Stan Freese

Last updated
Stan Freese
Born
Stanford Dale Freese

(1944-08-21) August 21, 1944 (age 80)
Muscatine, Iowa, U.S.
Alma mater University of Minnesota (BA)
Occupation(s)Musician, bandleader, talent booker, entertainment producer
Years active1954–present
Spouse(s)Patricia Weatherhead (married 1971–1987)
Tera Abercrombie (married 2004–present)
Children Josh Freese
Jason Freese

Stanford Dale Freese (born August 21, 1944) [1] is an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, and talent booking director best known for his work with The Walt Disney Company.

Contents

Born in Iowa and raised in Minnesota, Freese is a tuba player and worked in Disney's theme park division for 45 years—specifically Disney Live Entertainment. He contributed to entertainment projects at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, and Tokyo Disney Resort as a performer, bandleader, talent booker, show director, and producer. [1] Freese retired from Disney in 2016, but still does entertainment consulting work. [1]

Early life

Stanford Dale Freese was born in Muscatine, Iowa on August 21, 1944, to Ethyl (née Visser) and Harold "Hal" Freese. [1] Freese's parents were both musicians (his mother was a pianist and his father was a trumpet player and bandleader) as well as teachers. When Freese was eight years old, his family moved to Edina, Minnesota (a suburb of Minneapolis), which became Freese's hometown. [1]

Freese first began learning the tuba at age nine on a bet with two elementary school friends. [1] After some instruction from his father, he became quite prolific and spent the next several years competing and performing around the Midwest with school marching bands and as a solo musical comedy act. [1] At age 14, Freese made a solo tuba performance on an episode of Lawrence Welk's Top Tunes and New Talent television show, sharing billing with the Lennon Sisters and Pete Fountain. [1]

Career

Early work

Freese began his music career as a teenager, playing fairs, nightclubs, and corporate events in the Midwest as a solo act or in a trio with accordion champion Leonard "Skeets" Langley. [1] After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in music education in 1968, Freese became the band teacher at Edison High School in Minneapolis. [1] Even while he was teaching at Edison High School, Freese continued to moonlight as a performer.

In the spring of 1969, Freese was asked by Dr. Frank Bencriscutto, one of his music professors, to accompany Bencriscutto's University of Minnesota Wind Ensemble as a tuba soloist on a goodwill tour of the Soviet Union sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. [1] [2] When they returned from the successful seven-week tour that May, Freese and the band performed for President Richard Nixon and Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin in the Rose Garden at the White House. [1]

After receiving a lot of notoriety from his performance at the White House, Freese resigned from his teaching position in early 1971 to work in the Los Angeles area as a session musician. [1]

Disney

While in Los Angeles, Freese caught the attention of James Christensen, director of bands at Disneyland Park and leader of the park's Disneyland Band. [1] Freese was recruited by Christensen and Bob Jani, vice president of Disneyland live entertainment, for a position at the soon-to-open Walt Disney World Resort, leading the 22-piece Walt Disney World marching band at Magic Kingdom Park. [1]

Freese arrived at Walt Disney World in September of 1971, and helped audition musicians for the marching band, as well as other musical groups for the park and resort hotels. [1] He also participated in the resort's opening festivities on October 25—coordinating the 1,076-piece World Marching Band. [1] Freese was one of a team of conductors helping the massive marching band keep time as they marched up Main Street U.S.A., led by Meredith Willson. [1]

Freese remained at Walt Disney World until the spring of 1974, when Bob Jani transferred him to Disneyland to lead the Disneyland Band. [1] As leader of the Disneyland Band, Freese modernized the band's repertoire, giving the musicians more variety. [1]

In 1983, Freese became a talent booking director at Disneyland—auditioning and hiring musicians and bands for work in the park and special events, as well as forming bands and musical acts based on operational needs. [1] Freese continued as a talent booking director for most of the rest of his Disney career, except for temporary assignments. He also served as a show director and entertainment producer at both Disneyland and the Queen Mary (Disney operated the Queen Mary for a short period in the 1980s and 1990s). [1] In 1990, Freese returned to leading the Disneyland Band for two years, until Art Dragon was selected as the new leader. [1] Freese was also instrumental in forming Billy Hill and the Hillbillies, a fan-favorite bluegrass band that performed at Disneyland from 1987 to 2014. [1] In 2001, Freese became the talent booker and show director for the Downtown Disney shopping complex at the Disneyland Resort, organizing the atmosphere entertainment program. [1]

In his time as a talent booking director, Freese received several temporary assignments at other Disney Parks around the world.

In 1990, Freese was recruited by Disney Live Entertainment executive Ron Logan to return to Walt Disney World and help revamp the faltering Pleasure Island, which had opened the year before. [1] As the entertainment producer, Freese worked with Walt Disney Imagineering to retheme several of the island's nightclubs, change out atmosphere acts, and add the island's nightly New Year's Eve festivities. [1]

Freese was brought on to the Tokyo DisneySea project in the late 1990s by Jim Cora, president of Disneyland International. [1] Cora wanted Freese to oversee the development of park's atmosphere entertainment as a producer and show director. [1] Freese stayed in Japan for several weeks in the lead-up to the park's opening in September of 2001 to rehearse and get the acts ready, which included several music ensembles. [1]

When Freese retired from his position at The Walt Disney Company, he became a consultant and instructor for Disney Imagination Campus, the educational program for student performing groups at the Disneyland Resort. [1] Freese leads several of the program's workshops on site.

Outside Disney

Even while he worked for Disney, Freese still moonlighted on occasion as a musician and performer. From 1977 to 1981, Freese played tuba in the live band for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus whenever the traveling show came to the Southern California area. [1]

In 1980, Freese was asked again by the University of Minnesota and Dr. Frank Bencriscutto to appear as a featured tuba soloist in another U.S. government-sponsored international goodwill tour—this time in China. [2] The tour lated several weeks in June and July, and gained international recognition as the first American concert band to play in China in over 30 years. [1]

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Freese made a few guest appearances on the Nashville-based country-western variety show Hee Haw , performing songs he wrote specifically for the show. [1] Freese performed solo as well as with show co-host Roy Clark as well as Charlie McCoy. [1]

When Freese retired from Disney in 2016, he became a full-time entertainment consultant with clients such as the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and Knott's Berry Farm. [1] For the latter, Freese regularly books talent for Knott's special entertainment programs throughout the year. [1]

Through his two sons, who are also musicians, Freese has had many opportunities to perform with popular musicians and bands. He was a regular guest on albums and in live performances for The Vandals, of which his son Josh is a member. [1] The Vandals covered one of Freese's songs (with Freese performing), "Play That Country Tuba, Cowboy," on their 1999 album, The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes . Freese has also played tuba on tracks for Green Day, Mariachi Divas, and Queens of the Stone Age. [1]

Awards and recognition

In 1995, Freese was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. [3] In 1997, he was the recipient of the Classic Conference Fine Arts and Distinguished Service Award. In 2007, Freese was inducted into the Edina Hall of Fame and awarded the Outstanding Achievement Award by the University of Minnesota. [4] Also in 2007, he entered the Guinness Book of World Records as producer of the largest all-tuba ensemble in the world—consisting of over 500 tubas performing in Tubachristmas concert at Downtown Disney. In 2008, Freese received the Disney Entertainment Excellence Award. In 2009 and 2010, he was recognized by the United States Armed Forces School of Music for participation and training of United States Army senior bandleaders for the United States military bands. In 2010, he received the Disney Entertainment Hall of Fame Award and the NAMM Association School JAM USA Award on behalf of the Walt Disney Company. In 2011, he received the Orange County Lifetime Achievement Award. [5] In 2021, Freese received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Tuba Euphonium Association. [6]

Personal life

Freese married Patricia Weatherhead, a fellow musician and coed in both high school and college, on June 25, 1971. [1] The marriage produced two sons—Josh and Jason—both of whom are studio and touring musicians. [7] Josh is drummer and a member of The Vandals, Devo, and Foo Fighters. [8] Jason, a keyboardist and saxophonist, is primarily a studio musician and has been touring with Green Day since 2004. The marriage ended in divorce in May of 1987 due to Freese's alcoholism. [1]

Freese has struggled with alcohol addiction since the age of 16. [1] After his divorce, Freese checked himself into rehab and attended Alcoholics Anonymous—remaining sober ever since. [1] Freese now encourages and sponsors friends, coworkers, and family as they go through addiction recovery and AA, including his two sons. [1]

Freese married Tera Abercrombie, whom he met while she worked at one of the stores in Downtown Disney, on September 5, 2004. [1] They live in Placentia, California. [1] Freese has six grandchildren between his two sons. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Vandals</span> American punk band

The Vandals are an American punk rock band, established in 1980 in Orange County, California. They have released ten full-length studio albums, three live albums, 3 live DVDs and have toured the world extensively, including performances on the Vans Warped Tour. They are well known for their use of humor, preferring to use their music as a vehicle for comedy and sarcasm rather than as a platform for more serious issues. Kung Fu Records, founded in 1996 by Escalante and Fitzgerald has signed and launched many punk rock bands.

<i>Oi to the World!</i> 1996 studio album by The Vandals

Oi to the World! is a Christmas album by the southern California punk rock band the Vandals. It was released in 1996 by their label Kung Fu Records, who also re-released it in 2000 with altered artwork and a bonus track. It was the band's sixth full-length studio album and presented holiday-themed songs written and performed with the tongue-in-cheek humor for which the band is known.

<i>Live Fast, Diarrhea</i> 1995 studio album by The Vandals

Live Fast, Diarrhea is the fourth studio album by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals, released in 1995 by Nitro Records. It was the band's first album for Nitro, a label started and co-owned by Dexter Holland and Greg Kriesel of The Offspring. It was also the first to be produced by Vandals guitarist Warren Fitzgerald, who would continue to produce most of their albums throughout their career, and the first to include Brooks Wackerman, who often substituted for regular drummer Josh Freese. It was a breakthrough release for the band, who would release three more albums on Nitro before moving to their own label Kung Fu Records in 2002.

<i>The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes</i> 1999 studio album by The Vandals

The Vandals Play Really Bad Original Country Tunes is an album by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals, released in 1999 by Kung Fu Records. Essentially a re-release of their 1989 album Slippery When Ill, it contains 8 of the 10 songs from that album along with 2 newer, previously unavailable songs. Part of the impetus for its release was that the original Slippery When Ill, long asked for by the band's fans, had become very rare and difficult to obtain due to the small size of the record labels it was originally released on. With their Kung Fu label now firmly established, the band was able to re-release this music from ten years earlier in their career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Freese</span> American drummer (born 1972)

Joshua Ryan Freese is an American drummer. A member of punk rock band the Vandals since 1989, Freese has also been a member of new wave band Devo since 1996 and rock band Foo Fighters since 2023.

<i>Hitler Bad, Vandals Good</i> 1998 studio album by The Vandals

Hitler Bad, Vandals Good is the seventh studio album by the southern California punk rock band The Vandals, released in 1998 by Nitro Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marty Sklar</span> American businessman

Martin A. "Marty" Sklar was a scriptwriter and construction developer. He was The Walt Disney Company's international ambassador for Walt Disney Imagineering, the subsidiary of the company which designs and constructs Disney theme parks and resorts across the world. He was formerly vice president of Concepts and Planning for the company, before being promoted to president, then vice chairman and principal creative executive before his final role. Disney honored him with a Disneyland window dedication ceremony on his date of retirement, July 17, 2009.

Magic Music Days was a program put on by the Disneyland Resort, the Walt Disney World Resort, the Disneyland Resort Paris and the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. Its intent bring in school and community groups to perform in the parks and/or take part in workshops or clinics. This program was replaced by Disney Imagination Campus which includes all performing groups and field trip ticket-only youth groups. Types of groups included:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Country Bear Jamboree</span> Attraction at Disney theme parks

The Country Bear Jamboree is an attraction in the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World Resort and Tokyo Disneyland at Tokyo Disney Resort. It was formerly located at Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort. The attraction is also known as the Country Bear Musical Jamboree at Magic Kingdom and the Country Bear Theater in Tokyo Disneyland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Themed Entertainment Association</span> Theme park industry association

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is an international non-profit association that represents creators, developers, designers and producers of themed entertainment. It is also noted for its THEA Awards, which were founded in 1995 and are distributed annually in a range of themed entertainment categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Freese</span> American musician

Jason Jeremy Freese is an American musician and multi-instrumentalist. As a studio musician, he has performed on over 50 albums, mainly on saxophones and keyboards, including for artists Green Day, Dr. Dre, Pitbull, Avenged Sevenfold, Goo Goo Dolls, and Jewel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Bruns</span> American composer (1914–83)

George Edward Bruns was an American composer of music for film and television. His accolades include four Academy Award nominations and three Grammy Award nominations. He is mainly known for his compositions for numerous Disney films from the 1950s to the 1970s, among them Sleeping Beauty (1959), One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Sword in the Stone (1963), The Jungle Book (1967), The Love Bug (1968), The Aristocats (1970), and Robin Hood (1973).

Ronald Logan was an American businessman who served as executive vice president of Walt Disney Entertainment. After retiring from the company in 2001, he was formally a professor at the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management in Orlando, Florida, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies</span> Musical/variety group

Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies is a musical/variety group that regularly performs at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. Prior to 2014, they performed for 26+ years at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California as Billy Hill and the Hillbillies. The group performs a bluegrass country music-centered show along with classic rock and rap.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The American Adventure (Epcot)</span> Pavilion of World Showcase in Epcot

The American Adventure is the host pavilion of the World Showcase within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, United States. It is also the name of the Colonial American-themed pavilion's main attraction, an Audio-Animatronics stage show of American history. It is located between the Italy and Japan pavilions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disneyland</span> Amusement park in Anaheim, California

Disneyland is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, and opened on July 17, 1955.

Robert Frank Jani was an American event producer, creative director, and entertainment executive who specialized in live entertainment, ceremonies, and spectaculars.

Frank Bencriscutto, nicknamed "Dr. Ben," was an American conductor and composer of concert band music. Bencriscutto was Director of Bands and Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota for thirty-two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea</span> Musical artist

The Mariachi Divas de Cindy Shea is an all-female mariachi band based in Los Angeles, California. The band was founded in 1999 by Cindy Shea. In 2009, they became the first all-female mariachi band ever to be nominated for a Grammy Award, and the first to win one. As of 2016, the band has been nominated for seven Grammy awards, winning twice. They are the official mariachi band of the Disneyland resort. In May 2014, they headlined the opening of a new dinner theater in Anaheim, California dedicated exclusively to mariachi music.

<i>Candlelight Processional</i> (Disney Parks) Annual Christmas event at the Disney theme parks

The Candlelight Processional is an annual live Christmas event held in Disneyland Park in California and EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The event was created by Walt Disney himself, and has become an annual holiday tradition for many guests. The processional is currently performed for only two nights only at Disneyland, and throughout the holiday season at EPCOT.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 Freese, Stanford (2023). Music, Mayhem and the Mouse: My "Tubazar" Life (1st ed.). Skyway Press. ISBN   978-1736044650.
  2. 1 2 "Dr. Frank Bencriscutto Celebration Concerts – Biographies". University of Minnesota. April 15, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Standford Freese (1945 - ), Inducted in 1995" (PDF). Minnesota Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Standford Freese: Outstanding Achievement Award Recipient". University of Minnesota. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  5. ↑ "DLR Casting Director Earns OC Music Swards Lifetime Achievement Honor". MouseInfo. February 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018.
  6. ↑ "2021 ITEA Awards". International Tuba Euphonium Association. 2021.
  7. ↑ "The Family Business: Stan Freese and Sons Josh and Jason – OC Weekly". OC Weekly . June 26, 2011. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Foo Fighters announce Josh Freese as new drummer after Taylor Hawkins' death | Foo Fighters | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.