About the Artist
Vandell Andrew grew up in New Orleans, spending years of his childhood in the shadow of Louis Armstrong, soaking up the vibe of the French Quarter’s great brass bands. Jazz was in the blood, but his soul was also filled with magic from his flute playing mom’s R&B collection (Anita Baker, Chaka Khan, etc.), hip-hop and Erykah Badu. Encouraging Vandell’s musical ambitions, his dad gave him John Coltrane and Charlie Parker CDs and told him for every song he learned, he would give him $100. With that money adding up, Vandell bought an audio interface, recorded his first CD and through determination and sheer hard work has emerged as one of the great independent contemporary jazz success stories of the decade.
Vandell’s destiny seemed set once his mom enrolled him at a summer music camp at NOLA’s renowned St Marks Treme church – which the saxophonist says is where “Louis Armstrong and Trombone Shorty grew up.” Vandell started on trumpet but switched to sax when his teacher told him his lips were better suited to it. “I was just excited to switch from three valves to all those cool buttons,” he says. Attending the exclusive private all black boys school St. Augustine High School on scholarship, he joined what was one of the most historic school marching bands in New Orleans history. During his time there, the band practiced year round and performed all around the country at prestigious events, including the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
After studying sax with famed instructor Edward “Kid” Jordan at the Southern University of New Orleans for a year, Vandell was contemplating his next educational move – including possibly attending Berklee School of Music – when Hurricane Katrina hit and his family evacuated to Dallas. Settling there, he instead attended community college and began participating in jam sessions, gigging at local jazz clubs and networking heavily. He soon realized that he wanted a career where he called the shots, rather than waiting for the phone to ring. Inspired by well-known New Orleans rapper Master P, who launched his international career completely DIY, Vandell realized that the best way to achieve his goals was composing and recording his own music and selling CDs himself. He credits Whalum and the late great Grover Washington, Jr. as major influences on his developing sax style.
Developing a unique vibe on sax that draws from a variety of influences, including Kirk Whalum and the late great Grover Washington, Jr., he began playing more R&B clubs, many private parties and even church gigs. He used the money he made from a part time job at a homeless shelter to fund his promotional endeavors. He began sharing his music and creating relationships on Myspace and looking up the names of radio promoters who worked with his favorite artists. “I was driven,” he says. “I did a lot of research and knew what I had to do to make things happen.” David Kunert’s success in promoting “Let’s Ride” to stations across the country was the breakthrough that took Vandell’s budding career to a whole new level. He followed his first official release Years Later… in 2011 with Turn It Up, the full length set All For Love (2016), the EP For Lovers, the full length VA Covers (2017)and “30” (2018).
Ronald Jackson of The Smooth Jazz Ride wrote: “When one has the drive and determination to add to his or her knack for making good music, it’s hard not to look ahead and see success looming on the horizon. Andrew may well have drawn a bead on that vision.”
Or as Vandell himself says, “So turning 30 is not a bad thing at all – in fact, it’s great because now I know just what I want in my life. I’m excited about this next phase of my journey.”
Videos
Career Highlights
#1 Smash HIT “Let’s Ride”
10 Billboard Top 25 HITS!
Soul Train Nomination for “Best Contemporary Jazz Performance”
Notable Performances
Howard Theatre Washington DC
Highline Ballroom NYC
Perfect Note Hoover,AL
W.E. Scott Theater Fort Worth,TX
Hobby Center Houston,TX
Lucky Lounge Austin,TX
The Mint Los Angeles,CA
E Spot Lounge Studio City,CA
Catalina Island Jazz Trax Fest
Branford Jazz on The Green Branford,CT
Charlie Wright’s London,UK
Vortex Jazz Club London,UK
Orozko Lounge Reno,NV
Sandaga 813 Dallas,TX
Ridglea Theater Fort Worth,TX
Press Photos
Key Markets
Los Angeles, CA | Atlanta,GA | Houston,TX| Dallas,TX
Marketing
Weekly live video content released to social media platforms. Over 100k Followers. Over 5 Million Views to date.
Contact
| Vandell@VandellMusic.com |
Websites
http://VandellMusic.com
http://Facebook.com/VandellMusic