Primary Instrument: Oud
Andrew Cheshire is one of a (regretfully) not-so-endangered species: the undervalued contemporary jazz musician. His music defies easy categorization; while he's performed and/or recorded with top-flight bebop musicians like Marvin “Smitty” Smith and Kenny Barron, he's also comfortable playing in free contexts with such uncompromising avant-gardists as drummer Jay Rosen and Cecil Taylor-sideman Dominic Duval. Cheshire's long, lissome improvised melodies float in and out of time, yet he's possessed with a firm, aggressive touch and profound sense of swing that serves him well in any context. Cheshire is not a “lick” or pattern-based player so much as he is an inventive and spontaneous melodicist. What is perhaps most impressive about Cheshire is that he is entirely self-taught -- although on closer examination that might well explain the freshness and originality of his approach. The fact that he's not more well-known says much about the sad state of the jazz business at the end of the '90s. Cheshire was raised on Long Island. He began playing the guitar at age ten. At 17, he moved to Brooklyn by himself. There his music education was furthered by listening to records and attending jam sessions at jazz clubs in and around New York City. In addition to those musicians already mentioned, Cheshire has played with Walter Perkins, Don Friedman, Joey Baron, and Ron McClure, among others of note. Cheshire is the founder of his own record label, Joule, for which he has recorded several albums; his 1998 release Another View, was named to year-end Top Ten lists in Jazziz and Cadence magazines. Cheshire now lives in eastern Pennsylvania. In addition to making music, Cheshire is also an accomplished poet and writer on jazz.
Source: Chris Kelsey
“His playing rings out with astounding clarity as he pensively dissects each tune with the precision of a surgeon” -Frank Rubolino, Cadence
“Cheshire has his own style, sound, and aura” -Mark Corroto, All About Jazz
“He shows that he is a masterful improviser with a fresh new vocabulary; a talented guitarist who is a bright new voice in 21st century jazz” -Scott Yanow, Editor; All-Music Guide To Jazz
“He is a hidden talent deserving to be discovered and exposed” -C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz
“Cheshire is a plectrist of unusual facility and more importantly of uncommon sensitivity” -Derek Taylor, All About Jazz
“He manages to make it all fit together and it just sounds right” -Don Friedman, jazz pianist
“His music is charmed with the amazement of life, fueled by passion, and delivered in a honest manner; you can't ask for much more of modern jazz these days” -Michael G. Nastos, All-Music Guide
“A master at conjuring an atmosphere, both in his playing, and his writing” -Larry Nai, Cadence
“His style is a refreshing change from most guitarists” -Mark Keresman, The Jazz Review
“Like the life he leads, his guitar playing is untypical” -Doug Ramsey, jazz critic and author of the book “Jazz Matters”
“Here is a driving, warm, and very inventive bopster who references the tradition, and doesn't try to clone it.” - Robert Rusch, Editor; Cadence
