Andy had the great good fortune to have Papa Ladji Camara as a mentor from 1998 - 2004. Papa Ladji is a world renowned innovator from Norasoba, Guinea, West Africa and was the first master drummer of the original “Les Ballet Africain de Keita Fodeba." He is credited as being the very first jembe player to bring that instrument outside of the African continent to share with the rest of the globe.

Working with Papa Ladji was the culmination of Wasserman's ethnomusicological studies that began in the early 1960's when Andy was a young boy starting his collection of musical instruments from Africa. In addition to his work with Papa Ladji, Andy studied at the Babatunde Olatunji School of African Dance and Music on 125th Street in Harlem, New York City during the early 1970's, and with David Locke at the New England Conservatory ethnomusicology studies faculty. He plays the jembe, sanghba, dun dun, balafon, mbira, talking drum and many other instruments from Guinea, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria and Ghana.