DR. MICHAEL ALLEMANA is a Chicago-based jazz guitarist, arranger, composer, ethnomusicologist and educator who has known the Freeman family since the early 1990s, when he played in Von Freeman’s band. He and George Freeman also played in a band, with Bernard Purdie on drums. We spoke to Allemana about George Freeman’s contributions to jazz guitar and the historic Chicago jazz scene.
How would you describe George Freeman’s playing?
George has a wealth of blues, bebop and swing vocabulary. That’s where he resides. What really sets him apart is his rhythm. He has a way of leaving space, and he has a behind-the-beat feel in his quarter notes, eighth notes and other rhythms. When
