Andrea Brachfeld’s Musical Birthday Party & Jam at An Die Musik
[photo credit Wendy Setzer]
On May 3rd, 2026, Andrea Brachfeld took the stage at An die Musik to celebrate her birthday and express gratitude to the Baltimore jazz community that has welcomed her since she arrived from New York in 2021. She was joined by pianist Allyn Johnson, bassist Blake Meister, and drummer Eric Kennedy, all heavy hitters in the DMV region.
Brachfeld has been praised by many critics, and Downbeat called her “one of the finest jazz flutists around.” The concert was a pleasing mix of standards and originals, smoking hot tempos and slower, meditative tempos, and above all, the astonishing virtuosity of Brachfeld and her band members. Brachfeld’s slim fingers dancing over the instrument create melodies that soar and dive, spin and spiral, whisper and flutter; melodies that are inventive, often surprising, always expressive. As bandleader, she amply demonstrated that she knows her own mind.
The set opened with a brisk and driving rendition of “Miles Mode” a John Coltrane composition, in which the second half of the melody is the same as the first half, but backwards—called a musical palindrome. It featured bass clarinetist Todd Marcus, who doubled up with the flute on the melody on the opening and closing choruses.
After introducing the band, Brachfeld introduced the next tune, “Stella by Starlight,” one of her favorites. “Now some people might think that this tune is kind of like ‘Blue Bossa’ because everyone plays it,” she added. “But guess what? –I don’t care!” Then she brought up trombonist Christian Hizon, one of the first musicians she met in Baltimore.
In contrast to the opening tune, this one started out slow and meditative on the flute; then took a more sprightly and whimsical turn in Brachfeld’s solo. With Hizon’s solo, the tune picked up more swing feel and energy, backed by the Johnson’s richly-flavored, chunky chords on piano. On the last chorus, Brachfeld tapped into the pathos of this familiar tune that lends itself to so many interpretations, ending it with a haunting sweetness tinged with melancholy.
“Deeply I Live” followed, an original written, she explained, shortly after she emerged from a harrowing “dark night of the soul.” The bass opened with a dark droning note behind a loose, meandering melodic line like a questioning soul wandering lost in the wilderness. The rest of the band joined in a 3/4 tempo. The melody on flute swooped and dived like a swallow, with a touch of mystery added by tinkling chimes and eerie piano arpeggios. With growing urgency, the melody took a twisting path, like a mind interrogating its own existence. Drums and piano heightened the drama before the flute wound down the tune with the same lilting waltz feel as at the beginning.
In another display of her independence of spirit, Brachfeld introduced Bill Evans’ “Blue in Green,” a less-frequently played standard, by saying, “We’re gonna continue with a song that I like to play–and because I’m the leader, we’re gonna play it!” She gave a short chortle. After a little humorous back and forth with the audience, she added, “That’s the thing about being a woman in the jazz field,” she added. “They [male musicians] think you can’t do what you want. But you actually can. At least I do. I don’t care!” With that, the tune began with the piano freely playing an eerie, esoteric intro with whole tone and diminished scales, again creating an air of mystery, magic and melancholy and setting the tone for the flute on melody. Kennedy’s rim taps, mallet flutters on the cymbal, and a single “ding” on the triangle accentuated that aura of intrigue.
Another Brachfeld original followed.She explained that “Movers and Shakers” was inspired by some “civic minded” community activists she knew in Jersey City. Every instrument expressed a frolicsome busy-ness but also a seriousness of intention that one often finds at, say, a No Kings rally, where people prance around in purple dragon costumes and children gambol between the legs of their elders, but all with a determination to make a difference. Piano, bass, and drums, soloed in free time. Meister’s fingers flew up and down the neck of the bass before ceding to the drums. Kennedy’s solo hinted at the danger that, for political movers and shakers, always lurks in the background. But the flute wrapped up the piece with the earlier high-spirited sense of frolic before coming to an abrupt end.
“What’s New” by Bob Haggart again featured Todd Marcus, with Ben Merliss on bass. This tune followed the same dynamic arc as several others; beginning smoothly and tranquilly, until the solos by bass clarinet and flute imparted more drive. The program closed with “Solar” at a smoking hot tempo, the whole band firing on all pistons, burning through the notes at a breakneck speed, winding down only in the last few bars.
Brachfeld introduced the band again, thanked the audience for “indulging us,” and invited everyone downstairs to enjoy some free birthday cake – and to take any of her many CDs for free – “Free means free; you can take them – they’re not for sale!” she declared. Donations were given as CDs were taken, and conviviality reigned among musicians and fans in the downstairs parlor as plates of cake were passed, and I’m sure that all felt grateful to Brachfeld for the marvelous music she has shared here with us in Baltimore.
–By Liz Fixsen
Liz Fixsen is a small-time jazz pianist and vocalist and a big-time jazz fan, regularly frequenting jam sessions and shows in and around Baltimore. She serves on the board of the Baltimore Jazz Alliance and edits and writes for its quarterly newsletter.