Andy Connell has performed in ensembles ranging from jazz to classical to Brazilian music. Besides his work with Mike Marshall and Choro Famoso, Andy has performed with artists such as Luciano Pavarotti, Dave Leibman, Lou Rawls, Jennifer Holliday, and Claudia Villela. Andy has also appeared at the Monterey, MontreuxÐDetroit, and San Francisco jazz festivals, and at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, SC. He has recorded for the Musical Heritage Society, Intrada, Adventure Music, Earthbeat! Traveler, and Acoustic Levitation labels. In addition to his work as a performer, Andy is an ethnomusicologist whose primary research focuses on issues of musical identity and globalization in Brazilian popular instrumental music. His fascination with choro and all things Brazilian began over two decades ago, a connection that only intensified during his first trip to Brazil in 1992. From 1999-2000, Andy lived in Rio de Janeiro doing field research for his PhD dissertation from UCLA. He is currently an assistant professor of music at James Madison University in Virginia and is working on a book on Brazilian jazz.