Like a good many before him, singer and pianist Andrew Walesch somehow manages to encapsulate the sophistication of a cosmopolite and the self-effacing charm of a country boy.
Whether composing and arranging or appearing in settings ranging from solo artist to big band, this St. Cloud, Minnesota native, who criss-crosses the bold North playing dates big and small, is as respectful of his predecessors as he is ready to take a leap into the unknown and chart a new course.
In his monthly, sold-out shows with his 10-piece band at the lakeside supper club Crooners - on the border of Minneapolis, but at the center of the Twin Cities music scene - Walesch is a traditionalist and an iconoclast rolled into one. His audiences include jazz enthusiasts of a certain age, as well as a younger crowd compelled by his down-home insouciance, and the knowing irreverence of a tried-and-true American nightclub entertainer. “Although they are my idols, I don’t attempt to imitate the great pop and jazz artists of the 50’s and 60’s,” says the singer and pianist, “but I go for broke when we do our shows - vocally and musically - which is what they all did best and why they were in a class of their own. I take risks, but I’m from Minnesota, so I’ve got jumper cables in the trunk.”
His vocal and piano chops, along with his keen sensibility to find and interpret a great lyric, have lead to some great opportunities for Walesch, including an appearance on the nationally syndicated NPR broadcast Mountain Stage
Whether composing and arranging or appearing in settings ranging from solo artist to big band, this St. Cloud, Minnesota native, who criss-crosses the bold North playing dates big and small, is as respectful of his predecessors as he is ready to take a leap into the unknown and chart a new course.
In his monthly, sold-out shows with his 10-piece band at the lakeside supper club Crooners - on the border of Minneapolis, but at the center of the Twin Cities music scene - Walesch is a traditionalist and an iconoclast rolled into one. His audiences include jazz enthusiasts of a certain age, as well as a younger crowd compelled by his down-home insouciance, and the knowing irreverence of a tried-and-true American nightclub entertainer. “Although they are my idols, I don’t attempt to imitate the great pop and jazz artists of the 50’s and 60’s,” says the singer and pianist, “but I go for broke when we do our shows - vocally and musically - which is what they all did best and why they were in a class of their own. I take risks, but I’m from Minnesota, so I’ve got jumper cables in the trunk.”
His vocal and piano chops, along with his keen sensibility to find and interpret a great lyric, have lead to some great opportunities for Walesch, including an appearance on the nationally syndicated NPR broadcast Mountain Stage