Andrew Cheshire (born June 21, 1962) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

guitarist. As a child, Cheshire played piano but switched to the guitar at age 10. While studying fine art, he played jazz in local bands around

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, New York. By 1980, Cheshire moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

where he began attending

jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without ...

s at clubs such as the Blue Coronet and Pumpkins. During this time he had the opportunity play with

Harold Mabern Harold Mabern Jr. (March 20, 1936 – September 17, 2019) was an American jazz pianist and composer, principally in the hard bop, post-bop, and soul jazz fields.Feather, Leonard; Gitler, Ira (2007) ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. p. 425 ...

Kenny Barron Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Early life ...

, Gil Coggins,

Dewey Redman Walter Dewey Redman (May 17, 1931 – September 2, 2006) was an American saxophonist who performed free jazz as a bandleader with Ornette Coleman and Keith Jarrett. Redman mainly played tenor saxophone, though he occasionally also played alto s ...

, and

Louis Hayes Louis Hayes (born May 31, 1937) is an American jazz drummer and band leader. He was with McCoy Tyner's trio for more than three years. Since 1989 he has led his own band, and together with Vincent Herring formed the Cannonball Legacy Band. He i ...

. In 1991, Cheshire had become a member of drummer Walter Perkins group and began forming an association with members of the

M-Base The term "M-Base" is used in several ways. In the 1980s, a loose collective of young African American musicians including Steve Coleman, Graham Haynes, Cassandra Wilson, Geri Allen, Robin Eubanks, and Greg Osby emerged in Brooklyn with a ne ...

collective. During this period he recorded his first sides as a leader, which appear on the album ''Water Street Revival''. In the mid-1990s, Cheshire formed associations with tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, bassist Ron McClure, and pianist

Don Friedman Donald Ernest Friedman (May 4, 1935 – June 30, 2016) was an American jazz pianist. He began playing in Los Angeles and moved to New York in 1958. In the 1960s, he played with both modern stylists and more traditional musicians. Early life Fr ...

; the latter recording two albums together: Cheshire's ''This is Me'' (1996) and Friedman's ''Attila's Dreams'' (1998) dedicated to Friedman's friend and musical associate,

Attila Zoller Attila Cornelius Zoller (June 13, 1927 – January 25, 1998) was a Hungarian jazz guitarist. After World War II, he escaped the Soviet takeover of Hungary by fleeing through the mountains on foot into Austria. In 1959, he moved to the United Sta ...

. Cheshire has written compositions for jazz ensemble. His other musical interests encompass world music and classical, for which he completed a string quartet. As an electric guitarist, Cheshire's interest in amplification led him to design and build guitar amplifiers with original circuits and visual themes. His oil paintings adorn the covers of most of his albums.Andrew Cheshire: Music Art
.Retrieved 24 October 2009.

Discography

*''This Is Me'' (Joule, 1996) *''Another View'' (Joule, 1997) *''Water Street Revival'' (Joule, 1998) *''Magic'' (Joule, 2000) *''Guitar Noir'' (Joule, 2001) *''Faces'' (Joule, 2002) *''Morning Song'' (Joule, 2003) *''Pavane Pour Une Infante Difunte'' (Joule, 2003) *''Four Ages of Bob'' (Joule, 2004) *''Man is an Island'' (Joule, 2005) *''Silent Trees Falling'' (Joule, 2006) *''Virtual String Quartet'' (Joule, 2007) *''Ballads'' (Joule, 2010) *''Another View Live!'' (Joule, 2014) *''Pyramids'' (Joule, 2014)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheshire, Andrew American jazz guitarists 1962 births Living people CIMP artists American sitar players Erasmus Hall High School alumni American male guitarists Guitarists from New York (state) 20th-century American guitarists Jazz musicians from New York (state) 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians