Daily Dose Of Jazz…

Chris Anderson was born on February 26, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois and self-taught, began playing in Chicago clubs in the mid-1940s and played with Von Freeman and Charlie Parker, among others. Hired as Dinah Washington’s accompanist, his tenure with her was brief, as Washington changed accompanists frequently. She fired him in New York six weeks after hiring him, but he chose to remain in the city.

In 1960 he recorded what might be his best regarded album My Romance on the VeeJay label with bassist Bill Lee and drummer Art Taylor. Despite the respect of his peers, Anderson had difficulty finding work or popular acclaim due in large part to his disabilities. He was blind and his bones were unusually fragile, causing numerous fractures, which at times compromised his ability to perform at the times or places requested.

He continued to record until he was well into his 70s. A DownBeat profile indicated he had Osteogenesis, probably meaning osteogenesis imperfecta.

Pianist Chris Anderson, who was best known for his influence on his student Herbie Hancock, passed away of a stroke on February 4, 2008 in Manhattan, New York. He was 81.

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