User:Mneley22/Sandbox

= Andrew Firth = From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Biography
Born in Port Augusta, South Australia, Firth taught himself clarinet at age 5 by listening and then playing along to Benny Goodman, Buddy DeFranco and Artie Shaw recordings. At 12, he started taking clarinet lessons from Bernie Williamson, a family friend. Firth’s first public performance was performing Woody Herman’s clarinet hit, “The Golden Wedding” at the age of 9 years for a local pantomime production. He then learned the saxophone at age 10 and taught himself to play “Yakety Sax” to a Boots Randolph recording. By 14, Firth was working as a professional musician in South Australia. He pursued studies at the South Australian College of Education in Adelaide where he received a Bachelor of Music degree (classical performance) and later a Diploma in secondary education. Firth also studied composition and arranging with the late, Tommy Tycho, Australia’s most celebrated pianist, arranger and music conductor.

His musical talent on clarinet and saxophone was soon recognized throughout Australia where he soon had the privilege of working with artists such as B.B. King, the Phillip Morris Superband, Wynton Marsalis, Buddy DeFranco, Diana Krall, Don Lusher, Bud Shank, Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk, Dutch Swing College Band, Randy Brecker, James Moody, Tommy Banks and his all-star Big Band, Jeff Jarvis, Lee Konitz, Anthony Warlow, Tommy Emmanuel, Don Burrows, James Morrison, George Golla, Vince Jones, and many others. In addition to performing, Firth has given masterclasses throughout Australia, Canada, the United States, Germany, Holland and England.

In 2008, Firth was the headliner in a concert at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall with jazz clarinetist, Buddy DeFranco. Other artists on the program were Gary Motley, piano, Paul Keller, bass violin, and Peter Siers, drums.

Since 2010, he has acted the leader of the Andy Firth Big Band and Nova Swing Jazz Band.

Active as a composer and arranger, Firth has composed over 700 works and 500 arrangements for various ensembles.

Firth currently lives Newcastle, NSW, Australia with wife, Liz, and their four cocker spaniels, “Jazz”, “Be Bop”, “Tycho” and “Zoot”.

Honors
Firth has been the recipient of many honors and awards. They include the Australian Screen and Television Music Award for best music for an advertisement (2002), the coveted Australian Mo Award for Best Live Jazz Instrumentalist in Australia, (2006), and a South Australian Jazz Achieves Award (2013).

Albums:

 * Tribute to the Swing Era-16 Clarinet Big Band 1988)
 * Live Jazz on Air-Andy Firth & The Bob Barnard    Quartet 1988
 * Fresh Starts (1993)
 * Let There Be Firth (1993)
 * Colours (1994)
 * Throughout Time (1995)
 * Sweet ’N Swingin’ (1996)
 * Swingin' Upstairs (1997)
 * ANDY FIRTH: Live At the York Jazz Festival (1998)
 * Andy Firth - Me, Myself & I: 16 Clarinet Big Band    (2000)
 * SAX TO THE MAX! 16 Saxophone Big Band (2005)
 * ANDY FIRTH-The Clarinet Trios. Op.411, Op.413 &    Op.414 (2006)
 * Poco Latino (2007)
 * Andy Firth: Duos & Quartets for Clarinet (2008)
 * Only Two! Andy Firth Improvised Jazz Duets (2009)
 * Montage (2009)
 * Swing in the Benny Goodman Style (2010)
 * Dates with Firth (2012)
 * Seems Like Old Times - Andy Firth & Bruce Hancock    (2013)
 * Chill! Andy Firth & Ian Date (2013)
 * Christmas Time is Here (2014 re-released and re-mixed    2015)
 * ANDY FIRTH'S NOVA SWING JAZZ BAND live at Theatre    Australia (2015)
 * ANDY FIRTH-Sounds of the Big Bands (2015)

As leader

 * Co-leader of the “BBC Quartet” (1984-1989)
 * Leader of the “Andy Firth Quartet” (1990-present day)
 * Leader of “Sax To The Max Student Saxophone Big Band”    (2004-2007)
 * Leader of the “Andy Firth Big Band” (2010-present day)
 * Leader of “Nova Swing Jazz Band” (2013-present day)

As sideman

 * James Morrison quintet (1988-1989)
 * Galapagos Duck (1998-1990)
 * The Hep Hounds (1990-1994)
 * The Ed Wilson Big Band (1998-1999)
 * The Australian Dave Brubeck Tribute Band (2012-2015)