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

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.