1. Von Freeman's father, George, a city policeman, was a close friend of Louis Armstrong, with Armstrong living at the Freeman house when he first arrived in Chicago.
12 Facts About Von Freeman
1. 2.
Von Freeman's father taught him to play piano and bought him his first saxophone when he was seven.
3.
Von Freeman began his professional career at the age of 16 in Horace Henderson's Orchestra.
4.
Von Freeman enlisted into the Navy during World War II and was trained at Camp Robert Smalls in Chicago.
5.
Von Freeman appeared on Andrew Hill's second single on the Ping label in 1956, followed by some recording for Vee-Jay with Jimmy Witherspoon and Albert B Smith in the late 1950s, and a recorded appearance at a Charlie Parker tribute concert in 1970.
6.
In 1972, Von Freeman first recorded under his own name, the album Doin' It Right Now with the support of Roland Kirk.
7.
Von Freeman's next effort was a marathon session in 1975 released over two albums by Nessa.
8.
Von Freeman's recordings included three albums with his son, the tenorist Chico Freeman, and You Talkin' to Me with 22-year-old saxophonist Frank Catalano, following their successful appearance at the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1999.
9.
Von Freeman's performances were impressive verbal ones, as he served as an important figure that both helped African-American culture thrive on the South Side as well as invited the participation of European Americans and others into the warmth of the community he and the rest of the Enterprise and Apartment created.
10.
Von Freeman was considered a founder of the "Chicago School" of jazz tenorists along with Gene Ammons, Johnny Griffin and Clifford Jordan.
11.
Von Freeman's music has been described as "wonderfully swinging and dramatic" featuring a "large rich sound".
12.
Von Freeman died of heart failure on August 11,2012, in his home town, at the age of 88.