"The Vonski" has been playing jazz in nightclubs since he was 12 years old--so young he wore a hat to hide his age. Now, he's 83, and he's bringing his signature Chicago sound to Perelman's stage for the first time. Joining Von is Mickey Roker, the Dean of Ortlieb's Jazz Haus. Roker's played with Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie, and still performs with his own quartet weekly.
This show opens our Mellon Jazz Up Close: One Nation Under Jazz series. What did you think of combining the Chicago sound with a local legend?
Well, for those who were there, it was a wonderful night of great jazz. Vonski gives up nothing to his 83 years: fantastic technique, very unique sound yet he can blow through the horn to get that big tenor sound when he wants, and an extremely fertile imagination, all infused with deep understanding of the blues.
The pairing with Philly drummer Mickey Roker was truly inspired. These two had never met, let alone worked together, yet connected musically so well, it seemed they had been playing together for decades!
And, after all these years Vonski has maintained and held fast to his own musical indentity, infused with a joyous and often impish outlook on life and music. Clearly after all this time, he still takes great pride and joy in what he does!
Kevin Carter's review in today's Philadelphia Inquirer (10/31/05) hit it right on the head:
"It makes sense that saxophonist Von Freeman, being from Chicago, can play the blues. One of the creators of the Chicago sound that has contributed so much to the cutting edge of jazz, he sits squarely at the confluence of the ancient and the futuristic, and the blues underpins all he does."
For those who want a listen, his album "The Great Divide" is a great snapshot of who he is and what he does...it ends with a 6-7 minute solo version of "Violets For Your Furs".