Andrew Rathbun

Andrew Rathbun
Professor, Saxophone and Jazz Studies
Location:
1408 Dalton Center, Mail Stop 5434
Mailing address:
Irving S. Gilmore School of Music
色色啦 Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5434 USA
Andrew Rathbun
Education:
  • D.M.A., Manhattan School of Music
  • M.M., New England Conservatory
  • B.A., Queen's University
Teaching Interests:
  • Saxophone
  • Advanced Jazz Ensemble
  • Jazz Arranging
  • Jazz Style and Analysis
Bio:

Saxophonist, composer, and Toronto native Andrew Rathbun has achieved a rare depth of lyricism and compositional intelligence in 20-plus years as a recording artist. Ben Ratliff of the New York Times described Rathbun as 鈥渁n industrious saxophonist and imaginative composer-arranger.鈥 Voted as a 鈥淩ising Star鈥 in the 2018 DownBeat Critics Poll, he has documented his stirring original music with a series of 15 acclaimed recordings, on the Challenge, Fresh Sound, and Steeplechase labels, and has collaborated with musicians like Kenny Wheeler, Billy Hart, Ben Monder, and Luciana Souza . 鈥淩athbun鈥檚 lines dance and glide,鈥 writes David White of JazzTimes, 鈥渞eflecting both childlike wonder and well-honed artistry.鈥

After hearing 2014鈥檚 Numbers & Letters, the New Yorker declared Rathbun 鈥渁 crafty saxophonist and composer whose ambitious work over the past decade has eluded the wider recognition it deserves.鈥 Atwood Suites, Rathbun鈥檚 JUNO-nominated jazz orchestra project was summarized in Jazziz Magazine 鈥淥n the basis of this CD alone, Rathbun deserves to be ranked among today鈥檚 top arranger-composers.鈥濃℉is latest recordings include Impressions of Debussy, about which revered Chicago critic Howard Reich declares "the listener travels from a high-toned performance of a familiar work to a new conception that opens up its motifs, rhythms and harmonies." Northern Noir is Rathbun鈥檚 duo recording with the legendary pianist Ran Blake. In James Hale鈥檚 review, he describes the recording as 鈥渁 deeply charming and compelling meeting鈥 and that 鈥渉e has released some truly moving and memorable recordings.鈥

Andrew has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, the Atlantic Center for the Arts and the Banff Center. He received his master's from New England Conservatory, and his D.M.A. from Manhattan School of Music.
 

Reviews

A crafty saxophonist and composer whose ambitious work over the past decade has eluded the wider recognition it deserves. 鈥 The New Yorker

Toronto native Andrew Rathbun is one of the most thoughtful and curious saxophonists to emerge in New York over the past decade. 鈥 The Chicago Reader

The Canadian saxophonist/composer is a gifted performer who writes challenging and complex pieces. 鈥 The Irish Times

Andrew Rathbun is an artist who takes chances with his recordings. You don鈥檛 hear any paint-by-the-numbers jazz discs from him. 鈥 All About Jazz

The mournful tone and slow quaver he coaxes from the tenor, with a trace of Stan Getz鈥檚 irresistible tone, are perfect for the pianist. Rathbun is mostly Ran鈥檚 straight man, minding those melodies, though he can also cut across the form with busier lines and still meet up with the pianist on the pivot points. He鈥檚 good at getting on Ran鈥檚 wavelength, shadowing his swerves. 鈥 Kevin Whitehead, NPR鈥檚 Fresh Air Jazz Critic
 

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