From pure toned classical to the lushness of jazz, from the clarity of the soprano to the gruffness of the baritone, Andrew Tweed takes the audience on a musical journey from 1930’s Berlin via New York to the present day.

Increasingly promoters and audiences have realised that the saxophone can be appreciated in a chamber music environment as much as the jazz club. Andrew is a part of a generation of saxophonists who helped change attitudes through his work with Saxtet and now he embarks on a solo career marked by the release of his debut recording - “Spiritualise”.

For as long as jazz has existed there has been a cross-fertilisation with classical music. Combining existing compositions with a newly composed work Andy’s recording further blurs stylistic distinctions. His performances brings together a deep understanding of the jazz language with the discipline of chamber music performance to give the listener a fresh take on crossover pieces by legendary American saxophonist Phil Woods, Erwin Schulhoff’s Hot Sonata (written in 1930 - “Gershwin on absinth”), contemporary composer Nigel Wood’s Cries of the Stentor (chamber prog-rock) and French composer Paul Bonneau’s 1940s Concertante dans l’Esprit Jazz. He also commissioned Hans Koller, one of the leading jazz composers of the day, to create a brand new crossover piece for baritone saxophone and piano, “Spiritualise”, bringing the repertoire right into to 21st Century. This became the title track of the CD, the word captured what Andrew was trying to achieve, to record and perform chamber music imbued with the spirit of jazz.

Samples from the CD:

Phil Woods Sonata 2nd Movement (1.36MB mp3)
Phil Woods Sonata 3rd Movement (0.99MB mp3)
Phil Woods Sonata 4th Movement (896KB mp3)

Nigel Wood Cries of the Stentor (1.6MB mp3)

Schulhoff Hot Sonata 1st Movement (859KB mp3)
Schulhoff Hot Sonata 2nd Movement (839KB mp3)
Schulhoff hot Sonata 3rd Movement (1.05MB mp3)
Schulhoff Hot Sonata 4th Movement (938KB mp3)

Hans Koller Spiritualise (1.61MB mp3)

Bonneau Piece Concertante dans l'Esprit Jazz (975KB mp3)

To buy the CD visit www.bigshedmusic.co.uk (PayPal) or www.saxtetpublications.com (World Pay)

Reviews:
Andy Tweed is a visiting tutor at Birmingham Conservatoire and one of the most accomplished saxophonists inhabiting that ground between classical and jazz. Here his talents are showcased, with expert accompaniment from Jonathan Taylor, on five works ranging from 1930-2005. He opens with jazz saxophonist PhilWoods’ Sonata for Alto Sax and piano, and then goes up a saxophone for Nigel Wood’s Cries of the Stentor. He switches to baritone for Hans Koller’s new work written specially for this record and which gives it its title. It has a spaced depth calling for some definite shifts of timbre as well as exploring the outer reaches, both high and low, of the big saxophone’s range. But in among these are the real treats in my book: the 1930 Hot Sonata for Alto Sax and Piano by Erwin Schulhoff, and Paul Bonneau’s 1944 Piece Concertante dans L’Esprit Jazz, also for alto and piano. Tweed has such fun doing justice to their full blown jazz era camp tendencies while exhibiting their unashamed honesty and delight in pure music, whether classical, jazz, cabaret or vaudeville, that he makes them compelling and richly rewarding to listen to.
Peter Bacon – Birmingham Post: 25 Jan 2006

A classical/jazz crossover of cool refinement and subtle dimensions.
Musician – Journal of the Musicians’ Union