Andy Bey on the Charlie Parker Jazz Competition in 2015.
Jonathan Chimene
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Jonathan Chimene
This interview with vocalist and pianist Andy Bey initially aired on Oct. 25, 2019, on the event of Bey’s eightieth birthday. The episode has been up to date following Bey’s dying.
Up to date in 2025 by Sarah Geledi.
Listed below are a couple of indeniable truths about Andy Bey. First issues first: Bey, who died on April 26, 2025, on the age of 85, occupied the highest rank of jazz singers. He led a circuitous profession, beginning out as a prodigy, slipping into obscurity and experiencing a late renaissance. And he was an authentic: No one else ever sounded fairly like him, and it is virtually sure no person else ever will.
“I’ve at all times been a loner, and I used to be searching for no person’s approval,” Bey mirrored in a 2019 interview. “I by no means tried to observe anyone, musically or in any other case.” On this episode of Jazz Evening in America, we have a good time his distinctive artistry and revisit his story.
We’ll pay attention to an illuminating dialog between Bey and his producer, Herb Jordan. We’ll hear tributes from collaborators, like guitarist Paul Meyers, and longtime admirers, like jazz-vocal guru Dominique Eade. And naturally, we’ll hear loads of music — an beautiful, beforehand unissued live performance recorded on the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse on the Lincoln Heart in New York in 2002.
Musicians: Andy Bey, voice, piano; Paul Meyers, guitar; Joe Martin, bass; Mark McLean, drums.
Set Record:
- “Decide Your self Up” (Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields)
- “Invitation” (Bronisław Kaper, Paul Francis Webster)
- “Tuesdays in Chinatown” (Herb Jordan, Dorian Elliot)
- “River Man” (Nick Drake)
- “All of the Issues You Are” (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II)
- “Saídas e Bandeiras” (Milton Nascimento)
Credit:
Host: Christian McBride; Author and Producer: Alex Ariff; Senior Producer: Katie Simon; Music Recorded by Ed Haber and George Wellington; Further manufacturing for this tribute version: Sarah Geledi. Because of: Ashley Kahn, Jane Gilvin, Olivia Meyer, Kay Wolff, Joseph Fridman and James Crawford.
