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George Freeman: Everybody Say Yeah!
ByEverybody Say Yeah! unveils another discovery, guitarist George Freeman, a star hidden in plain sight. Brother to Von and Eldridge "Bruz" Freeman and uncle to Chico Freeman, George is a living history of modern jazz. He has performed with everyone from Lester Young to Ella Fitzgerald, Dexter Gordon, and John Coltrane, and recorded with Charlie Parker, Jimmy McGriff, Johnny Griffin, Gene Ammons, and a list of others too long to fit into this review. This album is a retrospective of his Southport years, from 1995 to 2021, and comes on the occasion of this 95th birthday on April 10th 2022. The remastered music includes two unreleased tracks "Summertime" with vocals by Joanie Pallatto and "Manteca," plus a new recording of his composition "Perfume" in duo with guitarist Mike Allemana.
The fourteen tracks are all prime cuts. Opening with "Peak," a rump-shaking party piece, Freeman vocalizes over the affair as he delivers solid soul jazz. His guitar voice is both articulate and bluesy. "My Scenery," a ballad which features Chico Freeman with Harrison Bankhead and Hamid Drake, walks in like Carl Sandburg's fog on little cat's feet. The guitarist adores Latin themes; "It's Cha Time!," "Cha Cha Time," and Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" feature his guitar as the calm in the eye of a percussion hurricane. Guest soloists include Von Freeman on "Vonski," Tatsu Aoki on "Low Funk," John Devlin on "Gorgeous George," and the aforementioned Joanie Pallatto's vocals on a luxurious rendition of Gershwin's "Summertime."
Track Listing
Peak; There Will Never Be Another You; My Scenery; It's Cha Time!; Summertime; George Burns!; Gorgeous George; Vonski; Cha Cha Blue; Manteca; Perfume; A Mother's Love; Marko; Low Funk.
Personnel
George Freeman - Guitar
guitarJoanie Pallatto
vocalsMike Allemana
guitarBilly Branch
harmonicaTatsu Aoki
bassHarrison Bankhead
bass, acousticVon Freeman
saxophone, tenorChico Freeman
saxophoneEldee Young
bass, acousticMichael Raynor
drumsAlejo Poveda-Bateria
drumsRuben Alvarez
percussionLuiz Ewerling
drumsJohn Devlin
bassPenny Pendleton
bass, acousticHamid Drake
drumsKirk Brown
pianoPhil Thomas
drumsJoe Jenkins
drumsLou Gregory
pianoAdditional Instrumentation
George Freeman, electric guitar and leader; Mike Allemana, electric guitar; Ruben Alvarez, congas and timbales; Tatsu Aoki, acoustic bass; John Devlin, electric bass and accordion; Hamid Drake, Luiz Ewerling, drums and percussion; Chico Freeman, tenor sax and soprano sax; Von Freeman, tenor sax and piano; Joanie Pallatto, vocal; Alejo Poveda, drums.
Album information
Title: Everybody Say Yeah! | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Southport Records
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Comments
About George Freeman - Guitar
Instrument: Guitar
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