Review by Bryan Rodgers

Artist: Vandell Andrew
Album: Vandell Andrew EP
Review by Bryan Rodgers


Vandell Andrew’s self-titled debut EP contains just three tracks, but those combined ten minutes speak volumes about the rising sax player. If listeners dig a little deeper, they’ll discover a unique story behind his music. Andrew grew up in New Orleans and started playing trumpet at age 13, soon switching to saxophone at the behest of a teacher. Eventually, Andrew enrolled at Southern University and began studying music under the legendary, improvisation-focused educator and performer Edward “Kidd” Jordan. But Andrew’s opportunity to learn from the master was cut short by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, forcing him to move to Dallas, Texas at age 18. After five years of acclimating himself to Dallas’ music scene, he’s now a rising sax star at the exhilarating age of 23, finding himself in the company of jazz greats like Kirk Whalum and Tom Braxton. This self-titled EP is his first release, and it