Andrea “Andy” Luescher... Born 1953 in Neuhausen on the Rhine, Switzerland, he moved with his parents to Mexico in 1957.
At age 13 he joined a local band as a singer/harmonica player, but soon became the drummer (self-taught) of various rock bands, touring the Mexico City area and also other City's, playing at concert halls to audiences of 800 to 5000 People.
After about four years, he decided to get a formal music education and enrolled at the Conservatory of Music in Mexico City where he studied classical percussion, solfege, theory, music history, choir and did his first experiences as a percussionist in the Conservatory Orchestra.
At the same time, he continued playing drums in rhythm'n blues, blues and funk bands.
After graduation, he played percussion in many symphony orchestras. He was also contracted by many studios and record companies to play for jingles, film music and (Pop) albums. Soon he became one of the busiest drummers in the show business scene.
It was around this time that he discovered his Love to jazz music.
From now on he was fully occupied, playing in night clubs, theaters, shows and concerts, accompanying many different Latin TV stars and also playing in jazz formations ranging from trios and quartets to big bands and orchestras, touring all over Mexico, some South American countries and also some City's of the United States. During this time, he played with some of The greatest Mexican, South American and Nord American jazz musicians.
He was also co-founder of the jazz school in Mexico City where he taught drums, and gave courses on rhythm section basics, jazz history and led workshops for seven years. He also formed his own jazz trios, quartets and quintets and with these bands played on every-night gigs, at jazz clubs and at concerts. He arranged most of the music for his own bands and was often commissioned to write music for art exhibitions, where he performed as well, for example by the Henri Matisse or Pablo Picasso exhibitions at the Modern Art Museum in Mexico City. This also served as inspiration for some experimental and “free-jazz” concerts and recordings.
His curiosity and adventurous spirit made him seek out new Experiences and new ways of musical expression, and in 1987, he decided to leave The American continent and moved to Europe, back to his native country, Switzerland, where because of his versatility, he soon became one of the most in-demand drummers.
His depth of knowledge and his incredible taste and sense of adaptability to all kinds of musical situations has helped him build in Europe, as interesting a career as he had in Mexico. In the past fifteen years, he has toured all over Switzerland and Europe with some of the greatest European musicians, and also with theater productions and musicals. He has performed on TV shows and been a part of many recording sessions as well as in own productions. His originality and unique approach to drumming has also attracted the Attention of several international jazz musicians with whom he has performed In many concerts, festivals and tours across Europe.
Today he is a freelance musician, Arranger and Composer, and is teaching drums and rhythm classes at the Basel jazz school (now part of the Basel Music Academy), also at a youth music school in the suburbs of Basel, and is correspondent of the European Jazz scene for the Jazz Radio “Panorama del Jazz” in Mexico City.
