*on "Windows": Andy McWain (piano) with Daniel Levin (cello)
*on "Resemblance": Rick Britto (tenor sax); Jeremy Udden (soprano sax); Sofia Koutsovitis (voice); Andy McWain (electric piano); David Landoni (acoustic bass); Chris Poudrier (drums/percussion)
*on "transmutableideasofhope": Hilary Noble (tenor sax); Andy McWain (piano); Chris Lopes (acoustic bass); Chris Poudrier (drums) (rec 12/06)
Sounds Like
inside/outside jazz (with a new-music chamber music vibe), plus other stuff....
Boston-born improvising pianist/composer Andy McWain has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Karl Berger, Assif Tsahar, Tiger Okoshi, Santi Debriano, Brian Melvin, Daniel Levin, Tatsuya Nakatani, John Dirac, Jorrit Dijkstra, Hafez Modirzadeh, Albey Balgochian, Laurence Cook, Dino Govoni, Luther Gray, Jim Robitaille, Brooke Sofferman, Bruno Raberg, Reuben Radding, Dennis Warren's Full Metal Revolutionary Jazz Ensemble, and the Zen Bastards, among others. He studied at UMass-Dartmouth, the Aspen Music School, and the New England Conservatory of Music (M.M., composition), and participated in artist residencies at Yaddo (NY), the Atlantic Center for the Arts (FL) with Butch Morris, and the Akiyoshidai International Art Village (JPN). McWain also founded and produces the Audible Think Improvised Music Series in Massachusetts. Recent gigs include three months in early 2006 in a jazz quintet house band at the club _Number Five_ in Shanghai, China.
McWain's recordings include his quartet debut STARFISH with saxophonist Assif Tsahar, bassist Noah Jarrett, and drummer Chris Poudrer. In December, the trio recording McWain-Balgochian-Cook: VIGIL was released and features McWain with Albey Balgochian (Cecil Taylor's current bassist), and veteran drummer Laurence Cook (Bill Dixon, Sabir Mateen, Paul Bley). The recording Andy McWain Ensemble: RESEMBLANCE will be released this spring. It features eight musicians (including Sofia Koutsovitis, Assif Tsahar, Rick Britto, Chris Poudrier, Jeremy Udden, David Landoni, and Albey Balgochian) in various combinations from solo piano, duos, and trios to sextet.
As a composer, he has written concert, jazz, and (some) theater music, and has received grants, honors, and awards from the American Music Center, ASCAP, Meet the Composer/New England, and the American Composers Forum/Boston Chapter. His recent creative efforts include hybrid concert/improvised works. These include "Impervious to Weather" (2004), premiered by violinist Joanna Kurkowicz and a composer-led trio of piano, bass, and saxophone, and "Sovereignty" (2005) premiered by the Radius Ensemble with the composer at the piano.
In December '05, he made a live recording (at the Audible Think Improvised Music Series) with the Andy McWain Ensemble (McWain: elec pno; Marcus Monteiro: alto sax; Jim Robitaille: gtr; Sean Farias: bass; and Brooke Sofferman: drums). He has also recently recorded sessions for a new Hilary Noble Quartet project, a duo/trio project with cellist Daniel Levin, the Kevin Frenette 4 (with Tatsuya Nakatani) and a group project called Gryllus.
We’re a new label in the bay area named Happy Note Records.
Happy Note Records has just released “The XMan Cometh – Expect the Unexpected,” which is available at www. Amazon. com and at www. iTunes. com
2 shows added to New England Tour in August
San Francisco Artist & New Bedford native Charles Xavier performs at the AHA Festival in New Bedford, Mass. on August 14th, the Waterstreet Café in Fall River on Saturday August 23rd, and at the as220. org in Providence on August 24th at 8:30pm.
Happy turkey day!!!! Hey, I am not playing at Ryles in December! Do I have that on my site? Damn... Anyway, I WANT TO SEE YOU! Are you coming to NYC anytime soon? I will be in Boston on December 12th. Are you around? Miss you
Andy... I was checking out the recording from the concert... Great playing! We've got to try and get a steady gig for this group. Killin' band and great vibe! ~dg
Yo Andy....hope we get to hook up and play ASAP. Did you ever end up pressing that Gallery X concert recording we did with Metheny's sound dude? Be well my friend!
yo bro!! well, it's not as cold this year. yeah, i was thinking the other day it was a year ago now that we were rocking #5... there's a new place at 6 on the bund; i'm playing my day off there with jasmine...come back and join us in the spring!!!
no Year of the Cow though
