The Westerlies

Blending genres with flair, the Westerlies function as a brass quartet that crafts contemporary instrumental music by weaving together classical, jazz, folk, and avant-garde threads. Their buoyant live shows and recorded output have drawn acclaim, among them the 2014 album Wish the Children Would Come on Home: The Music of Wayne Horvitz and the 2016 release The Westerlies.

The group formed in New York City in 2011, its original lineup consisting of trumpeters Riley Mulherkar and Zubin Hensler plus trombonists Andy Clausen and Willem de Koch. All four members, childhood friends from Seattle, honed their abilities under the guidance of pianist and composer Wayne Horvitz. Individually they have each accumulated distinct educational and stage credentials. A Juilliard School alumnus, Mulherkar received the inaugural Laurie Frink Career Grant at the Festival of New Trumpet Music in 2014. Likewise a Juilliard graduate, Clausen serves as Artistic Director for Jazz at New York Youth Symphony and has appeared alongside Theo Bleckmann, John Zorn, and additional artists. Trombonist de Koch has also shared stages with an array of performers that includes Bill Frisell, Feist, and Wycliffe Gordon.

The Westerlies first appeared on record with 2014’s Wish the Children Would Come on Home: The Music of Wayne Horvitz, an exploration of Horvitz’s compositions. After that release Hensler stepped away to concentrate on solo projects and was succeeded by Seattle-born/Phoenix-bred trumpeter Chloe Rowlands. A New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music graduate, Rowlands earned second place in the 2016 International Trumpet Guild’s Jazz Trumpet Competition. She joined the ensemble in time for its self-titled sophomore album The Westerlies, which centered on the group’s own original material.

Beyond their performances the Westerlies organize the yearly Westerlies Fest in Seattle and have conducted residencies and master classes at Clefworks in Montgomery, Alabama, the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, Manhattan School of Music, Yale School of Music, and further institutions. They have also undertaken collaborative projects with Fleet Foxes, Dave Douglas, and Vieux Farka Toure, among others. In 2020 the quartet issued its third studio album, Wherein Lies the Good.