Andrew Bishop
Andrew Bishop is a versatile saxophonist, clarinetist, flautist, composer, improviser, educator, and scholar comfortable in a wide array of musical idioms. Dave Lynch of All Music Guide wrote: "A composer of contemporary orchestral and chamber music, Bishop combines a jazzman's fire and flow with a rigorous compositional sensibility, resulting in a potent and highly satisfying blend." He maintains an active national and international career and serves as an Associate Professor of Jazz and Contemporary Improvisation at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor where he teaches applied jazz saxophone, composition, and improvisation. He studied jazz and improvised music with David Baker, Jerry Bergonzi, Tom Fowler, Dave Liebman, Craig Owens, Ellen Rowe, Ed Sarath, and Reggie Workman; saxophone with Donald Sinta and Jean Lansing; and composition with William Albright, William Bolcom, Evan Chambers, Michael Daugherty, and Walter Mays. Bishop earned five degrees in music, including a DMA in Music Composition from the University of Michigan; two MM degrees in Music Composition and Improvisation from the University of Michigan; and two BM in Theory-Composition and Saxophone Performance from Wichita State University. He is a Conn-Selmer and Vandoren artist.
Bishop’s three recordings as a leader, De Profundis,Time and Imaginary Time and the Hank Williams Project (Envoi Recordings) received widespread acclaim from the New York Times, Downbeat Magazine, the Chicago Reader, All Music Guide, Cadence Magazine, All About Jazz-New York, All About Jazz-Los Angeles, The New York Jazz Record, Stereophile Magazine, and the Detroit Free Press, among others. Elliot Simon of the New York Jazz Record recently wrote: “De Profundis impresses with its astute combination of musicianship, spirituality and compositional insight.” Furthermore, De Profundis received a “Record of the Year (Honorable Mention)” by the New York Jazz Record in 2015. He leads a variety of projects including a jazz trio Bishop/Cleaver/Flood, a broadminded roots chamber ensemble Andrew Bishop’s Hank Williams Project, a mainstream jazz group the Andrew Bishop’s Mainstem, and global blues project called Blue Origami. As a sideman he has performed with Reid Anderson, Geri Allen, Karl Berger, Dave Ballou, Sandip Burman, Kenny Burrell, Eugene Chadbourne, Ray Charles, Gerald Cleaver, Kris Davis, Michael Formanek, Drew Gress, Jerry Hahn, Robert Hurst, Chris Lightcap, The Either Orchestra, Mat Maneri, The Manhattan Transfer, Tony Malaby, Ben Monder, Jeremy Pelt, Hank Roberts, Jacob Sacks, Tyshawn Sorey, Craig Taborn, Clark Terry, Ben Waltzer, Matt Wilson, and John Zorn among others. He has recorded over 40 recordings as a sideman and regularly performs as a member of Gerald Cleaver’s Violet Hour and Uncle June, the Ellen Rowe Quartet, the Tad Weed Freedom Ensemble, and Phil Ogilive’s Rhythm Kings directed by James Dapogny.
As a composer and arranger he has received over 25 commissions from professional organizations, universities, and numerous residencies. He has also received recognition and awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP); The Chicago Symphony Orchestra; the Andrew W. Melon Foundation; and a nomination from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His orchestral composition "Crooning" was recorded by the Albany Symphony Orchestra on Two American Piano Concertos (Albany Records) featuring pianists Ursula Oppens and Ian Hobson. He has also completed composition and arranging projects for percussionists Steve Houghton, Robert Hurst, Dave Liebman, and Matt Wilson.