Andrew York (guitarist)

Andrew York (born 1958) is an American Grammy Award winning[1] classical guitarist and composer.

Andrew York
Born1958 (age 65–66)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
GenresClassical, jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Classical guitar
LabelsMajian Music, Telarc, Sony, Delos, GSP
Websitewww.andrewyork.net

Biography edit

York was born in 1958 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and grew up in Virginia.[2] He received degrees from James Madison University in Virginia and the University of Southern California (USC). He studied in Spain, where he met classical guitarist John Williams. Williams has performed and recorded compositions by York. In 1989, York released his debut solo album, Perfect Sky (Timeless, 1989). He was a member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet until 2006.[3]

York is the only alumnus in USC's history to have received their Distinguished Alumni Award twice, in 1997 as a member of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and again in 2003 for his solo music career.[4]

He played lute with the USC Early Music Ensemble. In addition to his solo career, recording and performing his own compositions, York's recent collaborations include projects with Andy Summers, W. A. Mathieu, Dai Kimura, and Mitsuko Kado. York's tour schedule has included concerts in thirty countries.[5] York's compositions and arrangements for guitar have been performed and recorded by guitarists John Williams, Christopher Parkening, Karin Schaupp[6] and Sharon Isbin.

Accomplishments edit

York has over 50 works published for guitar: solo, duo, trio, quartet, and ensemble. He has appeared in three DVDs, has recorded or appeared as soloist on more than ten albums, and has published a three-volume work on jazz for classical guitarists. York has played on ten recordings with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, including the Grammy Award-winning Guitar Heroes (2004). His solo albums include: Perfect Sky (1986), Dénouement (1994), Into Dark (1997), California Breeze (2006), Hauser Sessions (2007), Yamour (2012), Home (2018) and The Equations of Beauty (2018). He also released five band tracks, Lotus Eaters, Stratojee and Land Below Waves, in 2018, DissFunkShun and Pay the Piper, in 2019, and a number of singles in 2019 and 2020.[7]

Andrew York is a member of the Triple Nine Society and his article Bowling Balls and Binary Switches was published in their journal Vidya[8] in December 2016. He became a voting member at the Recording Academy[9] in 2018.

Regarding Dénouement, Jim Ferguson stated that the five original suites that make up the recording "demonstrate [York's] exceptional compositional breadth, commanding instrumental abilities, and rich tone. Rife with folk, jazz, and ancient influences, the material ranges from challenging to simple yet highly musical."[10]

Discography edit

Solo edit

  • Perfect Sky (1986)
  • Dénouement (1994)
  • Into Dark (1997)
  • Hauser Sessions (2007)
  • Yamour (2012)
  • Home (2018)
  • The Equations of Beauty (2018)

Singles edit

  • "Silent Night" (2019)
  • "Undercurrents" (2020)
  • "Deepening" (2020)
  • "Dancing with Maya" (2020)
  • "Not Alone" (2020)
  • "Hall of Forgotten Rooms" (2020)
  • "Night on Maui" (2020)
  • "Numen" (2020)
  • "Lumen" (2020)
  • "Menhir" (2020)
  • "Numina" (2020)
  • "The World Has Changed" (2020)
  • "Annie's Song" (2020)
  • "Second Glass" (2020)
  • "The Dancer" (2021)

Band tracks edit

  • "Lotus Eaters" (2018)
  • "Stratojee" (2018)
  • "Land Below Waves" (2018)
  • "DissFunkShun" (2019)
  • "Pay the Piper" (2019)

With LAGQ edit

  • Guitar Recital
  • Dances from Renaissance to Nutcracker
  • Evening in Granada
  • Labyrinth
  • For Thy Pleasure
  • The Best of LAGQ
  • L.A.G.Q.
  • Air and Ground
  • LAGQ: Latin
  • Guitar Heroes
  • Spin

Collaborations and compilations edit

  • Windham Hill Records: Guitar Sampler (1988)
  • Legends of Guitar (Rhino, 1991)
  • An Evening with International Guitar Night with Guinga, Brian Gore, and Pierre Bensusan[11] (Favored Nations, 2004)
  • Centerpeace (2010) with guitarist Andy Summers, and pianists Mitsuko Kado and Allaudin Mathieu
  • "In Dialogue" by Ulli Boegershausen (2019)
  • "Push It" by Ulli Boegershausen (2020)

DVDs edit

  • Contemporary Classic Guitar
  • LAGQ Live!
  • Primal Twang

Books edit

  • Jazz for Classical Cats I: Harmony (method book w/CD)
  • Jazz for Classical Cats II: Chord/Melody (method book w/CD)
  • Jazz for Classical Cats III: Improvisation (method book w/CD)

References edit

  1. ^ "Andrew York". Grammy.com. 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  2. ^ Morgan, L. "News - Andrew York Interview". Fingerstyleguitarists.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2018. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  3. ^ Cummings, Robert. "Andrew York | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Andrew York Biography". Andrewyork.net. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  5. ^ "Fingerstyle Guitar". Fingerstyleguitar.com. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  6. ^ "Karin Schaupp: Leyenda". Pertout.com. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  7. ^ "Andrew York". Spotify. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  8. ^ "Andrew York's article" (PDF). Triplenine.org. Retrieved 2020-03-20. Bowling Balls and Binary Switches
  9. ^ "Andrew York GRAMMY". Andrewyork.net. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
  10. ^ Denouement CD review by Jim Ferguson, Guitar Player Magazine, July 1994.
  11. ^ "Andrew York - Grammy Winning Guitarist Composer". Andrewyork.net. Retrieved 2020-03-20.

External links edit