Andy Statman Trio
2008 Grammy Nominee! A very rare opportunity to hear at The Cedar a genuine double virtuoso at the height of his powers. Andy will perform one set on mandolin and one set on clarinet, highlighting tunes from his recent pair of contrasting albums, East Flatbush Blues (bluegrass-inspired) and Awakening From Above (inspired by hasidic melodies), with help from Jim Whitney on bass and Larry Eagle on drums and percussion. Statman, one of his generation's premier mandolinists and clarinetists, thinks of his compositions as "a spontaneous, American-roots form of very personal, prayerful hasidic music, by way of avant-garde jazz." This small, modest man takes for granted that a performer might embody several worlds in his art, and seems not to recognize that his music, like his story, is extraordinary.
A lifelong musical omnivore, Statman grew up listening to show tunes, klezmer, classics--and whatever else he could lay his ears on, including the early sounds of rock and roll, and the folk revival. When he stumbled upon bluegrass, he became driven to learn how to play guitar and banjo, and eventually took life-changing mandolin lessons from David Grisman. A musical partnership began which has lasted more than 30 years, and yielded several recordings, including the acclaimed Songs of our Fathers. Along the way, Statman also had notable partnerships with Bela Fleck, David Bromberg, and Vassar Clements. Not content to stay within one musical genre, and restlessly seeking the roots of his own traditions, Statman began exploring the Old World Jewish music he remembered from his childhood. An apprenticeship with klezmer clarinettist Dave Tarras helped Statman unearth the ecstatic devotional music he had unconsciously been seeking, and sent his muse on the other main trajectory of Statman's life, thrusting him into the heart and soul of his religious roots.
Statman recreates his musical and spiritual journey whenever he performs with his trio: "We're creating an experience between the audience and us... At a certain point, we're just talking, just having a three-way conversation." This "conversation" changes each time they have it on stage, no melody sounding quite the same as it did before, and none bearing the definitive stamp of the genre that spawned it. A totally unselfconscious performer, Statman does not mind that many audiences leave slightly befuddled as to what kind of music, exactly, they have just heard.
It is unabashedly American music, Statman would tell them, proud of his U.S. roots, and the spirit of individuality, creativity and compassion that country embodies. And it's jazz, he'd say, on its lonely search for the spirit of lost worlds. Or it's deeply religious hasidic prayer, he'd explain in his kind, soft voice, intended to embrace my brothers and bring them back into the fold. It's deeply Jewish because I am, and it's honest, because I am. It's all of those things, because, although they may seem worlds apart to you, "they all come together in me."
"Andy Statman is a master of two idioms linked only by their demand for virtuosity and their down-home origins." (New York Times)
"John Coltrane and Bill Monroe poured into one person." (Ricky Skaggs)
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