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.
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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
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