AndyG

Visit AndyG
Born in Hammersmith London, Saxophonist Andrew "lightening" Godwn A.K.A AndyG is part of a new generation of musicians with the ability and passion to breakdown musical barriers, today Andy is rising through the ranks and establishing himself as a crowd pleasing performer enormously skilled in Traditional and contemporary Gospel, Nu jazz, Afro beat and High life music. Andy is one of the pioneers of Gospel Jazz in the UK ; a musical cross-over that incorporates the chordal spontaneity of Jazz and the rhythmic influence of Afro-Caribbean grooves wrapped in the soulful expression.Andy's interest in music began to develop at the age of eight through his parent's influence who had bought him his first piano; a year later he had began to accompany the regular pianist in church. At the age of fifteen He was awarded the Best instrumentalist whilst playing Trumpet, Drums, percussions and guitar. As a teenager, Andy began to perform along side some of the Gospel greats, also performing with the likes of Eddie Okonta, the legendary African Trumpeter. On a chance meeting with the internationally acclaimed saxophonists Courtney Pine, Andy was persuaded to take up the saxophone; a year later he took a leave of absence from gospel music to self study jazz. He later had the privilege to study with some of the finest saxophone players around today, from whom he gained invaluable experience, in-depth knowledge and a deeper understanding of music itself. Andy originally studied with the legendary Andy Hamilton for about two years, and later studied under the American saxophone giant Jean Toussaint (a Former Jazz Messenger with Art Blakey and a lecturer at the Guild hall School of Music and Drama in London).He quickly rose through the ranks within UK Jazz scene where he began to gain popularity for his unique approach to improvisation which was rooted in his African, American and western influences. Friendship and guidance from the likes of Kirk Whalum, Courtney Pine, Tim Garland, Toni Kofi, Brian Edwards, Bukky Leo, Jason Yardie, Julian Joseph, Michael Blass the Belgian international Pianist, Dele Sosimi the legendary Afrobeat artist and others in the international scene soon brought Andy to some of the prestigious Jazz venues like the Jazz café, The 606 Club, Ronnie Scott, The Royal Festival Hall, Wembley Arena , The Barbican, The Fridge, The Effra, The Tabernacle, The King's Head Barnes, Spitz, BB's Jazz Club, The Gospel Lounge to name a few. Andy continues to perform across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and the US. Whilst playing Traditional and contemporary jazz, Afro beat, Andy could not resist the constant pull of the Gospel Music. Friendship with the African international gospel saxophonists Michael Aremu, and several gospel artists around the world soon found Andy back in the gospel music; these resulted in his return to where he started but this time bringing with him his Jazz influence. AndyG is a gifted performer, composer and arranger who is often referred to as "lightning G" because of his emotional intensity coupled with fluency at some unbelievable speed which can be quite mesmerising to watch. He remains one of UK 's most original and inventive saxophonists. Andy is also a fully qualified airline pilot having also studied Computer Systems Engineering.