's debt
to Lester Young, with his melodic flow and ability to move from
a swirling bebop line into a gorgeous ballad-like melody. "On
the Run" features the drumming of Hamid Drake, a real innovator.
Listening to him explode on this number as well as the aptly named
"Hamid's On Fire" is what it must have felt like to
hear Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, or Elvin Jones for the first time
as they were first freeing the drums from the constraints of straight
timekeeping. Anderson and Drake have been playing together since
the 1970s, so it's no surprise that their playing is so sympatico.
"Tatsu's Groove" allows bassist Aoki to work in more
of a walking bass line, and the song, despite a couple of energetic
bursts of Caribbean rhythm, sounds more like a traditional bebop
chart than anything else on the disc. It allows the trio to demonstrate
their ability to create a coherent group statement even as each
member remains restless and searching. Even when it's threatening
to explode into something more freeform, this track swings fiercely.
Fred Anderson is what jazz musicians have always been about-learning
to craft their music over a lifetime, never feeling like they've
"arrived", and nurturing new generations of talent by
providing an example and providing them with the opportunity to
learn and grow in a supportive environment. That there are still
musicians like Anderson out there says a lot about the attraction
of creating improvised music, even in an environment where the
monetary rewards are few. Hearing performances like those on On
the Run, tossed off matter-of-factly as though these guys
could do it in their sleep, one is deeply impressed by the work
and immersion in craft that it takes to arrive at such a point.
But Anderson and his cohorts never call attention to their formidable
technique at the expense of driving the music forward and creating
an exciting listening experience for the audience. If more jazz
musicians worked this way, maybe it would be a more popular musical
genre.
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