To nurture a greater appreciation and awareness of world cultures using music as a voice for unity, peace, understanding and harmony.

Andy Wasserman specializes in both Western and non-Western music. He has been performing, recording, composing and teaching music from around the world since 1972 with his collection of over 140 traditional wind, string, and percussion instruments from West Africa, Japan and China, The Middle East, Latin America and Afro-Cuban diaspora, South American and Native American regions as well as American Jazz.

Andy's ethnomusicological studies and experience in the field of world music inspired his creation of participatory multi-cultural productions that have been presented in performance, master class, artist-in-residence and workshop venues at over 2,000 festivals, schools, colleges and universities, museums and various public and private institutions since 1979. He currently tours regularly, spreading his message of global unity and healing through music with his original solo presentations “Making Music From Around the World”, “Instruments: Ancient to Future” and “Music: The Voice of Unity” utilizing the 140 traditional ethnic wind, string and percussion instruments in his personal collection.

Here is a jukebox with a mix of Andy's world music compositions, arrangements and performances for you to sample.

Much more music can be auditioned on the LISTEN page.

Andy Wasserman, piano - Lisle Atkinson, bass - Joe Licinski, drums

The connections between these musicians runs very deep. Both Lisle and Andy attended The High School of Music and Art in NYC, and Joe and Lisle have friends in common from 20 years ago. Andy and Joe were both very dedicated students and close personal friends of Guinean master drummer Papa Ladji Camara.

Early in 2008 it became apparent that these 3 artists were destined to make music together.

This is a photo of the trio at Tullen Sound Recording Studio during the session for “Over Tones." This CD features their signature classic musical collaboration of subtle intimacy and ultra-sensitive spontaneous communication. Read more about this recording here. "Over Tones" is available for sale on this site as either a CD or by single song MP3 downloads. Click here to go to the MUSIC STORE. A website dedicated to the trio is currently in developent and will feature much more detailed information.

What an honor to have Lisle a part of this ensemble. A brief synopsis of Master Atkinson:

A Brooklyn-born veteran of gigs and recordings with everyone from legendary bebop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, to soul-jazz saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, to the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band, Lisle Atkinson was exposed to jazz from early childhood. His father, also a bassist, took him to see the Duke Ellington Orchestra; Beverly Peer, the bassist in Chick Webb's band, was a close family friend. Early on, Lisle was a sideman with Nina Simone and Betty Carter, and in recent years he's recorded with pianists Hilton Ruiz, Ray Bryant, and Norman Simmons. Atkinson also plays the New York area with his Neo-Bass Ensemble.

Andy, Lisle and Joe will be in the studio this coming winter recording their second CD, consisting of all original compostions.

click photos for larger view

The 3C Trio plays:

Musicians are really dancers and dancers are in fact musicians

Andy Wasserman specializes in the creation and performance of music that makes people want to dance, move and choreograph. He has spent decades in collaboration with a variety of dancers and dance companies in the capacity of soloist, accompanist, composer/arranger, recording artist and musical director.

Andy composes and performs original musical accompaniments live and on recordings for dancers in the Jazz, Tap, African, Modern and Improvisational idioms for premier choreographers and dance artists that have included The Copasetics (Cookie Cook, Honi Coles, Bubba Gaines, Buster Brown, Ernest “Brownie” Brown and Gip Gibson), Savion Glover, Jimmy Slyde, Dianne Walker, Jane Goldberg, Jason Samuels, Sam Weber, Fayard Nicolas, Acia Grey, Brenda Buffalino, Katherine Kramer, Robert Reed, Omar Edwards, Dormeshia Sumbray-Edwards, Shelley Oliver, Van Porter, Ardie Bryant and Nicole Hockenberry among many others. (Click HERE to read a short history of the Copasetics.)

Andy's piano accompaniment is seen and heard on the video documentary "Great Feats of Feet" as rehearsal pianist and in concert with the Copasetics. He played piano in the "Chocolateers Band" that backed up dancers Sandra and Gip Gibson, and was musical director for Jane Goldberg's tap dance shows, performing in New York City and at Jacobs Pillow. Andy spent nearly a decade as an accompanist on piano and percussion for 10 - 15 dance classes a week at leading dance schools.

• composer
• arranger
• live musician
• creator of sound tracks and recordings with or without sound effects
• musical director for dancers, choreographers and dance ensembles

Learn more and listen to tracks of some of his music created for and with dancers HERE.

Andy searches the range and possibilities inherent in electronic instruments to find sounds that are earthy, breathing and capable of natural expression and organic waveforms. He has established a body of work as a sound designer, synthesizer programmer, digital sampling technician and real-time live electronica concert artist.

Andy Wasserman has been exploring cutting-edge electronic instruments and music technology since 1987. His digital music productions have been presented in performances, studio recordings, and a wide variety of educational presentations. He gives concert and club performances, college clinics and master classes which provide an innovative and expressive experience that is guaranteed to open eyes and ears to new horizons in contemporary electronic music.

Andy has spent years applying acoustic performance techniques to the electronic medium with arrangements of dramatic and orchestral themes for film and TV, contemporary Jazz and Fusion, New Age, Hip Hop, Funk, Blues, traditional Jazz, Acid Jazz, as well as World Beat cross-cultural influences that draw on traditional ethnic sounds and styles from West Africa, Japan, South America, the Caribbean, India and Indonesia.

His fresh and inventive approach explores a new vocabulary of musical language that appeals to a wide and diverse audiences for both live venues in concerts, clubs, for dancers and recording studio or soundtrack productions.

Click here to listen to some of Andy's explorations into the Electronica and Ambient stylistic genres.

Some of the instruments and digital tools currently used by Wasserman in his Electronica work include:

• Laptop computer with a wide array of performance, sound design and sequencing software
• Roland Professional Electronic Drum Set TD-3SW
• Roland Handsonic HPD-15 Electronic Hand Percussion Controller
• Roland AX-7 KEYTAR (keyboard played like a guitar) MIDI Keyboard Controller
• Roland FP-4 88-key Digital Piano and MIDI Keyboard Controller
• EMU Systems E4K Digital Sampling Keyboard
• Korg MS2000 Analog Synthesizer Keyboard
• Korg X5-DR MIDI Sound Module
• Electric Bass Guitars
• Boss RC-50 Loop Station Performance Pedal
• Drum Machines
• Digital Effects Processors, Mixers, Amplifiers, Mic pre-amps, DI boxes
• Vocal and instrumental microphones for digital sampling recording