About Me
Andy McWain: pianist - improviser - composer
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.
More info available at: www.andymcwain.com
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