The Westerlies, “an arty quartet…mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” (NY Times), are a New York-based brass ensemble featuring Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands on trumpet, and Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon on trombone. From Carnegie Hall to Coachella, they navigate genres with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family sing-along.
Formed in 2011 and named after the prevailing winds from west to east, the self-described “accidental brass quartet” blends jazz, chamber, roots, and folk music into a sound that’s both “folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous” (NPR Music). With a background in gospel, union songs, experimental jazz, and the modern American songbook, their genre-defying collaborations include Fleet Foxes, Haley Heynderickx, and Aoife O’Donovan.
This June, The Westerlies celebrate the release of their new album featuring special guests Sam Amidon and Aoife O’Donovan at Healing Force of the Universe in Pasadena.
