the velvet lounge 40 years later: A legacy of place

Saturday, September 23

Photo Slideshow: 1:00-4:00PM

Panel DISCUSSION: 4:00-5:00PM

VENUE: Logan center screening room. 915 east 60th st.

The Velvet Lounge 40 Years Later: A Legacy of Place

In 1982, after closing his northside club the Birdhouse in the late 1970s, saxophonist and composer Fred Anderson took over his friend Tip's bar on South Indiana Avenue and called it the Velvet Lounge. In 2006, when the building was scheduled to be demolished for the construction of luxury apartments, he moved his Velvet Lounge to 67 E. Cermak Road, where he operated the venue until his death in 2010. In addition to being an exceptional musician and composer, Anderson was a revered mentor for countless musicians and an incomparable community-builder, particularly for the experimental music scene. The Velvet Lounge was a hub for creative music, exploration, connection, and synergy, the impact of which is felt today in both the music and ethos of Chicago’s jazz and improvised music community.

The Hyde Park Jazz Festival celebrates the 40th anniversary of this iconic South Loop establishment with an informal program of conversation, photo essays, in tribute to the rich history and cultural significance of this beloved venue, and its owner, Fred Anderson.

Image by Lauren Deutsch (2003): Harrison Bankhead (bass); Hamid Drake (drums); Maurice Brown (trumpet); Fred Anderson (tenor sax)