Andrea Brachfeld

Andrea Brachfeld is an American Jazz and Latin Jazz flutist.^[1]

Flutist, composer, arranger, producer, educator, business owner, Andrea Brachfeld, is a graduate of The High School of Music and Art and the Manhattan School of Music. Study with Hubert Laws, Jimmy Heath, George Coleman, and Mike Longo helped her develop her own improvisational style. Since she began her professional career as a musician at age 16, she has recorded and played many different genres of music including Jazz, Latin Jazz, Charanga, funk, Country Western, and devotional music. Some of the many artists she has associated with include Hubert Laws, Rufus Reid, Winard Harper, Paquito D’Rivera, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Nestor Torres, Wallace Roney, Dave Valentín, Wycliffe Gordon, Hilton Ruiz, Steve Turre, Wayne Wallace, Bobby Carcassés, Oscar Hernandez, Alfredo de la Fé, Ralph Irrizarry, Joe Newman, Kenwood Dennard, and Bill O’ Connell among many others. Her breakthrough performance as the flutist for the popular Latin band Charanga ’76, catapulted her into Salsa history and fame as the first female flutist to play this music in the United States. She received the Chico O’Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award from Latin Jazz USA in Oct. 2006 and the “Pionero Award” in 2010 for her contribution to Latin music. Her most recent award, “Tribute to the Charanga Flutes,” given by Charanga Legends USA, was presented to her in August 2012. She has six CDs out as a leader featuring Latin and Jazz greats Oscar Hernandez, Alfredo De La Fé, Chembo Corniel, Hilton Ruiz, Steve Turre, Pedrito Martinez, Mike Longo, Paul West, Brian Lynch, Wallace Roney, Wycliffe Gordon, and Bill O’Connell. Andrea was recently awarded a three - week stay in April of this year at the prestigious Millay Colony for the Arts where she will be focusing on composing the music for her next CD. Her latest CD featuring Bill O’ Connell, Rufus Reid, and Winard Harper, will be released on JazzHeads Records this October. She is also an integral part of the Wallace Roney,”Universe” Orchestra playing Wayne Shorter’s long lost music originally written for Miles Davis. She has presented her workshop,” The Origin of the Cuban Flute; 1900s-present,” at the National Flute Convention in Texas, the Princeton Public Schools, The Collective in NYC, the New York Flute Fair in NYC, the Mid- Atlantic Flute Convention and the National Flute Convention in Washington D.C. this year. She will be presenting her workshop, “A Success Story; Curing Focal Dystonia” at the NY Flute Fair, the California Conservatory, and the Canadian Flute Convention in March, May and June respectively. She will also be presenting her workshop,” The Voice and History of the Jazz Flute” at the Canadian Flute Convention this year and the workshop,” Composing Without Boundaries: Discover Your Creativity Within at The National Flute Convention in Washington D.C. In addition she will be presenting her workshop on jazz improvisation at the California Jazz Conservatory in May of this year as well as participating as a lead teacher at the Croatia Flute Academy in July 2015, presenting all of the above-mentioned workshops.

Andrea is the cousin of former New York Yankee Michael Brachfeld.

Discography

• Remembered Dreams (Spirit Nectar Records, 2001)
• Back With Sweet Passion (Latin Cool Records, 2003)
• Beyond Standards with Chembo Corniel (Consolidated Artists Productions, 2006)
• Into the World: A Musical Offering (Shaneye Records, 2008)
• Songs From the Divine (Shaneye Records,2009)
• Lady of the Island (ZOHO MUSIC, 2012)

As a sidewoman

• Chembo Corniel- 2007
• Victor Rendon- 2006
• Wayne Wallace, Dedication, 2006
• Gene Amato Big Band – 2003
• Africando – 2003
• Timbalaye – Ralph Irizarry 2003
• Grupo Chaworo – Chembo Corniel , 2003
• Willie Moreno,”Soy Moreno”, 2003 “La Inmensa”, two recordings, 1980-1982, Discomoda Records
• Orquesta Tropical Ensueño, 1982
• Culebra, 1981
• Vitas Brenner, 1981
• Charanga America, 1978, El Sonido Records
• Charanga ‘76, three recordings, 1976, 1977, 1983,TR Records
• Benito Sextet, 1975
• Típica New York, 1974
• David Durrah, 1973
• Eddie Carpenter, Noel Pointer, 1972

Awards

• 1974: Louis Armstrong Award for outstanding Jazz student, Jazz Interactions^[1]
• 2006: Chico O’Farrill Lifetime Achievement Award, Latin Jazz USA^[2]
• 2007: Tribute to Women in Salsa Award, Salsation Productions
• 2010: Pionera Award, Mario Torres Productions
• 2012: Tribute to Charanga Flutusts Award, Charanga Legends USA

References

1. 1 2 Harris, Craig. "Andrea Brachfeld Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 18 April 2010. 
2. ↑ "Andrea Brachfeld at All About Jazz". Retrieved 18 April 2010.