Fred celebrated 83 trips around the sun on Saturday, July 4, with a few hundred of his closest Croatian friends at the 26th annual Liburnia Jazz Festival in beautiful Opatija. The day fell during a summer tour of his Generations Trio with Leonardo Corradi on organ and Tony Match on drums. Just days earlier Fred was at Antone's in Austin for the Texas debut of his band the New JBs, with Dwayne Dolphin on bass, Bryan Morris on drums, Bruno Speight on guitar, Gary Winters on trumpet, Charles...

A long-awaited appearance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival on April 30 with his New JBs was the climax of Fred's swing through the U.S. South. Initially cancelled due to forecast thunderstorms, the crestfallen band was elated to have the set rescheduled for four hours earlier and to finally get their chance to play. A planned oral history interview was cancelled when storms ended the Festival day early, but Fred still was able to have a brief fun visit with the interviewer,...

Next on Fred's itinerary are dates in in the Southeast United States, including his long-awaited appearance at the venerable New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with his New JBs on April 30. Catch the band's set at 5:45pm in the WWOZ Jazz Tent, and the oral history interview with DJ Soul Sister on the Allison Miner Music Heritage stage at 3: 45pm. Click here for tickets and more information. Also catch him April 29 at Snug Harbor as a special guest of Delfeayo Marsalis' Uptown Jazz...