Matt Savage was born in 1992. He was diagnosed with a mild form of autism at age 3. Not one to be pegged with a label even as a toddler, Matt absorbed everything he could from early and intensive therapy. He taught himself how to read piano music at the age of 6 1/2, and immediately thereafter began studies in classical piano. He discovered jazz in 1999 and studied for 3 years at The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA. When his family moved out of state, Matt did not have a piano teacher for over a year until he began private studies with his current teacher. Matt has never had any instruction in composition.
Always up for a new challenge, Matt recorded his first CD in December of 1999 in collaboration with his instructor at The New England Conservatory to raise money for autism research. Matt became the youngest child to perform at the NEPTA “Gifted and Talented” classical piano recitals in early 2000.
In September of 2000, Matt met and played piano for Dave Brubeck. The meeting was aired by WGME-TV Channel 13 in Portland, Maine. Brubeck’s comments about the meeting: “I was amazed at how talented he is. Amazing is the word I can tell you. I keep track of young talent in kids, and he’s the first one that I met that young that was THAT talented. He has such a musical mind that it isn’t music that he has to learn. It seems like he’s such an advanced musician in so many ways already at 8.”
DAVE BRUBECK, WCPN 90.3 FM INTERVIEW, NOVEMBER 25, 2001
On December 21st, 2000, Matt met and played piano for and with Chick Corea (at a sound check). Matt jammed with Avishai Cohen and Jeff Ballard, Chick’s sidemen, during the meeting. Matt was playing with the sidemen when Chick walked in, and when Avishai said, “Hey Matt! Play something for Chick!” Matt proceeded to launch into one of the most well known of Chick’s own tunes…”Steps.” He played it flawlessly and at breakneck speed. Avishai ribbed Chick, saying, “He plays it better than you do.” Fortunately, Chick has a good sense of humor. The two pianists sat at the piano, playing impromptu duets and eventually a kind of “dueling improv,” smiling all the time. Then Chick shared his dinner with Matt while conversing about life and music.
Matt released his second CD (and first solo piano effort) entitled “Live at the Olde Mill” in January of 2001. Matt’s first live radio interview and performance was on May 16th, 2001 on WERS 88.9, a Boston-based radio station.
At the age of 9, Matt indicated he wanted to play in an ensemble. He attended a few open jazz jams on a few Sunday afternoons and hit it off with two adult musicians, John Funkhouser and Steve Silverstein. Matt was scheduled to play a benefit concert to raise money for autism research a few weeks later and asked John and Steve to join him. They agreed, and the chemistry among the musicians at that concert was such that The Matt Savage Trio was born. The band never rehearsed. They just started performing gigs together as a band. The Matt Savage Trio is headed by Matt, on piano, with John Funkhouser on bass and Steve Silverstein on drums.
Matt was featured as “The Artist of the Month” for Orchard music distributors in the spring of 2001, and opened for The Alon Yavnai Group around the same time at The Center for the Arts in Natick, MA.
McCoy Tyner was the next jazz great to invite Matt to his sound check in August of 2001. So, Matt jammed with Avery Sharpe and Al Foster and got words of praise and wisdom from McCoy. After an article came out about Matt in The Boston Globe in October of 2001, Matt started selling out concerts. And in November of 2001, The Matt Savage Trio released their first CD as a trio, a CD entitled “All Jazzed Up”. Around that time, Matt appeared on Lifetime Television and on ABC’s “20/20”. He also did interviews and performances on many, many radio stations across the country. Matt received his first CD review on the “All About Jazz” web site in February of 2002, and was heralded as “phenomenal”.
National Public Radio (NPR)’s “All Things Considered” aired a detailed piece about Matt in April of 2002. It was one of the most listened to programs of the year and won every broadcast journalism award.
In May of 2002, Matt performed a double bill with John Payne and his band at a benefit concert in Concord, MA.
The Matt Savage Trio performed at the famed New Orleans Jazz Festival just after this and was a big hit. Matt’s success at the festival was mentioned in a USA Today article. The Jerusalem Report did a full feature article about him and his performance at the festival, interviewing him right after he came off the stage. Around the same time as this, the Trio released their second CD, entitled “Groovin’ on Mount Everest”. Additional articles were written about Matt worldwide in publications such as The New Paper in Singapore and The Global Voice Magazine in Taiwan. PEOPLE Magazine featured Matt in their June 17th, 2002 issue. Chick Corea was quoted in the article as saying Matt was “…delightful and inspiring…”
Next up for the Trio was a performance on NBC-TV’s “The TODAY Show” in July of 2002 combined with Katie Couric interviewing Matt. Interviews followed on multiple radio stations, and bigger and bigger gigs followed.
The Trio performed in Singapore in early November of 2002 for the President and First Lady of Singapore and other dignitaries. Matt was a featured artist in the November 2002 issue of JAZZIZ Magazine.
Dozens of television shows and documentaries about Matt followed, including his performing a second time on “The TODAY Show”. Other appearances included “The View”, “MONTEL”, and The Discovery Channel. On April 26, 2003, Matt was double billed with Panamanian pianist Danilo Perez at Worcester State College.
May of 2003 brought the release of The Matt Savage Trio’s third CD, “Chasing Your Tail”, which was recorded live at The Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, FL. The month of May also brought a performance with Bobby Watson and Gerald Spaits in Kansas City to make a one-night Matt Savage Quartet. More international recognition followed, including an article in Prestige Magazine in Singapore.
In June of 2003, Matt was signed by Bösendorfer pianos. He is the youngest person and only child to have become a Bösendorfer piano artist in their 178-year history!
Matt opened for Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Shawn Colvin in July of 2003, performing a duet with her at the encore. More articles followed, including an article in Der Spiegel, the prestigious German magazine and JazzTimes Magazine.
Matt appeared on the cover of Time for Kids Magazine in October of 2003, its World Report Edition. JAZZIZ Magazine did a brief write-up about Matt and included one of Matt’s original compositions on their November 2003 CD.
The Matt Savage Trio made their debut at the famed Blue Note in NY on November 3, 2003. An excellent review of their performance appeared in The Afro American Syndicate on November 4, 2003. Time Magazine did an article about Matt and his debut at The Blue Note at the age of eleven for their November 17, 2003 edition. Matt is the youngest performer to have played at The Blue Note.
Matt’s tune, “Shufflin’ the Cards,” was included on a compilation CD entitled, “A Cool Cat in a Dog’s World”. This CD was released in November of 2003 to benefit the Learning and Development Center in Fort Wayne, IN.
After a second appearance on “MONTEL” and a huge feature in Wired Magazine, Matt performed at The Kennedy Center in December of 2003 for NPR’s live broadcast entitled “Jazz Piano Christmas”. He shared the stage with The Bad Plus, Arturo O’Farrill, Jason Moran, Stefon Harris, Karrin Allyson and Lynne Arriale.
Time Express, the Taiwanese version of Time Magazine did a feature article about Matt in their January 2004 issue. JAZZIZ Magazine and The National Enquirer had articles about Matt in March 2004.
In June, Matt was a performer at the VSA International Festival at The Kennedy Center, performing with Ben Vereen and many other featured artists as part of the opening night show. He also performed at Birdland in a group of musicians comprised of the legendary Clark Terry on trumpet, Jimmy Heath on sax, Jon Faddis on trumpet, Marcus McLaurine on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. Don Friedman was also there and swapped in and out with Matt on piano.
The Matt Savage Trio released their newest CD, “CUTTING LOOSE”, in August of 2004. Matt composed all of the songs on the CD. The “official” CD release concert was held at Birdland on October 4, 2004
Matt and his Trio performed in Toronto, Canada in November of 2004 at The Imperial Room of The Royal York. Matt was featured and performed on Canadian Television C-TV’s Show, “Global AM” (the equivalent to The Today Show in the US). He was also featured on Toronto’s CityTV. There was a huge article about Matt in the music section of one of Canada’s largest newspapers, The Globe and Mail, as well as a large feature in The Toronto Star.
In December of 2004, Matt signed a contract with Sony Music Custom Marketing Group/Macmillan McGraw-Hill to allow his recording of his original composition, “Firecracker,” to be a part of their educational music program, distributed directly to schools all over the country. The music curriculum is entitled “Share the Music 2005”. Matt’s song, composition analysis and educational material is designed for Grade 8.
In March of 2005, The Matt Savage Trio performed in Brakkeput, Curacao (The Netherlands Antilles), where the Governor and Premier and Head of Education, along with other diplomats from Curacao, attended his concert.
Matt’s music and story is a focal point in the NICHCY Technical Assistance Guide, Volume 4 – November 2004, which was released in March of 2005. This is a guide written for parents, family members, educators and service providers who would like to nurture the development of positive self-esteem in children and youth with disabilities. The guide is part of a set that includes an audiotape/CD and a Guide for Students. The publication is entitled, “Relish is for More than Hot Dogs: Helping Students Make Their Own Sweet Success.” Matt’s music is used throughout the CD, and he is personally interviewed, during which he encourages kids to reach for the stars. NICHCY is the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities.
Matt won an Honorable Mention in the 2004/2005 International Songwriting Competition in both the Teen and (Adult) Jazz categories for his composition, “Stop and Go.”
He received an award at the 2nd Annual Chaka Khan Foundation Gala Dinner held on May 21, 2005 in Beverly Hills, CA for his accomplishments in jazz and in community outreach. He performed with Chaka Khan at the dinner, which also honored Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Kenny G. Howard McCrary also performed at the start of the evening.
Matt was a winner of the 2004/2005 annual ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Awards for his composition, “The Wild Rose.” Matt received an award at the ASCAP Jazz Wall Convention in NY, NY on June 22, 2005. The “Living Legends” also honored at this event were Neal Hefti, Shirley Horn, and John “Bucky” Pizzarelli.
A comprehensive article about Matt appeared in Spectrum Magazine in their June/July 2005 issue.
Matt appears in some new educational material designed for 4th Grade students by Time for Kids School Publishing/ Teacher Created Materials, Inc. The project, entitled “Write Time”, was published in June of 2005. Elements of the original Time for Kids article about Matt in October of 2003 were used in the lesson, which encourages students to write a biographical sketch about a famous young person. This lesson appears in both an English and Spanish educational package worldwide.
Woman’s World did an article about Matt in their August 30, 2005 issue, which appeared on newsstands on August 23, 2005.
Matt is featured in an English language study guide in Greece entitled "Impact: FCE/ECCE Student Book," by Malcolm Mann and Steve Taylore-Knowles, published in October of 2005 by Macmillan Publishing/Greece.
Matt made a repeat appearance with the legendary Chaka Khan in NY on October 1, 2005.
Matt and The Matt Savage Trio performed with Guest Performer Max Weinberg (of Bruce Springsteen and Conan O’Brien fame) on October 25, 2005 at Rhode Island College.
Matt received the prestigious 2005 Dr. Margaret L. Bauman Award of Excellence, in recognition for all his accomplishments and efforts in community outreach to educate people about autism spectrum disorders. He received this award at the Current Trends in Autism conference on October 28, 2005.
Matt appeared on Chronicle NH, WMUR-TV 9 on November 7, 2005.
Matt was interviewed live by Eric Jackson on WGBH 89.7 FM’s famed “Eric in the Evening” Jazz Radio Show in Boston, MA on December 8, 2005.
Matt’s original composition “Plain Old Rhythm Changes”, from his “CUTTING LOOSE” CD was used by The Rehabilitation and Medical Social Service Branch, Social Welfare Department in Hong Kong as the music for a short video produced to help people with disabilities obtain employment. The video was released in January of 2006.
Matt advanced to the semi-finals of the currently underway 2005/2006 International Songwriting Competition for his composition, “Hide and Seek.”
WH Freeman Publishing, Inc. has designed a lesson plan featuring Matt in their new College 101 Psychology textbook by David Myers.
Matt was a winner of the 2005/2006 ASCAP Foundation Young Jazz Composer Award for his composition, “Serenity.”
Matt had the opportunity to meet and play piano for Wynton Marsalis at a “Jazz at Lincoln Center” concert by the Lincoln Center Orchestra.
A documentary featuring Matt and his musical abilities aired on German ARD television as part of a 3-part series. The series was entitled, “Beautiful Minds – A Voyage into the Brain” and was viewed in Europe.
Matt’s accomplishments and concert dates are too many to mention here, so periodically check out Matt’s website: www.savagerecords.com