In a career spanning more than forty years, the Chicago-based saxophonist has played with some of the biggest names in jazz (Elvin Jones, Sun Ra, Dizzy Gillespie), R&B (The Temptations, Michael Jackson, Earth Wind and Fire), Latin music (Chucho Valdes, Tito Puente) and blues (Memphis Slim). Chico Freeman has also studied and taught composition at several American institutions and universities. In the early 2000s, he moved to Europe to start a new chapter of his life — exploration by focusing on his own self-improvement and self-reflection. His appearance at Autumn of Music marks his return to Montreux after four concerts at the Festival, including one with McCoy Tyner in 1981 and his latest with his quintet in 2016.