Bill McHenry

THE BILL McHENRY QUARTET:

Bill McHenry - Tenor Saxophone

Jamie Saft - Keyboard

Chris Van Voorst Van Beest - Bass

RJ Miller - Drums

"Any musician who works so effectively against a common language, and uses cliché so little in the process, is worth listening to. There are tons of young jazz saxophonists out there pursuing ideas of harmony and structure and rhythm, but he has something rare going for him. He has a sound. Mr. McHenry is a fresh new voice: He can play with un-orthodox structure and get as free as you want, but he maintains a ripe, lovely tone straight out of the 1950's. Lyrical is probably the most overused word in jazz criticism, but if anyone deserves the word, Mr. McHenry is the one."
-Ben Ratliff, New York Times

Bill McHenry was born in Maine in 1972. He started playing saxophone at age ten before going to Interlochen Arts Academy and then New England Conservatory. In 1992, Bill moved to New York, and eventually studied with Dewey Redman. Since then, he has performed with legends such as Charlie Haden, Andrew Cyrille, Henry Grimes, John Abercrombie, and Norah Jones. 

Bill appears on more than 20 recordings, including several under his own name. His most recent, “Roses,” has been recognized as his strongest yet as he continues to write and develop music for other settings. McHenry performs regularly with Paul Motian at the Village Vanguard and other landmark clubs in NYC, and is respected around the globe as one of the most exciting and innovative saxophonists of his generation.