Andy Statman

[AW Meyer]

The Andy Statman Trio played a show in Vancouver on Tuesday night (Feb. 24).
The venue was a small theatre, perhaps 300 seats. The performance was simply amazing. I had heard a little of Andy's music before, but from what I've read lately I had an idea of what to expect.

His trio includes a drummer and a standup bass player. They opened with a few numbers of mostly improvisational material with Andy on clarinet. The bassist took a lot of solos, bowing the big fiddle. Then Andy took out his mandolin -- a newish looking F5 -- I think it may have been a Collings -- but I couldn't see the headstock, because of Andy's habit of turning sideways to the audience. I suspect that helped him communicate with the other trio members a little better. The mandolin music was also very improvisational and jazzy, with Andy ripping through some blistering runs, playing unusual chord progressions, and doing little percussive plinks behind the bridge. They played two one-hour sets, plus the obligatory encore.

As I left the theatre, all I could do was shake my head, the performance was that good. If Andy's ever in your neck of the woods, don't miss him.

[JEStanek]

IIRC, Andy has been playing a Kimble F5 for a couple of years now. The old A2Z has been usurped!

Jamie

[sloanypal]

The trio was in Minneapolis last fall. We got to chat with him after the show. We told him that we loved the show and he gets kind of a aww-shucks look and says apologetically, "Well, it's mostly just improvisation"! Anyway, my point is that he sure is a nice guy as well as a great musician.

[swampstomper]

I had the pleasure of seeing that trio in Utrecht (Netherlands) two years ago when he still had the A2Z (or whatever it really is -- we had discussion about that awhile back). I went with a Mexican friend who was familiar with both classical and Mexican folk music, but the rest of the audience was pure Dutch and I guess the word hadn't gotten out to the bluegrass community because none of the usual suspects were there, that I could see. It was weird being the only person in the audience who recognized the opening notes and progression of Rawhide (which Andy has modified into what he titles Rawhide!, composer credits still to Monroe) and Cherokee Shuffle. A tremendous show but the audience was typically Dutch bourgeouis polite and passive, not sure that Andy got much of a feedback.

(Not to imply that all Dutch audiences are like this; when NBB came to Paradiso in A'dam about the same time it was well-publicized among bluegrassers and the place was packed with an enthuasiastic, vocal audience. It's a particular slice of the Dutch society that thinks showing enthusiasm during a concert is... a bit too out of control)

[Santiago]

Andy is an amazing musician. I can't wait for him to release the stuff he supposedly recorded last year with Richard Thompson. 'Gonna be a while.

[Rick Schmidlin]

I missed the show:(

[SternART]

Coupla SF Bay Area gigs coming up in March......one at Yoshi's Jazz Club and the other at a Synagogue in the Valley. He was an inspiring teacher at the last two Mandolin Symposiums, it was interesting hearing about his studies with musicians from numerous other cultures, that he said would only have been available to him in a place like New York City. Combining those kinds of scales and modes with his Bluegrass roots, and the Avante Garde jazz he loves, and the Jewish clarinet tradition, he has morphed all these influences into a unique voice as a musician. I used to think he just played a fret off, or played outside on purpose......but he goes much deeper than that. I took all the classes he was teaching at the two Symposiums, and after studying bit with Andy, I now realize my original thoughts about his playing were naive, showing my lack of experience or knowledge....I understood he had a unique voice on mandolin, but didn't comprehend the "brains" behind his playing.....I now consider him a musical genius!

[djweiss]

Arthur, do you have any dates for Andy's Bay Area gigs? His website doesn't mention them...

Thanks,
Darren in Humboldt

[SternART]

Yoshi's in SF on Monday the 23rd of March.......and the day before at Congregation Beth Shalom, in Modesto, at 3PM on the 22nd.

[mrmando]

Arrrrrrrrrgh ... Andy's concert listings haven't been updated since last October. Vancouver would not have been too far to drive if I had known about this. Please, if there's a Seattle gig that I somehow haven't missed, tell me!

If there was a Seattle gig that I did miss, DON'T tell me -- I might have to smash my computer in frustration.

[Michael Eck]

Statman is one of my very favorite musicians of any stripe.

I tend towards the simple stuff myself. I don't think it's gets much better than Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie. Having said that, I also love outside jazz like the screeching and skronking of Frank Wright.

What I don't like is (as bassist Keith Ferguson called it) hittla-hittla-weee-weee-weee show-off music.

Statman may occasionally play a lot of notes, but there is such soul and thought in every one that it thrills me -- whether on clarinet or saxophone.

The fact that he's a nice guy and a dedicated family man who's found a way to balance his chosen spiritual life with his daily life and musical pursuits only makes him more attractive to me -- proof that you don't have to sell your soul to play like the devil.

I've seen him live three times now and come away stunned and vibrating with joy every time.

I can't play anything like him -- AT ALL -- but he's still one of the main reasons I've pursued the instrument.

[SternART]

[QUOTE=Michael Eck;635840]
"The fact that he's a nice guy and a dedicated family man who's found a way to balance his chosen spiritual life with his daily life and musical pursuits only makes him more attractive to me -- proof that you don't have to sell your soul to play like the devil."

WELL said Michael!

[Glassweb]

Statman is one of my very favorite musicians of any stripe.

I've seen him live three times now and come away stunned and vibrating with joy every time.

I can't play anything like him -- AT ALL -- but he's still one of the main reasons I've pursued the instrument.

there you have it... very well put...

[John Rosett]

I've been a fan of Andy Statman since his Country Cookin' and David Bromberg Band days, but I've never gotten the chance to see him.
So, Andy, if you're reading this, we're waiting to see you in Montana.....

[ssternlight]

Yoshi's in SF on Monday the 23rd of March.......and the day before at Congregation Beth Shalom, in Modesto, at 3PM on the 22nd.

Where's Yoshi's?

[sgarrity]

Didn't I read on here that he's coming out wiht a new cd soon? I'll be very anxious to get tath. His last one was jaw dropping amazing!

[SternART]

Yoshi's Jazz Club http://www.yoshis.com/sanfrancisco
1330 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 655-5600

[homermando]

Byron Berline had a little blurb on his website about playing on a new Statman recording. http://www.doublestop.com/misc.php?start_from=1&ucat=&archive=&subaction=&id=&

[lpe]

The Andy Statman website has been updated to show upcoming dates in Brooklyn, Modesto, San Francisco, Ashland OR and Amador County CA.

There are also video clips from the Vancouver show at www.youtube.com/DerechAmuno


Thursday 5 March 2009 @ 10:00 PM
Barbes
Brooklyn NY

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Sunday 22 March 2009 @ 3:00 PM
Congregation Beth Shalom
Modesto CA

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Monday 23 March 2009 @ 8 & 10 PM
Yoshi's San Francisco
San Francisco CA

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Tuesday 24 March 2009 @ 8 PM
Havurah Shir Hadash
Ashland OR

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Wednesday 25 March 2009
Private Concert
Amador County CA

[John Rosett]

lpe- Thanks for the great videos!



Montana...Montana...Montana...Montana...Montana... Montana...Montana...

[Marcus CA]

The Statman show in SF was expectedly amazing, starting off with a very low register clarinet improv with shimmering cymbals, and ending with sharing the stage with David Grisman (giving us all a present on his birthday). If you ever wondered what "Wipe Out!" sounds like on dueling mandolins...

Did anyone stay for the second show? Usually, that's the adventurous one at Yoshi's, and Andy was already way out there playing without a net in the first one. I'd love to hear details. I wish I could have stayed, but I needed to get to sleep before Monday turned into Tuesday.

[hlebowi2]

Statman is one of my very favorite musicians of any stripe.

I tend towards the simple stuff myself. I don't think it's gets much better than Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie. Having said that, I also love outside jazz like the screeching and skronking of Frank Wright.

What I don't like is (as bassist Keith Ferguson called it) hittla-hittla-weee-weee-weee show-off music.

Statman may occasionally play a lot of notes, but there is such soul and thought in every one that it thrills me -- whether on clarinet or saxophone.

The fact that he's a nice guy and a dedicated family man who's found a way to balance his chosen spiritual life with his daily life and musical pursuits only makes him more attractive to me -- proof that you don't have to sell your soul to play like the devil.

I've seen him live three times now and come away stunned and vibrating with joy every time.

I can't play anything like him -- AT ALL -- but he's still one of the main reasons I've pursued the instrument.
Hi Michael!
I saw him a couple of years ago on the roof of the Shul in the Village (it was Sukkot) with my daughter. It was unbelievable.
Howard Lebowitz

[John McGann]

Bass- Jim Whitney (A great friend and long time bandmate)
Drums- Larry Eagle (also worked in Springsteen's Seeger band)

Andy is one of the big reasons I decided to play mandolin.

Not sure how common this info is, but Andy learned every Bill Monroe solo available on LP by the age of 15 or so, and then collected live recordings to learn all THOSE solos. That kind of commitment is always evident in his playing. What an inspiration!

[AlanN]

Andy learned every Bill Monroe solo available on LP by the age of 15 or so, and then collected live recordings to learn all THOSE solos.

And the amazing thing is Monroe made up all those mandolin solos. Grisman, Statman, Wakefield knew a good thing when they heard it. Each one of those guys took Monroe and went...beyond.

'Learn from the best, now you do the rest'