Fred Anderson was an exemplary Chicago artist and scene-founder, a tenor saxophonist of enormous integrity and lyrical grit. As a bandleader, mentor, and operator of independent performance spaces, Fred created a legacy that endures in the efforts of those who came up under his wing—and thanks to the Birdhouse organization, serves the whole city with the park established in his name, and audiences by enabling creative music to flourish.
—Howard Mandel, writer and president of the Jazz Journalists Association
I can speak firsthand of Fred Anderson’s significance to the Chicago and international music community, both as a listener and as a musician who was fortunate enough to work with him on many occasions….The contributions that Fred made as an artist and through his ongoing support of other musicians through the years of programming he organized at his venue, the Velvet Lounge, cannot be overestimated. The Birdhouse Inc. has continued Fred’s important work as a presenter by organizing significant concerts in Fred’s memory, by creating Fred Anderson Park which has regular outdoor performances, and by assisting with major commissions—such as that with Harvard’s Fromm Music Foundation, where both organizations funded a new composition by Roscoe Mitchell for the Dal Niente Ensemble. The work that The Birdhouse Inc. has done to continue Fred Anderson’s legacy make it a truly significant cultural institution, one that maintains the musical history of Chicago and projects it into the future.
—Ken Vandermark, MacArthur Fellow in Music
It would be impossible to overstate the significance of Fred Anderson’s work as a musician and bandleader—and as an organizer who provided a platform for so many creative musicians from around the world. The spokes that extend outwards from his former home in Chicago to various corners of the globe all come back to the Velvet Lounge at their hub, and to Fred’s hardworking, patient, and stubborn belief in bringing folks together through music. The Birdhouse continues the legacy of this patriarch of the Chicago jazz and improvised music scene with dedication and respect, to preserve and extend the enduring legacy that Fred left behind him.
—Dave Rempis, saxophonist, improviser, composer, and arts presenter