Chicago Reader: Experimental Sound Studio unveils an archive devoted to beloved saxophonist Fred Anderson

by J.R. Nelson and Leor Galil
April 12, 2022

On March 22, 2022—what would’ve been Fred Anderson’s 93rd birthday—Experimental Sound Studio and its Creative Audio Archive announced the acquisition of a collection devoted to the beloved Chicago saxophonist, venue owner, scene anchor, and mentor. The CAA describes itself as “formed for the historical preservation of recordings, print, and visual ephemera related to avant-garde and exploratory sound and music,” and its materials also include the archives of performance space Link’s Hall, audio and visual work from Sun Ra and El Saturn Records, and the massive trove of live recordings made by Malachi Ritscher before his suicide in 2006. 

Anderson, who died in 2010, cofounded the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, ran storied south-side jazz club the Velvet Lounge, and released dozens of acclaimed recordings. He’s remembered for his fearless musicianship and bottomless generosity, which helped turn his clubs into incubators for adventurous musicians. The Anderson archive already holds materials donated by a longtime friend of Anderson’s, Velvet Lounge volunteer Andy Pierce, and by Sharon Friedman, Anderson’s partner in his first club, the Birdhouse; it will soon include photographs from Lauren Deutsch, former executive director of the Jazz Institute of Chicago. The contents of the collection—videotapes, cassettes, posters, newspaper clippings, flyers—can be searched at the CAA website.

FRED ANDERSON & KEN VANDERMARK @ Velvet Lounge - CHICAGO 1998