Andy Sherwood: Ensembles

Andy Sherwood’s Jazz Quartet features some of the finest jazz musicians in New England performing music from Dixieland through the Swing Era. Along with Andy Sherwood on clarinet and saxophone, the group members are Ian Frenkel on piano, Mark McCormick on bass and Tom Briggs on drums. All members of the quartet are current or retired United States Coast Guard Band musicians and have degrees from top music colleges.

Andy Sherwood holds a bachelor’s degree in jazz studies from the Ohio State University and a master’s degree in performance from the University of Connecticut. He names Benny Goodman and Pete Fountain as his main influences. In fact, he played and marched two times with Pete Fountain during the Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Before retiring in 2009 with 24 years with the Coast Guard Band, he performed as a featured soloist across the United States as well as Hawaii, Russia, England and Japan. He led the Coast Guard Dixieland Band for 15 years, producing their first Dixieland compact disc entitled, “South,” and led the band on first time appearances at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, the Sun Valley Jazz Jamboree, and the Great Connecticut Jazz Festival.            

Ian Frenkel, a native of Moscow, Russia, is a talented pianist, arranger, and composer. Equally adept in all jazz styles, he approaches Dixieland with extraordinary spirit. He holds degrees from Gorky Conservatory and the Manhattan School of Music. He has been a member of the United States Coast Guard Band since 1996.

Bassist Mark McCormick is a superlative player in many styles of music from classical to jazz. He holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. He has been a member of the Coast Guard Band since 1997.

A creative and masterful drummer, Tom Briggs is an award winning arranger and composer as well as a highly sought after vibraphonist and pianist. He has studied with such notable jazz greats as Gary Burton and Max Roach. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Massachusetts. He retired from the Coast Guard Band after 30 years of distinguished service.

In 1998, Andy Sherwood recorded his first Dixieland Jazz quartet CD entitled, “While We Danced at the Mardi Gras.” In 2007, he released, “Dixieland Clarinet Live!” and in 2009 he release a digital CD entitled, “Dixieland Downtown.” His CDs have sold well on CDBaby.com and have had airplay on several radio stations.

Andy Sherwood’s Dixieland Quartet has performed in venues throughout Connecticut including the International Festival of Arts and Ideas in New Haven, the Groton Cabaret concert series, the Milford Jazz concert series, and for annual Mardi Gras concerts in New London.

Pianist Thomas Briggs and Clarinetist/Saxophonist Andrew Sherwood present a history performance/lecture entitled, “America’s Music from Ragtime to Swing: Music from 1890-1935.” Their presentation takes you on a journey from the early styles of Ragtime, Blues, Tin Pan Alley, and Dixieland up through the Swing Era. Briggs and Sherwood are retires of the United States Coast Guard Band and have performed together countless times during their long careers.

Thomas Briggs is the Music Director at the Community Music School in Centerbrook, CT and has been a member of the faculty since 1985. He offers private instruction on piano, composition, percussion, drum-set, computer technology, and jazz piano and improvisation. Since 1996, he has directed the CMS Jazz Ensemble and has produced over 85 arrangements and compositions for the group. He has recently started new projects at CMS including a new digital piano lab, an adult performing ensemble and a world drum percussion ensemble. As an award-winning published composer, he has written and arranged many works for symphonic winds to percussion, chamber groups and jazz ensembles. He has published a beginning-intermediate piano method book, two drum-set and two snare drum method books. Upon his retirement of 30 years with the Coast Guard Band, he was the principal percussionist, arranger/composer, and musical director of the Coast Guard Masters of Swing jazz septet. He studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston and received his BA in Music Education, Summa Cum Laude, at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 1978.

The Niantic Bay Trio features clarinetists Andy Sherwood, Dan Lukens and Andy Grenci. They all served at one time together in the United States Coast Guard Band. Dan Lukens performed as principal clarinetist throughout most of his 30 year career with the band, and Andy Grenci continues on active duty as the Coast Guard Band's bass clarinetist. Their repertoire includes classical, jazz and ragtime music.