Christopher G. Andrews was born into a military family in Bremerhaven, Germany. Some of his earliest musical experiences were singing in his local church choir and listening to his parent’s record collection. After moving to Columbia, SC, Chris began showing interest in the saxophone and joined the Summit Parkway Middle School band under the direction of David Allison. Allison, the principal trumpet for the SC Philharmonic, sparked Chris’s interest in both classical and jazz repertoire by routinely practicing for various concerts before and after class. At Ridgeview High School, Chris became a section leader on the school’s top concert band, and played lead alto in jazz band. And at 15yrs old under the supervision of his mother Patricia, Chris began to “sit in” at local jam sessions held at local jazz clubs: Mac’s on Main, The Hunter Gatherer, and The Blue Martini. The jam session at the Hunter Gatherer was especially influential as it was a hotbed of local talent and allowed Chris to hear tenor saxophonist “Skipp” Pearson on a weekly basis.
Upon graduation of high school, Chris attended South Carolina State University studying with saxophonists Jonovan Cooper and Roland Haynes. Cooper polished his skills in classical saxophone repertoire while Haynes constantly pushed him to be a stronger jazz musician. Some of Chris’s first paid jazz gigs were with the Roland Haynes Quintet with Haynes on piano and vocals. While at SC State, Andrews was a member of the concert choir and jazz band. After auditioning for the HBCU All-Star Big Band, Chris went on to play lead alto at the 2007 IAJE Conference held in Toronto, Canada as well as the Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festival.
After received his B.A. in Music Industry, Chris started work on a master’s degree concentrating in jazz performance at the University of South Carolina under the direction of pianist Bert Ligon. Ligon, an avid jazz performer and composer, helped expand Andrews’s knowledge of jazz theory and overall musicianship. While at USC, Chris could be found playing anything from jazz to rock music. The ability to share the stage with musicians that play a variety of styles has always been a unique trait of Chris’s playing style. After receiving his M.M. degree in jazz performance, Chris went on to share the stage with greats like Fred Wesley and Wycliffe Gordon and whole host of notable performers. Chris is currently working on his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in saxophone performance as well as working as a bandleader, sideman, and woodwind instructor.