Fred Anderson 80th Birthday

On Saturday night, Anderson was honored by four sets of music from some of Chicago's top jazz artists. Luminaries in the crowd included Jazz Institute Director Lauren Deutsch, the Sun Times' Michael Jackson, Downbeat's Mark Sheldon and noted jazz authority, Neil Tesser. Starting things off onstage (as well as acting as master of ceremonies for the night) was Ernest Dawkins, who put on a high octane set, highlighted by an audience sing-along on "Baghdad Boogie." Dawkins was accompanied by trumpet star Cory Wilkes, drummer Isaiah Spencer, Trombonist Steve Berry and bassist Darius Savage.

Vocalist Dee Alexander then ascended the stage, along with her usual keyboardist/musical director, Miguel de la Cerna, drummer Ernie Adams, bassist Harrison Bankhead and special guest, renowned flautist, Nicole Mitchell. This world-class group of musicians performed a stellar set culled from Alexander's wonderful new album,"Wild is the Wind." On this occasion, the band was given the opportunity to stretch a bit more than usual and they responded with gusto. Mitchell, Bankhead and Adams were on fire, and it was especially fun to see de la Cerna cut loose. Alexander, delighted the crowd on "Rossignol"and was also given an award from Dawkins.

The fun was only beginning, as Ari Brown (who also received a well-deserved award) brought his quartet to the stage, along with special guest trumpeter Pharez Whitted. Brown is one of the finest jazz artist alive in the city of Chicago, and his quartet, consisting of keyboardist Kirk Brown, drummer Avreaayl Ra and bassist Yusef Ben Israel is always a pleasure to behold. The addition of Whitted, who also appeared with the group on the "Live at the Green Mill" album, only serves to heighten the heat generated by this group. The trumpeter has continued to improve and impress and his interchanges with veteran sax icon Brown were a delight to witness.

Dawkins awarded Fred Anderson a well-deserved award, before the final set - a jam session led by 79-year-young Kidd Jordan and featuring the world famous baritone saxophonist and clarinetist Hamiet Bluett. This set started promisingly enough, with Jordan on fire, Kirk Brown adding some tasty keys, and Bankhead jamming on cello is conjunction with Henry Grimes on bass and violin. There was some fiery fun between Jordan and Bluett, and Douglas Ewart added a delicious flute solo. Unfortunately, a young and inconsiderate horn player disrupted things with a disrespectful display which included showboating and honking his horn in Bluett's face. The set ended with shouts from the crowd at the ill-mannered young man, which was an unfortunate ending to what had been a truly enjoyable evening in honor of Fred Anderson.

The Velvet Lounge is a great place to see a hot jazz show, please support Fred's club and the great musicians who play there. Check out the Velvet schedule at www.velvetlounge.net.