Trombonist

The Westerlies are a New York-based brass quartet comprised of Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands on trumpet and Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon on trombone. From Carnegie Hall to Coachella, The Westerlies navigate a wide array of venues and projects with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family sing-along.

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The Westerlies

Somerville Theatre

Composer/singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane returns as guest curator once again for the tenth season of PIVOT. Kahane’s work exists at the intersection of art and social practice, and he is one of the most thoughtful—and thought-provoking—artists of his generation. He will perform opening night and host all three evenings of deliciously ingenious music brimming with thought, humor—both dark and light—and substance.

PIVOT Festival 2

War Memorial and Performing Arts Center

The opening work on this program immerses us in Ives’ haunting mini-philosophy-lesson about the universe and man’s eternal search for meaning in it. Three groups of players (a string orchestra, a solo trumpet, and a group of flutes) make their arguments with the inevitable conclusion. The Westerlies, an “arty quartet … mixing ideas from jazz, new classical, and Appalachian folk” (~ The New York Times) with a ferociously unique vision of brass—and yes, named for the prevailing west to east winds—blow in to play Conrad Tao’s Westerlies Concerto. And in a classy-brassy pivot, an ear-stretching take on Dvořák’s exuberant string quartet, especially arranged for the OPO and The Westerlies, is bound to please!

Seeking Answers

The Plaza Live

The remarkable brass quartet The Westerlies will lead guests in the second Wander concert of the 2023 season, moving between three sites located within the main Cottonwood Campus. Known as “skilled interpreters who are also adept improvisers” (NPR’s Fresh Air), The Westerlies will fittingly present a program featuring two contemporary works composed originally not for brass, but for piano and string. Beginning at Iron Tree by Ai Weiwei, members Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands (trumpet) and Andy Clausen and Willem de Koch (trombone) will perform singer, songwriter, and pianist Robin Holcomb’s Wherein Lies the Good, a centerpiece of the quartet’s 2020 album of the same name. From Iron Tree, guests and musicians alike will walk along a flat, gravel path to Patrick Dougherty’s Daydreams/Cursive Takes a Holiday to experience Entr’acte by Pulitzer Prize-winner composer Caroline Shaw. The performance concludes a short distance away, under the canopy of Francis Kéré’s Xylem, with This is Water by the Westerlies own trombonist Andy Clausen.

Wander series: The Westerlies

Tippet Rise Art Center

It’s not every day that a group establishes a new ensemble concept in jazz, but The Westerlies have pulled off this rare feat with style, polish and abundant curiosity. Featuring trumpeters Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands and trombonists Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon, the New York-based brass quartet has sailed from Carnegie Hall to Coachella, gracefully navigating a wide array of venues and projects with the intense calibration of a string quartet, the audacity of an indie rock band, and the welcoming spirit of a family sing-along. They make their SFJAZZ bow with this intimate show.

Trombonist

Andy Clausen

Events

Upcoming events

Mar 14, 2026

The Westerlies · San Francisco Jazz

Past events

Feb 14, 2025

The Westerlies · Celebrity Series of Boston

Jan 30, 2025

PIVOT Festival 2 · San Francisco Performances

About

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