Andrew Lamb

ANDREW LAMB (saxophones, flutes) was born in Clinton, North Carolina and grew up in Chicago and in South Jamaica, Queens. Having studied with AACM charter member Kalaparush Maurice McIntyre, Mr. Lamb came into New York’s "avant-garde" community in the ’70s, becoming an active presence in the vibrant Bedford-Stuyvesant arts world at that time, and winning a Brooklyn Arts Council grant.

In 1994, he composed all the pieces on his first leader recording, "Portrait in the Mist" (Delmark), which featured vibraphonist Warren Smith, bassist Wilber Morris, and drummer Andrei Strobert. Andrew Lamb has since recorded duets with Warren Smith ("Duet," WISland, ’99 and "The Dogon Duo," Engine Studios, '05) and "Dance of the Prophet," a trio recording with Eugene Cooper and Andrei Strobert (Kiki Records). In 2003 his brilliant recording with Tom Abbs and Andrei Strobert, "Pilgrimage," was released on CIMP, featuring 1O original Andrew Lamb compositions; that year also brought the release of "Year of the Endless Moment" with his group The Moving Form (Engine Studios).

Andrew Lamb and his ensembles remain a regular presence in the New York area and have frequently played in the annual Vision Festival, which began in 1996. In 2001, Andrew took part in Alan Silva’s big-band project with the Sound Vision Orchestra; the following year he toured with AACM-affiliated drummer Alvin Fielder; in ’04, Henry Grimes’s trio with Andrew Lamb and Newman Taylor Baker was named "Best Jazz Trio" by NYPress in its "Best of Manhattan" issue. That trio also played in Berlin and at Edgefest (Ann Arbor, Michigan)and HotHouse, Chicago in ‘05. The Henry Grimes Quartet featuring Marshall Allen, Andrew Lamb, and Hamid Drake played on opening night of the 1Oth annual Vision Festival in New York City.

Always, Andrew Lamb’s music rises out of the African-American jazz, blues, and church traditions and is deeply spiritual, profoundly emotional, and readily accessible to all who hear him.

Wrote Steven Loewy for "All Music Guide," Andrew Lamb is "a serious musician seeking to uplift his soul through art, and, like John Coltrane and his progeny, Lamb’s vehicle is the psalm-like expression of his tenor saxophone. The results reflect his quest, testifying to his musical abilities, enormous potential, and depth of character."