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Andy Statman | |
|---|---|
 Statman performing in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1950 New York City |
| Genres | Klezmer,bluegrass |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Clarinet, mandolin |
| Labels | Rounder,Shanachie, Shefa,Tzadik |
| Website | Official website |
Andrew Edward Statman[1] (born 1950) is a noted Americanklezmer clarinetist andbluegrass/newgrass mandolinist.
Statman was born inNew York City and grew up in the borough ofQueens. Beginning at age 12, he learned to play banjo and guitar, following the example of his older brother Jimmy, and then switched to mandolin, which he studied briefly under lifelong-friendDavid Grisman.
He learned to play R&B and jazz saxophone, for a time under the tutelage of Richard Grando, who played saxophone inEarth Opera. As a teenager Statman was already performing in public inWashington Square Park and with local string bands. In 1969 he attendedFranconia College inFranconia, New Hampshire, but eventually dropped out to pursue a musical career.
He first gained acclaim as a mandolinist as a sideman withDavid Bromberg andRuss Barenberg, as well as in the pioneering bluegrass bands Country Cookin' and Breakfast Special.
During the course of exploring a wide range of roots and ethnic music, Statman turned toklezmer music, traditional Eastern European Jewish instrumental music. This led Statman, who grew up in a traditional but secularJewish home, to reconnect with his Jewish roots.
Statman studied klezmer clarinet during the 1970s with legendary klezmer clarinetistDave Tarras, who bequeathed several of his clarinets to him. Statman also producedDave Tarras's last recording. As a clarinetist, he recorded several albums that were highly influential in the Klezmer revival of those years. Still forging ahead musically, he began playingChassidic melodies, fusing bluegrass, klezmer, and jazz along the way. Given his apprenticeship with Tarras and his subsequent master classes at workshops such asKlezKamp as well as privately, Statman became a renowned exponent of traditional Jewish and avant-garde clarinet styles.
The Andy Statman Trio, which includes bassist Jim Whitney and percussionist Larry Eagle, plays regularly at Darech Amuno Synagogue inGreenwich Village in New York City, and tours nationally as schedules allow.
In 1983, he performed on theAntilles Records releaseSwingrass '83.[2]
He has participated in a yearly klezmer concert series withItzhak Perlman and other klezmer superstars.
In 2007, he was aGrammy Awards nominee in theBest Country Instrumental Performance category for his version ofBill Monroe's "Rawhide" on Shefa CDEast Flatbush Blues.
In 2008, Statman appeared as a guest on theBela Fleck and the Flecktones holiday albumJingle All the Way, playing both clarinet and mandolin. The album wonBest Pop Instrumental Album at the51st Annual Grammy Awards. He joined the group in concert on December 10 at theUniversity at Buffalo, Center for the Arts, and December 16 at Philadelphia'sKimmel Center.
Old Brooklyn, a multi-artist recording project, was released in October 2011 on Shefa Records. This double CD features the American roots, R&B, Chassidic and other sides of his music, performed with his trio, Jim Whitney on bass and Larry Eagle on drums and percussion, along with fiddlerByron Berline and guitaristJon Sholle. Guest artists includeRicky Skaggs,Béla Fleck,Paul Shaffer,Bruce Molsky,Art Baron, Marty Rifkin, Bob Jones,Lew Soloff, Kristen Muller andJohn Goodman.[3] His next album wasSuperstring Theory, released in November 2013, which hosts fiddlerMichael Cleveland and guitaristTim O'Brien.
On June 19, 2012, theNational Endowment for the Arts announced that Statman would be awarded aNational Heritage Fellowship, the nation's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. He performed with other recipients of this fellowship in Washington, DC, on October 4, 2012.[4][5]
In recent years Statman has played an Aleyas F-5 and a Will Kimble F-5 mandolin, after having played an early 1920s Gibson A2Z for more than 35 years. He plays several Albert-system clarinets.
Statman is married to the former Barbara Soloway, an artist, teacher and ceramicist. They have 4 children and 19 grandchildren.
