Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake 2 shows in Chicago

[ejp626]

Yes, free. I was scanning the Chicago Reader and came across this:

Tuesday 12

Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake

Tenor sax vet Fred Anderson turned 78 in March, but it doesn't look like age is catching up with him. His recent shows have been as intense and focused as any he's played in years, and From the River to the Ocean (Thrill Jockey), his new album with drummer and longtime disciple Hamid Drake, is simply astonishing. Anderson and Drake are a powerhouse on their own—check out their 2004 duo record, Back Together Again—but River is a group affair, and all the better for it. Jeff Parker (guitar), Harrison Bankhead (piano, cello, bass), and Josh Abrams (bass, guimbri) bring a collective energy to every track, from "For Brother Thompson," a modal homage to trumpeter Malachi Thompson, to the gorgeous closer, "Sakti/Shiva." Yet what's truly revelatory about the album are Anderson's performances on his two original compositions, "Planet E" and "Strut Time": he tears into the blues like he's just discovered it, reshaping phrases with the ease of someone who's completely transcended his instrument. Parker, Bankhead, and Abrams will join in for this show, which will include a Q&A moderated by John Corbett.

RSVP to rsvp@stopsmiling.com.

7 PM, Stop Smiling HQ, 1371 N. Milwaukee, 773-342-1124.

Wednesday 13

Fred Anderson & Hamid Drake

See Tuesday. This is a record-release party; Jeff Parker, Harrison Bankhead, and Josh Abrams round out the lineup.

Velvet Lounge, 67 E. Cermak, 312-791-9050, $15.

So I immediately emailed Stop Smiling and was put on the guest list for Tues. How cool is that? Best of all, this venue is walking distance to Dusty Groove, so it looks like I am set for Tues. Unfortunately work is going to prevent me from going to the Wed. show at the Velvet Lounge. Let me know if you plan on going on Tues.

Eric

[sal]

I'm gonna be at a work outing on Tuesday, so unfortuantely I won't be able to catch the free show. Will definitely try to make it Wed.....still haven't been to the new Velvet.

[sheldonm]

...I have to work both days and live 180 miles away.... so I won't be catching either. But will see some of them at Vision Fest in a couple weeks!!!

m~