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Tenor saxophonist/bass clarinetist Chico Freeman has quietly shaped one of the most diverse and exciting repertoires in contemporary jazz. Never content to merely play standards, he has released record after record of wholly original material. While rooted in blues and Bop, his style doesn't strictly adhere to their conventions; rather, he maintains a freewheeling Avant-Garde spirit in his playing. His most acclaimed album, Destiny's Dance, features blisteringly angular melodies, Afro-Brazilian percussion, contemplative Wayne Shorter-esque Post Bop, and droning, Middle Eastern-influenced mood pieces (e.g. the unforgettable "Crossing the Sudan"). In the late ?æ80s, Freeman founded the Fusion group Brainstorm, which remains together to this day. Neither a neoclassicist nor an anarchic avant-squealer, Freeman's music remains fresh and original.
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