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Andrew Cheshire

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

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119
Album Review

Andrew Cheshire: The Four Ages of Bob

Read "The Four Ages of Bob" reviewed by Mark F. Turner


The Four Ages of Bob , the tenth release by guitarist Andrew Cheshire, continues on the path of his previous recordings with inventive, stylized, and captivating music. The cover art and liner notes (also produced by Cheshire) elaborate on a fictional character named Bob whose life has been filled with change. From concept to composition, the recording effectively parallels Bob's life with music that varies in mood, tempo, and execution. Cheshire's quintet of solid musicians (also including piano, saxophone, and ...

150
Album Review

Andrew Cheshire: The Four Ages Of Bob

Read "The Four Ages Of Bob" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Andrew Cheshire's last album, Pavane Pour Une Infante Difunte , was one of the finest guitar trio CDs of the past twelve months. With The Four Ages Of Bob , Cheshire has expanded the trio into a quintet and recorded another outstanding record. This time the Philadelphia-based guitarist chronicles the progress of Bob, a sort of archetypal American optimistic free spirit, from the 1960s through an anger-drenched 1980s, and up to his incarnation as a 1990s computer geek who ultimately ...

149
Album Review

Andrew Cheshire: Pavane Pour Une Infante Difunte

Read "Pavane Pour Une Infante Difunte" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Guitarist Andrew Cheshire isn't well-known, even within the jazz community, but he ought to be. On Pavane Pour Une Infante Difunte, his eighth CD on his Joule label, he reveals himself to be a thoughtful, always interesting, and at times inspired improviser.

This CD is the product of Cheshire's working trio, a tight, fluid group that can swing hard or rock out as the music requires. Cheshire likes to segue from rock or funk beats to swing tempos. He also ...

111
Album Review

Andrew Cheshire: Morning Song

Read "Morning Song" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Andrew Cheshire is an excellent Philadelphia (area)-based jazz guitarist who has been releasing music on his Joule Records label since 1996. Of note is the superb Water Street Revival, accumulated over several recording sessions, and an introspective solo guitar project, Guitar Noir. Mr. Cheshire arrives today with a guitar-organ offering that is as much original as it is steeped in the genre’s traditions. Joined by organist Dan Kostelnik and drummer Jay Rosen, the guitarist performs songs that insinuate melody and ...

147
Album Review

Andrew Cheshire: Faces

Read "Faces" reviewed by Mark F. Turner


Chances are you probably haven’t heard of guitarist Andrew Cheshire. But as with the majority of jazz musicians, popularity is not synonymous with talent. Mr. Cheshire is a self-taught and self produced artist, and his latest release, simply titled Faces, is a collection of selected works from 1991 to 2001.

This is Cheshire’s seventh recording on his own recording label, Joule Records. The new release gives a glimpse into the skills in his jazz repertoire. The configurations range from ensemble ...

184
Album Review

Andrew Cheshire: Guitar Noir

Read "Guitar Noir" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Joe Pass in reduction

Guitar Noir is a moody little solo guitar soundtrack from the vastly underrated Andrew Cheshire. Cheshire is well known for having an omnivorous appetite for musical genre that is apparent on his five some releases on his record label Joule. Difficult to categorize, Cheshire's playing ranges from Jeff Beck Fusion to Joe Pass Mainstream.

A perfect soundscape for a dense and twisted mystery thriller, Guitar Noir finds Mr. Cheshire investigating the darker side of the solo ...

156
Album Review

Andrew Cheshire: Magic

Read "Magic" reviewed by Dave Hughes


Magic , Pennsylvania-based guitarist Andrew Cheshire's fifth CD as a leader, is a highly interactive, improvizational affair. Operating with just bass and drums in two different personnel combinations, the sound is, as you would expect, open and sparse. The bassists and drummers also chart their own improvizational course throughout most of the tunes, so the outing is pretty open-ended and free, although the underlying meter and chord structure of each tune usually remains evident.

The first half of the program ...

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142

Recording

Guitarist Andrew Cheshire's "The Four Ages of Bob" - A Peek Inside

Guitarist Andrew Cheshire's "The Four Ages of Bob" - A Peek Inside

Source: All About Jazz

This short story was reprinted from the liner notes of Andrew Cheshire's latest release, The Four Ages of Bob.

The CD is currently available at CD Baby.

I got the idea for the title “The Four Ages of Bob" after thinking quite a lot about the times we live in today. Every era presents us with new trends and new challenges, and we are constantly trying to adapt and adjust to those trends as we also try to cope with ...

"Anyone who professes to love jazz guitar and hasn't checked out Cheshire is missing the boat" -Chris Kelsey, All-Music Guide To Jazz

"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

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Pavane Pour Une...

Joule Records
2004

buy

The Four Ages Of Bob

Joule Records
2004

buy

Faces

Joule Records
2003

buy

Morning Song

Joule Records
2003

buy

Guitar Noir

Joule Records
2002

buy

Magic

Joule Records
2001

buy

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