ABSTRACT
American tenor saxophonist, born Lawrence Freeman in Chicago. He was one of the Austin High School Gang, a group of white boys who developed the Chicago jazz style. In 1927 he went to New York and joined Ben Pollack’s band; in 1929 he moved to Red Nichols. During the 1930s he played with many orchestras, including those of Paul Whiteman, Tommy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman; then he toured with various smaller groups in the 1940s. Freeman won the Down Beat poll in 1938. He led his own groups in the 1950s and 1960s, moved to London, and finally returned to Chicago, where he died in 1991.
