The Milwaukee Tapes Vol. 1

Anderson took his working quartet with trumpeter Billy Brimfield, bassist Larry Hayrod and drummer Hamid Drake to play somewhere in Milwaukee in early 1980 and made arrangements to have a professional 8-track recording made of the concert. 20 years later, when Anderson started to garner attention issuing records more frequently, producer John Corbett released the tapes.[1]

Anderson and Brimfield collaborated since the beginning of the '60s when they had a pre-AACM quartet. Hayrod was a newcomer to the quartet, replacing Steven Palmore. Anderson and Drake enjoyed a close relationship dating back to the early '70s.[1]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	[3]

In his review for AllMusic, Stewart Mason states "Anderson and compatriots are at the top of their game singly and collectively."[2] The Penguin Guide to Jazz says that "there is a tendency to meander through solos in what sounds like a second-gear version of late Coltrane."[3]

In a multiple review for JazzTimes, Harvey Pekar notes that "This is not a free-jazz date; it features five varied and impressive compositions by Anderson and Drake and contains solos based on preset structures."[4]

The PopMatters review by Imre Szeman says that the album "not only allows us to get a glimpse of Anderson in the midst of one of the most exciting periods in his career, but also gives us a chance to hear this Olympian jazz man play live in all his glory."[5]

All compositions by Fred Anderson except as indicated

1. "A Ballad for Rita" - 17:01
2. "The Bull" - 19:22
3. "Black Woman" - 13:26
4. "Bombay (Children of Cambodia)" (Hamid Drake) - 10:05
5. "Planet E" - 10:22

• Fred Anderson - tenor sax
• Billy Brimfield - trumpet
• Larry Hayrod - bass
• Hamid Drake - drums, tablas