Blog- March 2014

It’s been an exciting second semester for me as a graduate student (Manhattan School of Music) and teacher (the McCarton School).   This month I’ve also spent time in New England with family and friends during spring break.  This winter’s been very cold, but it’s also been beautiful because there’s a lot of snow still on the ground.  Good for skiing…

I’m now back in New York for the last of my three “Jazz Is Young” concerts at the ShapeShifter Lab in Brooklyn (Friday, March 14, 9:30 PM, 18 Whitwell Place).  This conclusion to the concert series will feature many of my best friends from Manhattan School of Music:  trumpeter/vocalist Benny Benack III, tenor saxophonist Adam Larson, bassist Hoo Kim, and drummer Matt Honor.  The ShapeShifter Lab is a very cool place; it’s a large jazz club, but it’s hidden at the end of a side street near the neighborhoods of Gowanus and Park Slope.

I’ll also be playing in Medfield, MA on the 19th at a conference about the power of music in children with autism.  More info here.

In April, I’ll play a special private concert in Doha, Qatar, in the Middle East.

And finally, I’m pleased to announce that my 22^nd birthday concert will be Sunday, May 11 from 5-7 PM at Smalls Jazz Club in Manhattan.  Joris Teepe will play bass, Peter Retzlaff will be on drums, and there will be a special guest.

I’ll keep you updated over the next couple of months as I work out new tour dates.  And I wish all of you a wonderful Spring 2014!

Matt

This is my Prelude in Bb Major, the eleventh of a cycle of 24 preludes (one in each key) that were premiered in New York in September 2014. The preludes are an homage to Rachmaninoff’s similar cycle. This Bb Major prelude has the tempo marking “Moderato” and is in 5/4 time.

Here’s a cover of one of my favorite TV theme songs of recent times- the theme to the acclaimed HBO drama “Game of Thrones” (composed by Ramin Djawadi). Because, you know, winter is coming.

This was recorded during my A Bigger Celebration tour at the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA (a suburb of Boston) with Jerry Bergonzi on tenor sax, Mark Zaleski on soprano sax, Bruce Gertz on bass and Richie Barshay on drums on October 16, 2013. All of these musicians are on my album A Bigger Celebration.

It’s been an exciting winter break, both musically and in my personal life.  I spent the holidays with my family and played three concerts (one in Baltimore, two in Florida).  Now I’m back in New York just in time for my second semester of graduate school, and for the release of my new album A Live Celebration: Kobe, Japan.  This live trio album was recorded during my tour of Japan in 2012, and it’s a companion release to my 2013 studio album A Bigger Celebration.  Both albums are now available on my website.

For now, I’m spending January readjusting to life in New York City.  Starting this Friday (January 24), I’m starting a monthly series of concerts called “Jazz Is Young” at Brooklyn’s ShapeShifter Lab.  The three concerts are January 24, February 21 and March 14; all three are Friday nights at 9:30 PM.  Each performance will feature a different group of young up-and-coming musicians, most of whom go to my current graduate school (Manhattan School of Music).  The musicians are Mercedes Beckman, Ben Flocks, Seth Weaver, Elena Pinderhughes, Adam Larson, Benny Benack III, Hoo Kim, Curtis Nowosad, and Matt Honor.  Check their music out; they’re all really awesome.

This is all in addition to my teaching life; I am the music instructor at the McCarton School, which is in downtown New York City and is specifically for kids with autism.

I’ll keep you posted about any future events that might pop up.  And I wish all of you a happy and healthy 2014!

Matt

Blog- December 2013

“A Live Celebration” advance MP3 albums available now

CD available January 14, 2014!

I am very pleased to announce that I am releasing a limited-edition companion album to A Bigger Celebration this January.  It’s called A Live Celebration: Kobe, Japan.  This live album was recorded in Kobe during my first tour of Japan back in 2012.  It’s a trio album with bassist (and fellow Berklee alumnus) Shota Ishikawa and drummer Tatsuhiko Takeda.  I wrote all the tunes, and there are two brand-new compositions on the album (“We Are Alive” and the three-part “Session Suite”).  The rest of the songs are from A Bigger Celebration and Welcome Home.

Grammy-nominated Jonathan Wyner engineered the audio, and Dai Murata coordinated the whole tour/live album process.  Dai also made the album art, which includes many photos from the tour.

The CD won’t be released until January 14, but if you preorder the album now (on my website, for $20), you’ll get an advance MP3 copy of the album for free!  Click here to visit my online store.

A Live Celebration is definitely one of my major projects right now, but it’s not the only one.  I just finished work on a documentary film score; it’s the score for Sound of Redemption, an upcoming film about the life of jazz alto saxophonist Frank Morgan.  I composed the score and also performed on most of the tracks.  I’ll let you know more details as things progress.

I’m also heading toward finals week of my first semester as a graduate student at Manhattan School of Music.  I have some very large projects but they’re going smoothly so far.  It’s been such an exciting experience living in New York.  There are so many hidden sights in every corner of this city, and each of the five boroughs has its own unique identity.

And, I’m also continuing my A Bigger Celebration CD release tour, with three more tour dates:

Saturday, December 7, 2013 – 8 and 10 PM (2 shows).  Chris’ Jazz Café, Philadelphia, PA with Ben Flocks, Lee Smith, and Dan Monaghan

Saturday, December 21, 2013 – 8 and 9:30 PM (2 shows).  An Die Musik Live!, Baltimore, MD with Tim Green, James King, and Nasar Abadey

Monday, January 6, 2014 – 7 and 9 PM (2 shows).  JAZZIZ Nightlife, Boca Raton, FL with Gary Thomas (bass) and Michael Piolet (drums)

Hopefully I’ll see you soon.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year 2014,

Matt

This song is called “Murph’s,” and it’s the first part of “The Session Suite,” which is on my limited-edition live album A Live Celebration: Kobe, Japan.

The whole suite is about improvised jazz jam sessions, and each section is based on the chord changes of a familiar jazz standard. You might be wondering where Murph’s is. Well, I can’t tell you, but let’s just say that it’s where the jams are.

This video was recorded at Chuka Hall in Kobe, Japan with Shota Ishikawa on bass and Tatsuhiko Takeda on drums on September 1, 2012. You’ll find the same version of this song on A Live Celebration.

Here’s a video of me playing Billy Strayhorn’s immortal jazz standard “Take the A Train” during my A Bigger Celebration CD release tour.  The song celebrates my time in New York; I did my Master’s degree at Manhattan School of Music.

This was the encore of my concert at the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA (a suburb of Boston) with Jerry Bergonzi on tenor sax, Mark Zaleski on soprano sax, Bruce Gertz on bass and Richie Barshay on drums on October 16, 2013.

The funny thing about this song is that it was recorded in Boston, a city with no A train.  There’s a B, a C, a D, and an E subway train, but no A!

Blog- September 2013

“A Bigger Celebration” album available Tuesday!

Tomorrow’s the big day… it’s the release date of my tenth album A Bigger Celebration (September 17, 2013).  This CD features Jerry Bergonzi on tenor sax, Bruce Gertz on bass, Richie Barshay on drums, and special guest Mark Zaleski on alto and soprano saxes.  I’m the composer of all the tunes, and I also play electronic keyboards for the first time on two tracks.  I’m so excited…

The album is available on my website, and you can view the official YouTube trailer here.

I’m in New York right now starting graduate studies at Manhattan School of Music.  I’m living in the dorms and seeing the city sights.  Every single class that I’m taking is about jazz.  And I’ve already made lots of new friends so far.  In short, it’s been an incredible experience already, even though classes have only just started.  There are so many restaurants, jazz clubs, and things to do in America’s largest city.

Oh, and if you’re a musician in New York… let’s totally jam.

Again, here are my CD release tour dates.  Each of these gigs will be with a different quartet, so these concerts will all be different sounding.  It’s truly an honor to play with all of these greats of jazz.

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Wednesday, October 9 – 7:30 PM and 9:30 PM (2 shows).  Jazz Standard.  New York, NY.  116 East 27^th St.  (with Donny McCaslin on tenor sax, Hoo Kim on bass and Peter Retzlaff on drums)

Wednesday, October 16 – 7:30 PM.  Regattabar.  Cambridge, MA.  1 Bennett St.  (with Jerry Bergonzi on tenor sax, Bruce Gertz on bass, Richie Barshay on drums, and special guest Mark Zaleski on alto/soprano saxes.  This concert is with all the musicians from the album!)

Saturday, November 30 – 8:30 PM and 10:30 PM (2 shows).  Bohemian Caverns.  Washington, DC.  2001 Eleventh Street N.W. (with Marcus Strickland on tenor sax, James King on bass and Nasar Abadey on drums)

Saturday, December 7 – 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM (2 shows).  Chris’ Jazz Cafe.  Philadelphia, PA.  1421 Sansom St. (More details TBA)

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I’ll also be performing at Boston’s Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival on September 28 with the legendary Bobby Watson.  More info HERE.

So there’s lots of traveling ahead.  I’ll keep you posted about each new event!

See you soon,

Matt