It’s been a very busy time for me (possibly the busiest period of my life so far). I’ve had some really cool gigs and radio appearances, and I just added a bunch of new tour dates for the summer and fall. My 20th birthday concert is May 12th in Acton, MA. And, I’m in my sixth semester out of seven at Berklee College of Music, taking 16 credits of courses. The graduation ceremony is on May 12th, which is my birthday and the same day as my concert. I’m writing new songs, thinking about graduate schools, and traveling to many different places. And I haven’t even mentioned the most amazing opportunity yet…
First, however, I’ll tell you about the concerts I just played.
On March 21, the Matt Savage-Erena Terakubo Sextet (co-led by me and the amazing young alto saxophonist Erena Terakubo) played at Worcester’s Mechanics Hall for WICN 90.5 FM’s “Brown Bag Lunch” series. The concert was broadcast live on WICN radio and online. All six members of the group represented Berklee, which I thought was really cool. Not only are they all amazing musicians, but they’re all my friends from college. Mao Sone was on trumpet, John Egizi was on trombone, Hoo Kim was on bass, and Willy Rodriguez was on drums. I chose half the tunes, and Erena chose the other tunes. Let’s just say that there was a lot of awesome jamming…
On April 4, I played for the American Ethnic Studies Student Association at Kansas State University. It was a solo piano concert and my first ever gig in Kansas. (I’ve played in Kansas City twice before, but only on the Missouri side.) This concert was in a totally different city (Manhattan, KS) on a beautiful college campus (with great food!), so it was a very nice change.
And this May 12th, I will play a very special concert that is literally a once-in-a-lifetime event… because it will be my 20th birthday concert!
The concert will be at the Acton Jazz Café in Acton, MA from 4-6 PM on May 12th. It will be a trio concert with bassist John Funkhouser and drummer Steve Silverstein (I’ve played with John and Steve ever since my very first gig as a bandleader in May of 2001, when I was 9 years old.) We’ll play brand new tunes as well as songs I wrote when I was very young. Tickets are $12.50 at the door and $10 for advance online tickets. You can buy tickets at http://actonjazzcafe.com/ or call (978) 263-6161 after 5 p.m.
There’s something else that’s awesome about the 20th birthday concert… it’s the day I graduate from Berklee! Well, officially at least. My last semester is Fall 2012, but the graduation ceremony just happens to be on May 12, 2012. I’m literally going right from the graduation ceremony to the Acton gig…
And with the end of the Spring 2012 semester comes the start of summer. I’ve already confirmed a couple of gigs, including: L.L. Bean’s 100th Anniversary on July 5 in Freeport, ME; Boston’s Spectacle Island on August 19; and Stow, MA on September 29. But I still haven’t mentioned one of the most exciting opportunities I’ve had in my entire life…
From August 30 to September 2, I will be going on tour in Japan for the very first time ever. The concerts will be with Berklee alumnus (and friend) Shota Ishikawa on bass, and one of Japan’s best jazz drummers, Tatsuhiko Takeda. We will play four concerts. The first two shows will be at Osaka’s Mrs. Dolphin jazz club on August 30 and 31. Then, I’ll play at Chuka-Hall in Kobe for the Kobe Modern Jazz Club series on September 1. And finally, I’ll play at this gorgeous old house called Kize Yagigura in Kizu, Kyoto Prefecture on the 2nd. I’ll also have a couple of days to see the sights in Japan as well. Let’s just say that this is going to be one of the best summers ever…
I have to study now, but I hope to see you at any one of these concerts. And I’ll keep you posted about my new compositions, which I’m playing more and more at my recent shows.
See you soon,
Matt
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.