Andy Statman Bio
"Andy Statman’s musical
gifts defy categorization."
Inspired by the emotional intensity of Bill
Monroe and technique of Jesse McReynolds, during
his early teens Andy began a lifelong obsession
with the mandolin. Applying a New York sensibility
to an Appalachian aesthetic, by age 21 Andy
was among the most inventive creators of a fresh
approach to American roots music (described
by some as “newgrass”). He was soon called upon
for sessions with (among others) Bob
Dylan and the Grateful Dead.
His first mandolin teacher, David Grisman,
soon became a musical partner for recordings
and concerts; David has often said that his
proudest musical achievement was having given
Andy his first mandolin lesson. Absorbing and
transcending traditional approaches to the instrument,
Andy is acknowledged as one of the most
original and creative voices the mandolin has
known, as demonstrated by his own recordings
as well as collaborations with Bela
Fleck, David Bromberg,
Stephane Grappelli, Vassar
Clements, and many others.
But Andy’s mandolin wizardry is only part of
the story. Statman is just as deservedly known
as an innovative interpreter of Jewish instrumental
music -- specifically the devotional and celebratory
music of Chassidic Judaism -- on the clarinet.
The international resurgence of interest
in klezmer - Eastern European Jewish instrumental
music - is due in no small measure to Andy Statman.
One the last generation of musicians to learn
directly from the great European klezmorim of
the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Andy
was uniquely qualified to introduce (and help
reinvent) an old world musical form for a new
world audience. His early klezmer albums helped
inform an entire generation of musicians who
continue to play and redefine the music. Among
those inspired by Andy was virtuoso classical
violinist Itzhak Perlman, who
asked Andy to join him for a critically acclaimed
series of albums, videos, and concerts entitled
"In The Fiddler’s House." Their relationship
was rekindled last year when Perlman asked Andy
and his group to accompany him in a gala tribute
to Steven Spielberg.
Andy’s greatest clarinet mentor was the legendary
Dave Tarras. Known as one of
the giants of klezmer music in his native Ukraine
and later in America, Tarras was also one of
the technically finest clarinet virtuosi of
his day. He saw Andy as a worthy protégé,
asking him to produce his final recording sessions
and bequeathing Andy his treasured clarinets.
That legacy came with a proviso, however: that
Andy not be bound by tradition, but play the
instruments his own way.
In carrying on Dave’s legacy, Andy’s approach
to the clarinet is much like his style on the
mandolin -- respectful of the traditions of
his teachers, but uniquely and unmistakably
his own. The spark is provided by the same inspiration
from which klezmer flows: the sometimes contemplative,
often ecstatic, and always deeply spiritual
melodies of Chassidism. These songs, usually
wordless vocal melodies, are sung at different
times of day, week, month, or year to induce
specific states of spiritual devotion and exaltation.
Andy and his Trio often take these mystical
melodies as starting points for flights of exploration,
communication, and imagination. For Andy’s Trio,
spontaneity is a key component of the music,
and the roadmaps for these musical journeys
include obscure two-hundred-year old songs passed
on exclusively by oral tradition, modern melodies
from one or another Chassidic dynasty, a Statman
original written in a Ukrainian taxi or a crowd
pleasing stomp remembered from a radio broadcast
of the Louisiana Hayride. Each time these melodies
are played by the Andy Statman Trio they are
radically reinvented and reinterpreted.
Andy Statman is joined by bassist Jim
Whitney, a New Hampshire native and
Brooklyn transplant who brings to the Trio his
New England Conservatory training and a diverse
background in jazz, Brazilian, and American
folk styles . Jim is a well known and versatile
musician equally at home in the re-imagined
folkways of the Wayfaring Strangers, the free
jazz inflected Walter Thompson ensemble, and
many television and motion picture soundtracks.
Percussionist Larry Eagle’s
experiments in cross-cultural pollination include
country-and-western music in Finland, 50’s vintage
R-and-B in Malaysia, Zydeco in Barbados, underground
jazz in the former Soviet Union, Irish rock-and-roll
near Prague, and Chicago blues on an Athenian
hilltop. Some of Larry’s other recent projects
include Grammy nominated recordings with Odetta
and Bruce Springsteen.
For
more information contact info@MayonMedia.org
