|
New York Times critic Ben Ratliff writes: "Any
musician who works so effectively against a common language,
and uses cliché so little in the process, is worth
listening to. There are tons of young jazz saxophonists out
there pursuing ideas of harmony and structure and rhythm,
but he has something rare going for him. He has a sound.
Mr. McHenry is a fresh new voice: He can play with un-orthodox
structure and get as free as you want, but he maintains a
ripe, lovely tone straight out of the 1950's. Lyrical is
probably the most overused word in jazz criticism, but if
anyone deserves the word, Mr. McHenry is the one."
Born in Blue Hill, Maine, September 12, 1972, McHenry started
playing the saxophone at age ten and at fourteen left home
to study at the Interlochen Arts Academy. After graduating,
he attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.
There he played with fellow students Jamie Saft, Ben Waltzer
and Cuong Vu, and studied with Jimmy Guiffre, George Garzone,
Joe Maneri, Bob Moses, George Russell and John McNeil, who
told him after two years he was ready to leave and go to
New York.
His second education began when he moved to Brooklyn in
1992 where he immersed himself in a young, new scene of jazz
talent. There he focused on developing a personal style of
improvisation and composition, trying to expand his melodic
sense by playing off the ideas of the band rather than be
fixed on preset ideas of style. He also began working on
developing his own sound on the saxophone through long-tone
study with Dewey Redman.
In 1996, McHenry and pianist Ben Waltzer moved to Barcelona,
Spain. McHenry learned Spanish, taught at Escuela de Musics
in Bellaterra and performed regularly at the Pipa Club in
Placa Real, where as co-leader with Waltzer he recorded "Jazz
is Where You Find It," the first of many CD's he would make
for Barcelona's Fresh Sound Label.
Upon returning to New York, he became a key member of several
groups led by some of the best new voices in jazz: Argentine
composer Guillermo Klein, bassists Reid Anderson and Chris
Lightcap, singer Rebecca Martin, and pianists Ethan Iverson
and Ben Waltzer. With these groups, and his own quartet featuring
Anderson and guitarist Ben Monder, he has recorded over a
dozen albums. Five of these have been listed on the New York
Times alternative top-ten list, including "Live at Smalls" (co-led
with Ethan Iverson) and his own, "Graphic". His
last recording, "Bill McHenry Quartet featuring Paul
Motian," recieved critical acclaim and led to the quartet
performing many times at the Village Vanguard. Bill later
played with other established jazz legends like Charlie Haden,
John Abercrombie and John McNeil.
McHenry also leads a quintet featuring Duane Eubanks on
trumpet, and the band will release a live CD at the Fat Cat
Jazz Club this summer. Bill is a regular faculty member at
the Maine Jazz Camp. |
|
|