Dr Andrew Bain

• PhD, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham City University
• PGCert in Research Practice, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Birmingham City University
• MMus, Manhattan School of Music
• BMus (Hons) First Class, Guildhall School of Music & Drama (orchestral percussion & jazz drums joint principal study)

Andrew Bain is one of the leading performers and educators in Europe, having performed with luminaries such as Wynton Marsalis, Natalie Cole, Kenny Wheeler, Randy Brecker, John Taylor, NDR Big Band, Dave Liebman, and Bob Mintzer. 

A recipient of the William H. Borden Award for outstanding achievement in Jazz, Andrew is a multi-published researcher in practice-led jazz, and sits on the steering committee for the International Network for Artistic Research in Jazz, published in their inaugural Journal for Artistic Research in Jazz (ARJazz, 2025). He is Head of Jazz at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and faculty for National Youth Jazz Wales. He is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Andrew’s PhD research into Empathic Interaction was based around three performance-led research projects (details below). Performing in each study, each project explored interaction in various improvisational contexts, with differing line-ups, performance formats, and tour durations.

• Player Piano with Mike Walker, Gwilym Simcock, Iain Dixon and Steve Watts (2015)
• Embodied Hope with George Colligan, Jon Irabagon, and Michael Janisch (Whirlwind Recordings 2017)
• (no)boundaries, a free improv exploration featuring Peter Evans, Alex Bonney and John O’Gallagher (Whirlwind Recordings 2020)

Andrew’s latest research project – Mosvatnet – features Angelica Sanchez, John O’Gallagher, Tori Freestone and Per Zanussi. They will release a studio album in 2026. There is also a chapter about this project in the inaugural Artistic Research in Jazz Journal 2025.

As Head of Jazz, Andrew oversees all the undergraduate and postgraduate jazz teaching, and teaches/supervises various performance/research/academic modules personally. He also directs the RWCMD jazz orchestra and leads on engagement for jazz students.

Andrew is keen to hear from prospective doctoral research students interested in the following areas: jazz; improvisation; collaboration; rhythmic studies; practice-led research; music and community.

• Released Embodied Hope (album, 2017), featuring George Colligan (piano), Jon Irabagon (tenor saxophone), Michael Janisch (bass), and Andrew Bain (drums). [CD] Recorded at Wincraft Studios, England, 11 November 2016. (Whirlwind Recordings WR 4715).
• (NO)BOUNDARIES: A STUDY IN FREE IMPROVISATION (2020) via the Research Catalogue
• Released no boundaries (album, 2020), featuring Peter Evans (trumpet/flugelhorn), John O’Gallagher (alto saxophone), Alex Bonney (electronics), and Andrew Bain (drums). [Vinyl] Recorded live at the Hexagon, Birmingham, 14 December 2017. (Whirlwind Recordings WR 4750LP).
• Published ‘Embodied Hope: An Empathically Creative Approach to Contemporary Jazz’ (2023) in 1st Edition, Artistic Research in Jazz: Positions, Theories, Methods. Routledge, ISBN 9781032019055
• Published EMPATHIC SPECULATION AND THE COMFORT ZONE (2025) in the inaugural ARJAZZ journal