Andrea Brachfeld: She's Back - Artículo Breve - Entrevista

Latin Beat Magazine, June, 2000 by Max Salazar

In 1972, Andrea Brachfeld was the flutist for the Charanga Típica New York. During that time she was the only female flutist in New York s salsa music scene. Her name was placed last on a list of venerable flutists that included José Fajardo, Eddy Zervigón, Rolando Lozano, Lou Pérez, Mike Garcia, Bobby Nelson, Artie Webb, Félix Wilkins and the Panamanian cracker-jack Mauricio Smith. Also during that time, Cuba's José Fajardo was the most popular flutist of uptempo Latin music.

In the December 1978 issue of Latin New York magazine, Fajardo was chosen as the year's most popular flutist. In second place was Andrea Brachfeld. Her second place finish was no fluke. For six years, the attractive brunette had stirred up emotions with arousing flute montunos while she performed with Típica New York (1972-74), Benito Sextet (1974-75), Charanga 76 (1976-78), and Joe Quijano. During the time periods when the bands were not working, she freelanced with Charanga América, Tito Puente, Orquesta Sublime, Orquesta Broadway, Típica Novel, Johnny Pacheco, Siglo 20 and Machito.

In 1978, Brachfeld recorded the album Andrea for Latina Records. During the month of June this LP was heard on all the college stations throughout New York. Roger Dawson, whose WRVR Sunday Salsa Show was New York's most popular Latin music program at the time, aired Sí Se Acaba El Mundo, and Brachfeld became a legitimate New York salsa star.

The tune was heard often and inspired Pablo "Yoruba" Guzmán to write the following for Latin New York magazine: "Andrea is the title of the debut solo LP by one of the most creative and original female flautists on the contemporary Latin music scene. You may remember Andrea as one of the integral members of Charanga 76. She was instrumental in the formation of that charanga group's trend-setting sound, and through them established a formidable reputation as an imaginative, creative musician..."

In 1981, Andrea's sensuous features and typical Cuban flute sound blew the fuses of a Venezuelan millionaire's mind and resulted in an offer to relocate to Venezuela.

"He heard about me," said Andrea, "and wanted to form a band with a female flute player. I accepted his offer after he agreed to furnish me with a car, clothes, transportation, a piano, full rent paid as well as a salary. I went to Venezuela with the intention of staying there for a short period of time and ended up staying for 2 1/2 years...while I was there I played Latin and jazz with a few of Venezuela's best groups."

Andrea was accorded star status in Venezuela. Lengthy stories about her appeared in newspapers and her face became as recognizable as those of Tito Puente and Cachao. In 1984 she returned to New York.

"On my last gig I played opposite Chick Corea. Unfortunately, Venezuela was not my kind of place because women are not tolerated, to say the least. For instance, If I wanted to go to a club to sit in, I wouldn't be let in because I was a woman unaccompanied by a man. They have their value system and it wasn't one where I particularly fit in...the cultural differences were noticeable, you had the feeling that you weren't liked."

After her return to the States, Andrea met and married Nicholas Metsopulos and gave birth to daughter Shaina, who is being reared for a music career. There was a self-imposed sabbatical from music so she could raise her child.

Andrea, who was born May 3, 1954 in Utica, New York, began flute lessons in the fourth grade. In 1968, she auditioned for the High School of Music and Art and even though she was more accomplished on piano, it was her flute proficiency that opened the school's doors.

"As I was going to Music and Art, I also attended jazz classes at the Jazzmobile School in Harlem. I went to Harlem religiously for a couple of years to study in a group situation with Jimmy Heath. It was there that I met Karen Joseph, who has remained a best friend until the present. I ended up meeting many more great musicians such as Dave Valentín, Nat Adderly Jr., Angela Bofill, Mitch Frohman, Dave Samuels, and Valerie Capers, and was influenced by them all. It was also around this time I met Lloyd McNeil, who introduced me to Mauricio Smith, who was responsible for getting me my first charanga gig, which was with Mike Pérez's Típica New York. One gig led to another, including jobs with Tito Puente, and I had a chance to record. My reputation got around in Latin jazz circles."

Andrea graduated from the High School of Music and Art in 1972. In 1978 she earned a bachelor's degree in music from the Manhattan School of Music. She's also earned certifications in music composition, improvisation (with Hubert Laws & Jimmy Heath), and credentials to teach music (grades K- 12), and English as a Second Language. Andrea speaks fluent French and Spanish. With her exceptional credentials she is capable of earning a professional's salary, but will not do so because she cannot abandon the music world.

In an attempt to restore her 1981 profile, Andrea formed PHOENIX RISING (In Egyptian mythology, the phoenix a bird that consumed itself in tire and rose from the ashes). Phoenix Rising was an appropriate title. "I was out of the New York music scene for awhile and was finally rising from the forgotten."