Andy Statman in ‘Milt Hinton Jazz Perspectives Concert Series’

Clarinetist/Composer/Bandleader Andy Statman is a pioneering musician who is completely devoted to musical tradition but one who continually breaks new artistic ground. As one of the most inventive creators of a fresh approach to American roots music commonly described as “new grass”, he is also quite adept at performing world music and is considered a driving force behind the neo-klezmer movement. Hailed as “the greatest Jewish clarinetist of his generation” by the Jerusalem Post, Statman has released over 25 albums in his vast career to great critical acclaim. He has worked with musical masterminds such as Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, Itzhak Perlman, Bill Monroe and Jesse McReynolds. Officially, he is a noted Klezmer clarinetist and a bluegrass or new grass mandolinist. Statman’s approach to the clarinet is respectful of tradition, but uniquely and unmistakably his own. Spontaneity is a key component of his music and the inspiration for Statman’s journeys include obscure two-hundred-year old songs passed on exclusively by oral tradition, a Statman original, or a crowd pleasing stomp. Each time these melodies are played by Statman and his band, they are radically reinvented and reinterpreted. In 1998, he formed the Andy Statman Quartet with pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Scott Lee and percussionist Bob Weiner.