Andrew Rathbun
Jazz saxophonist Andrew Rathbun is an adept, hard-swinging improviser with a sound steeped in harmonically sophisticated post-bop. Rathbun first garnered attention in the 2000s, leading his own groups on albums like 2002's Sculptures and 2009's Where We Are Now. Along with performing, he has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony and the Banff Center, and teaches at Western Michigan University. He has released a plethora of highly regarded albums for SteepleChase, including 2018's Character Study with Tim Hagans and 2020's Northern Noir with Ran Blake.
Born and raised in Toronto, Rathbun started playing saxophone in his youth. In 1991, he earned a Canada Council for the Arts grant to study in Boston, where he attended the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Jimmy Guiffre and George Russell. Gigs followed, including touring and recording work with artists like Jeff Hirshfield, Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie, and Ingrid Jensen. From 1994 to 1997, Rathbun also taught at the University of Maine before moving on to the Amadeus Conservatory in Westchester, New York. He made his solo debut in 1999 with Scatter Some Stones and returned a year later with the experimental True Stories, which found him setting two Margaret Atwood poems to music. More heady and complex albums followed, including 2002's Sculptures and 2005's Renderings.
Since 2006, Rathbun has released a steady flow of small group dates for SteepleChase, including 2006's Shadow Forms, 2009's Where We Are Now, and 2014's Numbers & Letters. Along with performing, he earned his masters from New England Conservatory, and his D.M.A from Manhattan School of Music. He teaches at Western Michigan University and has also been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, the Atlantic Center for the Arts, and the Banff Center. In 2018, he released the quartet album Character Study, featuring trumpeter Tim Hagans. He then displayed his love of classical music, joining pianist Lori Sims and fellow saxophonist Jeremy Siskind for 2020's Impressions of Debussy. Also that year, he collaborated with veteran pianist Ran Blake for the duet session Northern Noir.
© Matt Collar /TiVo
Discography
9 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
-
The Speed of Time
Jazz - Released by SteepleChase on 22 Sep 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
Impressions of Debussy
Lori Sims, Andrew Rathbun, Jeremy Siskind
Chamber Music - Released by Centaur Records, Inc. on 15 May 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
True stories
Andrew Rathbun, Luciana Souza, Taylor Haskins, George Colligan, John Herbert, Jeff Hirsfield
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on 1 Aug 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
Convergence: Music of Laurie Altman
Clipper Erickson, Scott Lee, Patrice Michaels, Andrew Rathbun, Laurie Altman, Helen Rathbun
Classical - Released by NEOS Music on 18 Oct 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo