Harmonica & Frattoir player, Singer
and Songwriter born in 1955, Andy has been playing harmonica
and singing professionally since 1977.
He has recorded 7 LPs, 11 cds and two 45s. These
recordings feature mostly Forest's original songs. The 2007
release "Real Stories:
of Love Labor and Other Man Made Catastrophes" (on
Slang Records) won "The Best of The
Beat" Award for Best
Blues Cd of 2007 in New Orleans and now with a new cd "NOtown
Story: The Triumph of Turmoil".
The recording of the basic quartet Forest, guitarist Jack
Cole, drummer Allyn Robinson and
bassist David
Hyde is
crisp and uncluttered, with guitar, harmonica and vocals
tipping into the red with a fierce, in-your-face presence.
On "True to
You," those three elements
come out of the speakers with the force of a Chess side by Muddy
Waters with Little
Walter on harp.
Forest's songs tend to scan like novellas; here he keeps
his lyrics to the bare minimum, sticking with simple concepts
like " Who
Are You Tryn'a Fool," " Pretend
We're Not Pretending" and
" You
Gotta Pay." The simplicity
is effective as it's in service
of the story of the break-up of Forest's
real-life marriage. Less is definitely more when such situations
are rendered in song, and Forest thankfully sticks to generalizations
The first
harmonica lessons came from hearing live performances by
SonnyTerry, Walter Horton, Charlie
Musselwhite, and Rod Piazza in the Los Angeles area as a teenager.
The legendary
George "Harmonica" Smith gave the young man pointers in the parking lot of the Ash
Grove in Hollywood. But he really started playing in New
Orleans in the early 70's, jamming with James
Booker, Earl King, John Mooney, Antoine Dominoe, Billy Gregory (of Professor
Longhair's band) and other local musicians who went on to
form the Radiators and the Subdudes.
He began his professional
career at age 22 demonstrating a unique and personal style
from the beginning.
Live performances, mostly in festivals gave
him the opportunity to open up for B.
B. King, Albert King, Albert Collins, Canned Heat, Magic
Slim, Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy & Jr. Wells, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown,
J. Geils & Magic Dick, Terrance Simieon, Otis Grand,
The Blind Boys of Alabama, Johnny Copeland, Roy Rogers,
John Hammond, Melvin Taylor, Duke Robillard and Johnny
Winter.
On some of these occasions Andy was invited to play
with his heroes. In 1989 B. B. King let him play with him
during a jam session with Bobby "Blue" Bland,
Joan Baez (!) and Luther Allison at the Montreux
Jazz Festival.
That same summer B. B. invited Forest to join him in a
jam with Jeff Healy on stage at the Pistoia Blues Festival
in Italy. Champion Jack Dupree asked Andy and his band
to back him up for an entire set. He also played a set
with the Otis Rush Band which was televised on national
Italian TV (RAI).
After living in Europe for
ten years he returned to his home New Orleans in 1991 where
he plays in clubs yet frequently goes on tour in Europe and
Canada.
He has
played on stage with other illustrious artists like Taj
Mahal, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Matt Murphy, James Cotton, Walter "Wolfman" Washington,
Jimmy Johnson, Sugar Blue, Willy DeVille, Louis Meyers,
Johnny Heartsman, Bernard Allison, The Memphis Horns,
Johnny Shines and John "Juke" Logan.
He has played at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage
Festival a half dozen times since 1983, King
Biscuit Festival, Trois Rivieres and the Ottawa Blues
Festival several times, The Montreux
Jazz Festival in 1989, Cognac Blues
Passions, Antwerpe Parkblues Festival, Amsterdam Blues
Festival, Tamines, Beermem Blues Festival, More Blues
Festival, Gulf Shores Shrimp Festival, Lokerse Feesten,
Pistoia, San Remo, Nantes-Rendezvous dans l'Erdre, Lugano
Blues to Bop '94, '96 & 2000, Sherbrooke
Blues Festival, Windsor International Festival, Montremblant and
many others in France, Italy and Canada.
A Prolific song writer, Forest
has penned over 100 tunes, mostly blues
and New Orleans style.
He has written scores of songs,
one novel Letter From Hell and paints “outside” art,
(see pics) mostly of blues and jazz singers. Some of them are
hanging around New Orleans in La Belle Gallerie, 309 Chartres
St. and @ Louisiana Music Factory-210 Decatur St.
After the popular and criticle success of "Sunday
Rhumba"(2001) and "Deep Down Under (in
the Bywater)" (2003) recorded for Appaloosa Record and
produced by Anders Osborne he featured "Real
Stories" (2006)
with his italian band and the new cd "NOtown
Story: The Triumph of Turmoil" (2010)
Check out
Andy's harmonica playing with the Washboard
Chaz Blues Trio on the sound track
for the Werner Herzog film "The
Bad Lieutenant" starring
Nicolas Cage and Val Kilmer. On tour in Europe the Andy J Forest
Band members are Heggy Vezzano Guitar, Luca Tonani Bass
and Pablo Leoni drums. In New Orleans: Jack Cole guitar, David
Hyde bass and Allyn Robinson on drums. In Canada Andy plays
with Tony D. and most recently the multi award winning band
Monkey Junk.
Talking about him
Blues Revue called
his "wordplay Berryesque" and rated
the CD "Bluesness as Usual" an "UN-usually
strong album".
Of the book Letter from hell "Sounds and reads like
good blues to me" - "agile imagination".
Off Beat magazine columnist John
Swenson recently wrote of a live performance "..causing
such mayhem that Forest pushes the party limits until
he's body surfing across the dance floor on his frattoir".
In a review of Forest's CD "Blue Orleans" stated "The
songs present an uncompromising look at the life of a traveling musician... Also
Forest proves his versatility by tackling themes like insanity and growing old.
His understated delivery has a poignancy which comes from the heart". "One
of the best harp players in New Orleans"
Michael Cote of Blues Revue wrote
of Sunday Rhumba: "...eclectic
sesibility" - "featuring fine
harp and barbed lyrics.." "...the best
example of Forest's storytelling, a sample of the
hard-edged writing found in his novel Letter From
Hell."
Gambit Weekly in New Orleans
hailed Forest as "One of the scene's
more experienced and vital practitioners".
Christina Dittenger called Andy's
songs "bluesy musings on everyday occurances
from the frustration of losing one shoe to the state
of mankind".
OBScene, Ottawa's blues periodical
printed, "Andy performs harp magic...every
number was truly entertaining... his original tune "Motel
Blue Orleans" is the epitome of the blues".
Living Blues gave him a "solid
harp player" vote and of his songwriting
reported, "...from soulful instrumentals to
raunchy (lyrics).."
Blues Access "a fine series
of intriguing albums...original compositions, lusty
singing and virtuouso harp". "...hot harmonica" "...
distinctly out of the ordinary".
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