In the weeks since the death of the great tenor saxophonist and Chicago scene stalwart Fred Anderson on June 24, there have been surprisingly few tribute concerts in his memory. On Wednesday night, though, the Hideout hosts an especially meaningful event: a gig booked before Anderson fell ill by a stellar quartet of his collaborators (drummer Hamid Drake, guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Josh Abrams, and trombonist Jeb Bishop) and subsequently christened "Reflections on Baba Fred Anderson." The quartet will improvise like usual, but for the occasion they'll also play some of Anderson's compositions.

Perhaps no musician was closer to Anderson than Drake, a lifelong disciple who played in Anderson-led bands starting in the 70s; his earliest recordings were with the saxophonist in 1979. (As part of its Unheard Music series, Atavistic has released both of them, reissuing Dark Day and making the material on The Milwaukee Tapes available for the first time.) Drake, Parker, and Abrams all played on one of Anderson's best-ever albums, From the River to the Ocean (Thrill Jockey, 2007). I imagine this concert will provide some catharsis, especially since it's Drake's first in town since Anderson's passing.

photo: Peter Gannushkin / downtownmusic.net

Today's playlist:

Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi, Mala Chandrashekar, and Jaishree Jairaj, Vadhya Sunadha Pravaham (Felmay)
Chll Pll, Aggressively Humble (Porter)
Joe Martin, Not by Chance (Anzic)
Sao Paulo Underground, The Principle of Intrusive Relationships (Aesthetics)
Nice Guy Trio, Here Comes . . . the Nice Guy Trio (Porto Franco)