Saxophonist, composer, and Toronto native Andrew Rathbun has achieved a rare depth of lyricism and compositional intelligence in 20 years as a recording artist; Ben Ratliff of The New York Times described Rathbun as “an industrious saxophonist and imaginative composer-arranger.” Voted as a “Rising Star” in the 2018 Downbeat Critics Poll, he has documented his stirring original music with a series of 15 acclaimed recordings, on the Challenge, Fresh Sound and Steeplechase labels, and has collaborated with musicians like Kenny Wheeler, Billy Hart, Ben Monder and Luciana Souza . “Rathbun’s lines dance and glide,” writes David Whiteis of JazzTimes, “reflecting both childlike wonder and well-honed artistry.”
Upon hearing 2014’s Numbers & Letters the New Yorker declared Rathbun “a crafty saxophonist and composer whose ambitious work over the past decade has eluded the wider recognition it deserves.” Atwood Suites, Rathbun’s jazz-orchestra project which was written at MacDowell, was summarized in Jazziz Magazine; “On the basis of this CD alone, Rathbun deserves to be ranked among today’s top arranger- composers.” This project was recently nominated for a JUNO award.
He has received grants from the American Music Center, Canada Council for the Arts and the Chalmers Fund, and has been a fellow at MacDowell, the Atlantic Center for the Arts and the Banff Center. Andrew received his master’s from New England Conservatory, and his D.M.A from Manhattan School of Music. He is currently on the faculty of Western Michigan University.
