Andy Biskin

Andy Biskin (né Andrew Barry Biskin; born in San Antonio, Texas), is an American jazz clarinetist, bass clarinetist, composer, and filmmaker based primarily in New York City.

Andy Biskin
Born	San Antonio
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Instrumentalist, composer
Instrument(s)	clarinet, bass clarinet
Website	andybiskin.com

Career

Biskin is a graduate of Yale University and once served as an assistant for Alan Lomax.^[1] Biskin's music has often been played on NPR between segments on All Things Considered and Fresh Air with Terry Gross. In 2000, Biskin's album, Dogmental, was named album of the week in The New York Times by Ben Ratliff.^[2]

In 2004, he animated and set to music a series of Rube Goldberg machines, including a "self-operating napkin", for his film Goldberg's Variations. The piece was featured in 2013 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Next Wave Festival.^[3][4]

Discography

As leader

• Dogmental (GM, 2000), featuring Ron Horton (trumpet), Bruce Eidem (trombone), Ben Allison (bass), Matt Wilson (drums) ^[2]
• Early American: The Melodies of Stephen Foster (Strudelmedia, 2006), featuring John Hollenbeck (drums), Pete McCann (guitar/banjo), Chris Washburne (trombone/tuba)
• Trio Tragico (Strudelmedia, 2006), featuring Dave Ballou (trumpet), Drew Gress (bass)^[5]
• Ibid: Act Necessary (Strudelmedia, 2014), featuring Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Brian Drye (trombone), Jeff Davis (drums)^[6]
• The Spokes: Not So Fast (Strudelmedia, 2015), featuring Phillip Johnston (soprano sax), Curtis Hasselbring (trombone)
• 16 Tons: Songs from the Alan Lomax Collection (Andorfin, 2018), featuring John Carlson, Dave Smith, Kenny Warren (trumpets), Rob Garcia (drums)^[7]
• Reed Basket (Andorfin, 2024), featuring Peter Hess, Mike McGinnis, and Sam Sadigursky (clarinets)

Video

• Lily Dale: Messages from the Spirit Side of Life (documentary), Cinema Guild (1991); OCLC 27818405

Produced and directed by Biskin

References

1. "Andy Biskin (artist profile)" All About Jazz (retrieved May 31, 2010)
2. "Album of the Week," by Ben Ratliff, The New York Times, December 22, 2000
3. "Family Fare," by Laurel Graeber, The New York Times, January 9, 2004 (retrieved March 31, 2010)
4. "Jazzing Up Rube Goldberg's Creations," by Geoff Edgers, Boston Globe, December 5, 2003
5. Review: "Andy Biskin Quartet: Early American: The Music of Stephen Foster," Notes, 2nd Series, Vol. 63, No. 4, June 2007, pps. 927–928; ISSN 1534-150X, OCLC 5548394806, 364523600
6. Review: "Andy Biskin's Ibid: Act Necessary (2014)," by Dave Wayne, All About Jazz, August 28, 2014 (retrieved June 1, 2015)
7. "Andy Biskin Reinterprets Alan Lomax Folk Anthology". downbeat.com. 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2024-06-22.