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Andrea Brachfeld

Flutist, composer, arranger, producer, educator, business owner, Andrea Brachfeld, is a graduate of The High School of Music and Art and the Manhattan School of Music. Study with Hubert Laws, Jimmy Heath, George Coleman, and Mike Longo helped her develop her own improvisational style.

Since she began her professional career as a musician at age 16, she has recorded and played many different genres of music including funk, Country Western, Charanga, Salsa, Latin Jazz, devotional music and Jazz. Some of the many artists she has associated with include Wayne Wallace, Bobby Carcassés, Oscar Hernandez, Alfredo de la Fé, Ralph Irrizarry, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Joe Newman, Hubert Laws, Nestor Torres, Dave Valentín, Paquito D’Rivera, Kenwood Dennard, Hilton Ruiz, Steve Turre, Wycliffe Gordon, Wallace Roney, and Bill O’ Connell among many others.

Her breakthrough performance as the flutist for the popular Latin band Charanga ’76, catapulted her into Salsa history and fame as the first female flutist to play this music in the United States.

As a high school student, she received the “Louis Armstrong Award for Outstanding Student” from Jazz Interactions, an organization created by Joe and Rigmor Newman. Downbeat magazine referred to Andrea as “one of the finest jazz flutists around.” She has twice been the recipient of the Latin New York Music Award. She received the Chico O’Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award from Latin Jazz USA in Oct. 2006 and the “Pionero Award” in 2010 for her contribution to Latin music.She was also awarded the, “Tribute to the Charanga Flutes,” given by Charanga Legends USA, in August of 2012.

While in Venezuela, having been contracted by music impressario, Renato Capriles, she had the honor of opening for Chick Corea and Paco de Lucia with her first Latin Jazz band in 1982.

Her first Latin Jazz CD, “Remembered Dreams” combines original music with jazz harmony and Latin rhythms. Her second CD, “Back With Sweet Passion”, is a dynamic Charanga Jazz recording featuring Grammy winner Oscar Hernandez on piano and Alfredo De La Fé on violin. Her third CD “Beyond Standards”, a collaborative effort with Chembo Corniel, which features jazz greats Hilton Ruiz on piano, Steve Turre on trombone, and Pedrito Martinez on vocals. Her most recent Latin Jazz CD, “Into the World: A Musical Offering” features guest artists Mike Longo, Paul West, and Brian Lynch. Her first jazz CD named, “Lady of the Island,” was released in October of 2012 by ZOHO music featuring Wallace Roney, Wycliffe Gordon, and Bill O’Connell, longtime musical director for Dave Valentín. Bill also produced the record as well as wrote the arrangements.

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Album Review

Santi Debriano & Arkestra Bembe: Ashanti

Read "Ashanti" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Panama-born bassist Santi Debriano's Arkestra Bembe is a nonet whose centerpiece is the bembe music of west Africa. During the Coronavirus pandemic, Debriano began hosting weekly bembes (musical celebrations) in the basement of his Staten Island, New York home, gradually assembling a group of musicians who would comprise the Arkestra and perform Debriano's compositions and arrangements. The result is Ashanti, an impressive studio recording whose framework is jazz but whose heart and soul are clearly in bembe. ...

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Album Review

Andrea Brachfeld & Insight: Evolution

Read "Evolution" reviewed by Jack Bowers


Although Andrea Brachfeld's may not be a household name, the versatile flutist and composer has been a well-established and respected presence on New York City's jazz and Afro-Cuban scenes since around 1970. On Evolution, her tenth recording as leader, Brachfeld delves musically into children's issues “and the ongoing need [for] basic necessities even in the best of times," using her time for reflection during the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020-21 to find focus and creativity from the ways in which children ...

13
Album Review

Andrea Brachfeld: Evolution

Read "Evolution" reviewed by Jane Kozhevnikova


Andrea Brachfeld is a critically acclaimed flutist, composer and educator. She has won multiple awards, including a grant from Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and was once recognized as the best jazz flutist by Hot House magazine. Evolution features Brachfeld's longtime collaborators Bill O'Connell (piano), Harvie S (bass) and Jason Tiemann (drums). While Brachfeld's previous album, Brazilian Whispers (Origin Records, 2020), focused solely on a Brazilian music sound palette, in Evolution she brings listeners ...

6
Album Review

Santi Debriano: Flash of the Spirit

Read "Flash of the Spirit" reviewed by Paul Rauch


Bassist/composer Santi Debriano has been prominently on the scene since the late seventies, when he worked for several years with saxophonist Archie Shepp. Born in Panama, and raised in Brooklyn from a very young age, his life was integrated with the many crosscurrents of jazz music in the Americas. He worked prominently with Sam Rivers in Paris for a few years, before heading back to New York to perform with the likes of Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Fortune, Larry Coryell, Freddie ...

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Bailey's Bundles

Five Artists: February 2020

Read "Five Artists: February 2020" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Andrea Brachfeld Brazilian Whispers Origin Records 2020 The flute as the lead instrument in any jazz combo relies on an empathic and sensitive rhythm section that will not overpower the wind instrument's delicate voice (Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson notwithstanding). Flautist Andrea Brachfeld happens upon a dandy rhythm section in pianist Bill O'Connell, bassist Harvie S and drummers Jason Tiemann and T Portinho. That said, Brachfeld is more than able to kick out the jams, ...

6
Album Review

Andrea Brachfeld: Brazilian Whispers

Read "Brazilian Whispers" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


While Brazilian Whispers marks Andrea Brachfeld's first thorough exploration of the titular stream of sound, you'd never know it from the results. Teaming up with Bill O'Connell, her longtime pianist and sounding board, the veteran flutist, who's typically engaged in Afro-Cuban affairs or straight ahead suggestions, sounds like she's been playing this music all her life. Rather than spread focus across a massive realm of Brazilian territory, Brachfeld homes in on the music of one of the ...

6
Album Review

Andrea Brachfeld: If Not Now, When?

Read "If Not Now, When?" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Of all of the necessary tools associated with the creative process, the most overlooked may simply be space to think and grow. While the mile-a-minute, multi-tasking mentality that dominates in modern society makes it difficult to find said breathing room, musicians occasionally need to take a step back to fuel their artistic impulses. Flutist Andrea Brachfeld is well aware of that fact. In 2016, Brachfeld put her writing on the backburner and spent a year focusing on meditation. She came ...

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1

Interview

Andrea Brachfeld & Insight: 'Evolution'

Andrea Brachfeld & Insight: 'Evolution'

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

One of the finest jazz flutists around today is Andrea Brachfeld. She studied with Hubert Laws, Jimmy Heath and George Coleman, among others, and has released 10 CDs as a leader. Andrea's latest, with her trio, Insight, is Evolution (Origin). And what a trio: pianist Bill O'Connell, bassist Harvie S and drummer Jason Tiemann. After hearing Andrea on Evolution and becoming smitten by her playing, I reached out for an email interview. To fully understand Andrea's grace, spiritual energy and ...

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Recording

Andrea Brachfeld & Insight with Bill O'Connell, Harvie S, and Jason Tiemann release 'Evolution' on May 20

Andrea Brachfeld & Insight with Bill O'Connell, Harvie S, and Jason Tiemann release 'Evolution' on May 20

Source: Scott Thompson Public Relations

A central figure of jny: New York City’s jazz & Afro-Cuban scenes over the last five decades, flutist Andrea Brachfeld, like most artists over the last two years, found a great amount of time to reflect on their art, community and humanity. For Evolution, Brachfeld’s writing was affected by her dive into children’s issues and the ongoing need of basic necessities even in the best of times. The added pandemic led her to a wide-range of musical sources, each reflecting ...

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Performance / Tour

Flutist Andrea Brachfeld & Her Quartet Insight To Perform At The Triad Theater, NYC, Monday, June 18

Flutist Andrea Brachfeld & Her Quartet Insight To Perform At The Triad Theater, NYC, Monday, June 18

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

Flutist/composer Andrea Brachfeld will perform a CD release show for her new Jazzheads recording, If Not Now, When?, at the Triad Theater on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Monday, June 18 at 9:30pm. The “incredible clarity of purpose” Brachfeld gained after spending 2016 in deep introspection about her life and music generated the nine original compositions on her exhilarating new album. The quartet outing, featuring the dynamic rhythm section of pianist, arranger, co-composer, and co-producer Bill O'Connell, a longtime collaborator, ...

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Recording

Flutist Andrea Brachfeld's Virtuosity As Instrumentalist & Composer Manifested On "If Not Now, When?," Set For May 18 Release By Jazzheads Records

Flutist Andrea Brachfeld's Virtuosity As Instrumentalist & Composer Manifested On "If Not Now, When?," Set For May 18 Release By Jazzheads Records

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

The “incredible clarity of purpose” flutist-composer Andrea Brachfeld gained after spending 2016 in deep introspection about her life and music generated the nine original compositions on her exhilarating new album If Not Now, When?, which is set for May 18 release by Jazzheads Records. The quartet outing, featuring the dynamic rhythm section of pianist, arranger, co-composer, and co-producer Bill O’Connell, a longtime collaborator, as well as bassist Harvie S and drummer Jason Tiemann, is an uncompromising manifestation of music Brachfeld ...

172

Recording

Andrea Brachfeld Releases "Into the World: A Musical Offering" on Shaneye Records

Andrea Brachfeld Releases "Into the World: A Musical Offering" on Shaneye Records

Source: All About Jazz

Shaneye Records proudly presents Andrea Brachfeld's latest release Into the World: A Musical Offering featuring Mike Longo, longtime musical director for Dizzy Gillespie, Paul West, worldwide known bassist extraordinaire, and Brian Lynch, Eddie Palmieri's trumpet player. The music on the CD ranges from Latin Jazz to Salsa, Yoruban and Hebrew chants, to straight ahead jazz. Andrea's original compositions comprise the majority of the tracks and her compositional skills as well as technical versatility on the flute are outstanding. This CD ...

Played (the) “Lotus Blossom” track last night on Jazz After Dark. Very, very nice track. You sound great!!! And, I must add that Lotus Blossom is the best jazz CD that you have released to date. Your flute vocabulary is purely Andrea Brachfeld at its finest!!! Arthur Barron Jazz After Dark 88.9 WDNA Public Radio Miami, Florida

Rick’s Pick Andrea Brachfeld is a flutist equally comfortable playing Latin jazz or straight- ahead swing/bop/postbop styles; her tone is consistently warm and woody, her phrasing lithe, her time impeccable. And she possesses that essential but rare trait: the ability to express herself deeply without taxing the patience of the listener. Listen, for example, to the way she jumps from the decorous abstractions of “A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing” to the skipping boppishness of “If I Love Again,” and note how her solos in both cases pay deep respect to the tunes while never letting us forget who she is. The whole album is like that, and there’s something here for just about every jazz fan. Rick Anderson November 2, 2015 www.cdhotlist.com

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Primary Instrument

Flute

Willing to teach

Advanced only

Credentials/Background

Certifications in Music K-12, Elementary K-8
Graduated Manhattan School of Music 1978
Masters in Education from Rutgers University 1985

Clinic/Workshop Information

The History of the Flute in Jazz This workshop will focus on how the flute has been integrated into mainstream jazz since the early 1900’s. A historical and musical timeline including DVD’s and excerpts from recordings will also be included.The flute has traditionally been associated with players who double on saxophones and other woodwind instruments .This workshop will present a positive viewpoint on how flutists have evolved to have a significant and unique voice in jazz as a solo instrument focusing on the individual’s voice as an artist. The Role of the Flute in Cuban Music: 1900s to the present This multimedia presentation will present pertinent historical facts of Cuba as it relates to the integration of the flute into popular Cuban music

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Photos

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Ashanti

Jojo Records
2023

buy

Evolution

Origin Records
2022

buy

Flash of the Spirit

Truth Revolution Records
2021

buy

Brazilian Whispers

Origin Records
2020

buy

What's Up

From: Evolution
By Andrea Brachfeld

The Unraveling of it All

From: Evolution
By Andrea Brachfeld

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