- Andrea Brachfeld started playing the piano at age six. At age ten she took up the flute in school. She entered the High School of Music and Art in 1969 and majored in the flute. While there, she got to play with such notables as Noel Pointer, Nat Adderly, Jr., Dave Valentin, Earl Macintyre, and Buddy Williams
- Her first jazz gig was at St. Peter’s Church when she was sixteen. At this time, she was taking lessons from Jimmy Heath and interacting with such jazz greats as Yusef Lateef and Barry Harris
- Was awarded the Louis Armstrong Award for outstanding jazz student from the Jazz Interactions organization in 1974 while attending the Manhattan School of Music
- Joined an Afro-Cuban Charanga band in Manhattan. Worked with several such bands but also pursued various venues for jazz. In 1978 she recorded her first LP “Andrea”. After graduating from the Manhattan School, she performed for more than two years in Venezuela
- Upon returning to the states and settling in the area, Andrea decided to remain local. She raised a family, earned a Masters Degree, and started recording CD’s. In 2015, she was named the “Best Jazz Flutist” by Hot House Magazine
“Everyday I feel blessed to be alive, to be able to play the flute, compose my music and continue to grow in whatever direction I am taken.”
Andrea Brachfeld