Musician

Andy Bey

Born: October 28, 1939

Singer Andy Bey is one of this country's best-kept secrets as an interpreter of the American songbook. Born on Oct. 28, 1939, in Newark, N.J., Bey was self-taught at the piano, and by the age of 3 could play by ear (he did receive formal lessons in piano and singing later on).

In the early 1950s, Bey got his first real professional exposure with the television show "Star Time," with Connie Francis. He was with the show for five years. During this time (1953), he sang with Louis Jordan at the Apollo Theatre in New York. With the name Andy and the Bey Sisters, he worked for 10 years with his sisters Geraldine and Salome, touring internationally.

Video

Crisis

Featuring the music of Andy Bey
Duration: 07:08
June 8, 2025

Jazz legend Andy Bey defied math �C in this writer��s opinion, he was 60% compact pianist, 80% guttural baritone singer, and 110% soul. Care was given to every phrase he delivered, and he could make those phrases elevate the conscience, bemoan one��s situation, or drip with irony. His keyboard technique was reminiscent of Monk meets Tyner. On the song "Crisis," he punctuates his own brew of instrumental blues for just under a minute, then brings much of society together, singing ��here we are�� struggling and trying to make it through this crisis.�� Are you feelin' it yet? Bey passed away April 26, 2025.

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Darrifourcq/Hermia/Ceccaldi, Evans/Eldh & Ir��ne Schweizer

by Maurice Hogue
June 3, 2025

There are two mini themes running through this edition of One Man's Jazz: one is musical partners, as in the trio of Sylvain Darrifourcq, saxophonist Manuel Hermia and cellist Valentin Ceccaldi who have released but three recordings in their 13 years of trio-hood yet believe their time spent together has let them develop into one of ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Andy Bey, Potsa Lotsa XL, Jonathan Reisin & Mary Halvorson

by Maurice Hogue
May 26, 2025

Music from several new albums is on the menu this week, including Silke Eberhard's Potsa Lotsa XL, alto saxophonist Jonathan Reisin, German bass trombonist Maxine Troglauer, This Is It! (Satoko Fujii's trio), Scottish drummer Seb Rochford's Polar Bear, bassist Andrew Schiller's solo Rumble Rubble Ripple, and a peek at Mary Halvorson's newest About Ghosts. There's more ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Celebrate Mothers Day with new releases by Ellie Martin, Lucia, Jamie Shew and the Premazzi/Nasser Quartet, plus birthday shoutouts to Mary Lou Williams, Carla Bley, Tania Maria & More

by Mary Foster Conklin
May 19, 2025

This broadcast celebrates Mothers Day with new releases from Ellie Martin, Lucia, Jamie Shew and the Premazzi/Nasser Quartet, with birthday shoutouts to Mary Lou Williams, Carla Bley, Tania Maria, Gunhild Carling, Jill McCarron, Andrea Superstein, honorable men John Proulx and Lincoln Briney, among others. Happy listening and please support the artists you hear -see them live, ...

Article: Interview

Meet Andy Bey

by Chris M. Slawecki
May 12, 2025

From the 1995-2003 archive: This article first appeared on All About Jazz in February 2000. Listening for the first time to Andy Bey is like stepping into a quiet, still lake. Your foot first parts a surface that's smooth and tranquil, but you can't really tell from that surface how deeply your foot must ...

Article: Live Review

Gary Bartz Quintet at Jazz Alley

by Paul Rauch
May 5, 2025

Gary Bartz Quintet Jazz Alley Seattle, WA April 29, 2025 As an alto saxophonist, NEA Jazz Master Gary Bartz has merged freedom and form in historic fashion, in the process acquiring an understanding of the art of improvisation, or what Bartz refers to as “informal composition," in a unique ...

Article: Building a Jazz Library

Prescribing Jazz: A Top Ten

by Artur Moral
March 30, 2025

National Doctors' Day is celebrated unevenly across our mistreated planet. It is absent in most countries, while it is observed as a holiday in a few. Coinciding (in the United States and Australia) with this day of recognition for a vital profession, this article is especially directed to the entire jazz-loving medical community, focusing on six ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Naomi Moon Siegel, Jazzmeia Horn, Luis Giraldo and Diana Panton, Birthday Shoutouts & More

by Mary Foster Conklin
November 11, 2024

This broadcast includes new releases from Naomi Moon Siegel, Jazzmeia Horn, Luis Giraldo and Diana Panton, with birthday shoutouts to Ethel Waters, Sippie Wallace, Julia Lee, Houston Person, Andy Bey, Carmen Lundy, Allison Miller and Jane Monheit, among others. Happy listening and please support the artists you hear. See them live, purchase their music so they ...

Article: Radio & Podcasts

Ryuichi Sakamoto, The Ize Trio, Jack Wood, & Nichaud Fitzgibbon, Darius Jones, Tommy Smith and John Taylor

by Cheryl K.
October 25, 2024

During this week's two-hour program of jazz and improvised music, two selections from two releases by the late Japanese pianist and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto; the Boston, MA-based collective The Ize Trio; vocalists Jack Wood & Nichaud Fitzgibbon; composer & alto saxophonist Darius Jones; and saxophonist Tommy Smith and pianist John Taylor. Playlist Ryuichi Sakamoto ...