Tenor saxophonist
Bill McHenry has become widely known in NY for his work both as a leader and sideman. Born in Blue Hill, ME in 1972,
McHenry entered Michigan's Interlochen Arts Academy in 1986 and then attended New England Conservatory in 1990, studying with
George Garzone,
Jimmy Giuffre, and
John McNeil. He relocated to NY in the fall of 1992 and became active in the jazz scene. During part of 1996 he lived in Barcelona, collaborating on a live album with pianist
Ben Waltzer titled Jazz Is Where You Find It.
McHenry's debut as a leader was 1997's
Rest Stop. The follow-up, titled
Graphic, was released in 1999 and was one of New York Times critic Ben Ratliff's top ten "alternative picks" for that year. Since then
McHenry has recorded and performed with
Ethan Iverson,
Rebecca Martin,
Ben Waltzer, John Stech,
Reid Anderson,
Ben Monder, the Chris Lightcap Quartet, and the Guillermo Klein Big Band. His own group, the Bill McHenry Quartet, boasts
Ben Monder on guitar,
Reid Anderson on bass, and
Gerald Cleaver on drums. ~ David R. Adler