Anders Griffen is a musician playing drums, and sometimes trumpet, blending idioms across genres with original and unique songwriters, instrumentalists, and choreographers. On some 40+ records, and numerous concerts across the States and abroad -- including Lollapalooza, Primavera Sound, and the End of the Road festivals, a Peel Session on BBC Radio 1, and on Jazz with OT with legendary radio presenter Oscar Treadwell -- Anders has performed with songwriters and bands like Jeffrey Lewis, Diane Cluck, Regina Spektor, Kimya Dawson, The Bundles, Ish Marquez and Lonesome Crew, Paleface, Seth Faergolzia and Dufus, John Ludington, Toby Goodshank, The Walkmen, Mark Mulcahy, Winterpills, Zoë Darrow, Nathan Xander, Herman Düne, The Wave Pictures, Elisa Flynn, Kjersti Kveli, Linda Draper, and Barry Bliss...
As well as jazz musicians Frank Lowe, Bernard Santacruz, Christopher Parker, Roy Campbell Jr., Henry P Warner, Chad Fowler, William Parker, Bertha Hope, Melanie Dyer, Sana Nagano, Joe Shepley, Eddie Bert, Don Friedman, Bill Crow, Victor Gaskin, Kenny Venezia, Michael Marcus, Loren Stillman, and musicians like Tommy Goodwin, John Cartwright, Dave McKelvy, Alex Tomaino, Conor Lyons, and Norm Dodge... choreographers Kathleen Cruz, David Wampach, Bopi Patterson, Stacy Grossfield, and Donna Uchizono, and just a diverse range of artists, musicians and dancers.
Anders Griffen is the son of musicians Fred Griffen (French horn) and Karen Griffen (flute and piccolo).
He grew up playing trumpet in school and was a self-taught drummer for many years, learning at jam sessions around the city before studying with Michael Carvin at the Michael Carvin School of Drumming. He also studied formally with Ron Carter, Kenny Burrell, Joe Shepley, Jon Faddis, Dary John Mizelle, and informally, includes among his mentors, Charles Moffett, Alvin Fielder, Warren Smith, Grady Tate, and Richie Dean Pratt. He holds a BFA in Music Composition from SUNY-Purchase College and a Masters in Library and Information Science from UCLA.
In addition to his work as an artist, Anders is an archivist and librarian and has worked at UCLA, New York Public Library, the Manhattan School of Music, and the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University. He is also a contributing writer to the 4th edition of A Basic Music Library, and The New York City Jazz Record, "the city's only homegrown jazz gazette."
Social Media:
Instagram
YouTube
and older YouTube
"subtle drummer extraordinaire"
- Lucid Culture
"He caught my eye for his impressionistic style ... he can play rock drums, he's great at just about every style I've seen, but he's kind of painterly when it comes to the drums - Diane Cluck, WNYC's Spinning On Air, (@39:20), December 4, 2011 http://www.wnyc.org/story/173425-diane-cluck/
"truly my favorite drummer ever" - Sarah Negahdari (The Happy Hollows), Facebook, March 27, 2011
"drummer Anders Griffen ... brings backing rhythm to the solo pieces with ghostly finesse ... Griffen’s technique is so understated and tailored to [the] music that sometimes it feels like he isn’t playing at all. This is a vast complement in an age of drummers who think loud is best" - Sam Walby, Now Then, Issue 31, p.25, October 2010 https://issuu.com/nowthensheffield/docs/nt31_oct_web
"I can't recall hearing Anders Griffen's drums before, but I'm pretty amazed! It's hard not to play “air drums” to many of these tracks" - Jacquie Piasta, FeministReview, May 2010 http://elevatedifference.com/review/bundles
"Anders Griffen is one of the most fantastic drummers I have ever seen" - Joshua, LettersMixTape, October 2009
"the fabulous percussive accompaniment of Anders Griffen is a thing of absolute beauty" - Kevin K, RumpRoast, March 14, 2008 http://www.rumproast.com/index.php/site/comments/elisa_flynn_dean_wareham_free_live_in_park_slope/
"excellent drummer Anders Griffen .... subtle, nuanced playing ... didn’t drown out [the vocals]" - Lucid Culture, March 7, 2008 http://lucidculture.wordpress.com/2008/03/10/linda-draper-and-randi-russo-live-at-cake-shop-nyc-3708/
"musically diverse drummer, Anders Griffen, ... clearly had a feel for the room and played with a considerable subtlety" - Lucid Culture, December 17, 2007 http://lucidculture.wordpress.com/2007/12/18/concert-review-elisa-flynn-at-union-hall-brooklyn-ny-121707/
"the antifolk drummer who played with everyone on these 3 days, in a royal and improvised way"
https://www.lecargo.org/spip/article2518/article2518.html
"Anders Griffen is a different drummer ..... [his] fluid drums ..... far quieter and unobtrusive" - Derek Taylor, "One Final Note, review of Vision Blue," January 2001
http://www.onefinalnote.com/reviews/l/lowe-frank/bodies-and-soul.html
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LC Control Number: no2007123937
HEADING: Griffen, Anders
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