Andrew finn Magill

North Carolina violinist/fiddler Andrew Finn Magill is a Fulbright Fellow, a South Arts Emerging Traditional Artist, a North Carolina Arts Council Fellow, an All-Ireland Fiddle finalist, and a Ropeadope Records recording artist. He has been featured on MTV-U, PBS, and multiple times on NPR. His 2016 album, Roots, debuted at number #46 on the folk DJ charts and he has released six albums since.

His newest recording, The Polaris Project, is an ambitious album of ten original pieces written for an electric jazz quartet which synthesize Magill’s years living and working as a musician in Ireland, Malawi, Ghana, Brazil and the Southern U.S. The band features world-class musicians Justin Stanton of the Grammy-winning Snarky Puppy, bassist Ethan Jodziewicz (Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle) and drummer Justin Watt of the Glen Miller Orchestra, with special guests, Malawian music icon Peter Mawanga and Rising Appalachia’s Leah Song. The recording is scheduled for release on October 27, 2023.

Finn has received acclaim from some of the foremost jazz violinists on the planet, including Downbeat’s No.1 Rising Star of the violin, Christian Howes, Snarky Puppy’s Zach Brock, who says Magill displays “effortless virtuosity” and Berklee College’s Matt Glaser who calls him “an extraordinary violin virtuoso.”

“It’s nice to see fresh, young musicians carrying on the traditions of Brazilian music. Finn Magill displays a love and authenticity that can fool you into thinking he is from Brazil. His style is playful and light, yet soulful and passionate. Congratulations!” - Airto Moreira (Miles Davis, Weather Report, Chick Corea)

“Serene and incredibly soulful, North Carolina fiddler Andrew Finn Magill encounters the tradition in a manner reminiscent of Keith Jarrett on The Melody at Night With You.” - The Irish Times 

“Magill’s fresh, clear tones call to mind Stéphane Grappelli...” - Songlines Magazine

“I’m gonna keep listening for Finn Magill.” - Grammy-winner Tim O’Brien

Idols

August 11, 2023

Idols was inspired by the three musicians in the band. I wanted to write a piece of music specifically for them, something that would really let each of them shine. In thinking of them and other musicians I admire, I decided to name it Idols after my musical heroes who had passed. At the time, jazz pedagogue Barry Harris had just left us, so that was really on my mind when thinking about this title.. Chick Corea also died that year and it just felt like the musical community was losing one icon after another. The song is for all of them. (Andrew Finn Magill)

FESTA!

Release Date: July 30. 2021

Andrew Finn Magill: violin
Nando Duarte: 6-string guitar, 7-string guitar, cavaquinho, mandolin, electric bass, piano, percussion
Thiago da Serrinha: percussion (Cheio de Mordidas, Pé Quente, Choro de Cris)
Carlos Cesar Motta: drums (Saxofone na Ilha)
Janderson Bernardo: saxophone (Saxofone na Ilha)

Artwork: Daniel Gnattali
Press release: Greg Caz

Produced by Nando Duarte
Mixed and mastered by Nando Duarte and Daniel Carvalho

All music written by Andrew Finn Magill (© 2021 BMI)

About Andrew finn magill

Andrew “Finn the Fiddler” Magill has straddled the tenuous line of “fiddler” and “violinist” for the better part of his thirty years. Raised in an Irish musical household in Asheville, North Carolina he grew up studying with many of the world’s best traditional American and Irish
fiddlers at The Swannanoa Gathering music workshops. At age 18, his debut album Drive & Lift was featured multiple times on NPR and his 2016 two-disc project Roots and Branches debuted at #46 on the Folk DJ charts. Says grammy-winner Americana artist Tim O’Brien:
“He has learned from and now plays with the best in the genre. On Branches you can hear a new musical voice emerging. I’m gonna keep listening for Finn Magill.”

In 2014 Finn moved to Rio de Janeiro and plunged head on into Brazilian choro music, studying with some of the most accomplished in the genre including Luís Barcelos, Nicolas Krassik and Pedro Paes. Gradually absorbing other Brazilian traditions such as forró, samba, and bossa nova, Canta, Violino! is the product of years of study and performance with Rio’s diverse musicians. Writes Brazilian percussion legend Airto Moreira of Weather Report and Miles Davis:

“Its nice to see fresh, young musicians carrying on the traditions of Brazilian music. Finn Magill displays a love and authenticity that can fool you into thinking he is from Brazil. His style is playful and light, yet soulful and passionate. Congratulations!”

Magill merges his folk background and more than fifteen years of jazz study with the Brazilian musical language he has spent the last three years studying, all on an instrument seldom associated with Brazilian music: the violin. The result is uncharted territory for both the violin and Brazilian music.