 William Galison An internationally acclaimed innovator on the unlikely jazz instrument, the harmonica, William Galison has been dubbed “the most original and individual of the new generation of harmonica players” by none other than the greatest of them all, Toots Thielemans. If his name is not familiar, his music certainly is through his playing on the themes of "Sesame Street", "The Untouchables," "Bagdad Cafe" and hundreds of other movie scores, albums and commercials. With a resume that includes Sting, Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Astrud Giberto, Ruth Brown and Peggy Lee, Galison also is an accomplished guitarist, singer and songwriter. On Thursday, December 17th, Galison will perform at Cachaça in Manhattan. William Galison was born and raised in New York City. After early study of classical piano, at age eight he switched to guitar, inspired by the Beatles. Developing a love of jazz in high school, he went on to the Berklee College of Music in Boston where he again changed instruments because "I was one of a million guitarists at Berklee." With Toots Thielemans and Stevie Wonder as role models, he became Berklee’s only harmonica player and played "till I got dizzy."
 William Galison After Berklee and further studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, Galison returned to New York in 1982 where he developed a reputation as a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. He performed at the Village Gate, Blue Note, and Lone Star Cafe with legends Jaco Pastorius and Jaki Byard, and led his own group at Preacher's Cafe in Greenwich Village. Over his career, Galison has performed with such diverse artists as Sting and Carly Simon, Eddie Gomez and Les Paul, Astrud Gilberto and Toninho Horta; performed Gordon Jacob's "Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra;" toured nationally in the Broadway musical, Big River and internationally with Baghdad Café; and recorded soundtracks for films such as Academy Award nominees The Untouchables and Baghdad Café. His harmonica is also heard on television (Sesame Street theme) and countless commercials. Galison has released several recordings of contemporary jazz and appears on dozens more with such divas as Barbra Streisand, Ruth Brown, Peggy Lee, and Chaka Khan. In 2004, he released a duo recording with then-rising star and one-time musical partner Madeleine Peyroux, Got You On My Mind (Waking Up Music). Got You on My Mind defies easy classification as jazz, folk rock, country blues, whatever. This project reflects a melding of multiple talents, not the least of which is Galison’s soul-stirring harmonica. Noted Celeste Sunderland (All About Jazz), “At times mournful, at times wild, he always displays superb control over the tiny instrument.” Located at 35 W. 8th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village, Cachaça is one of the newest jazz venues in Manhattan. Named for the Brazilian liquor, Cachaça is a beautiful, intimate room decorated in a Brazilian theme. The room is tuned using a double bass as an acoustic reference, resulting in a superb listening experience. The cover charge is $10, plus a $10 minimum per person. Sets at 9 and 11 pm.
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