First, however, I’ll be doing a special concert at the Lilypad in Cambridge on Monday.  This Monday is a Massachusetts holiday (Patriots Day/Marathon Monday), so it’s not just any ordinary weekday.  If you come early at 6 PM, saxophonist Aaron Gratzmiller (who also plays in the Matt Savage Groove Experiment) will open things up with a saxophone quartet show.  And at 7 PM, I’ll be premiering my Piano Sonata No. 2 in Bb Major, which is a very long, ambitious and folk music-inspired work that channels American classical composers such as George Gershwin and Charles Ives.

On Friday the 20th and Saturday the 21st, I’ll be returning to Baltimore and Philadelphia for the first time in four years.  The Baltimore show will be solo piano at An Die Musik (a lovely second-floor arts “salon” with a record store below).  And the Philly show will be a trio concert with Lee Smith and Larry Marshall at Exuberance – a hidden spot that sells tickets through invitations and focuses on piano jazz.

Finally, I am coming to the University of Maine at Augusta on Thursday the 26th, which will mark my first performance in the Maine capital.  I will be doing this performance as a sideman with drummer Chris Dzengelewski, although the Matt Savage Groove Experiment’s saxophonist Aaron Gratzmiller is also playing.

I’ve really missed these places and I am looking forward to catching up to all my friends around the country.  There will be a lot of traveling involved but isn’t getting there half the fun?

On a side note, the Matt Savage Groove Experiment is going to release some new music soon, and the big announcement is yet to come…

See you real soon,
Matt

Since I haven’t been home too much in the last month, it feels good to spend some time back at my apartment in Boston.

On Monday, December 5, I had one of the most exciting performances of my life in New York City’s Times Square. This was the second annual “John Henry’s Friends” concert to benefit the Keswell School, which is in downtown Manhattan and is specifically for children on the autism spectrum. Because I taught at the Keswell School when I was living in New York (during graduate school at Manhattan School of Music), I was honored to be invited to this special event.

Steve Earle, Graham Nash (from Crosby, Stills and Nash) and Shawn Colvin headlined the concert; I opened the show by playing a 15-minute set, consisting of three tunes from my new album Matt Savage: Piano Voyages. The keyboard was hooked up to an impressive PA system, so I wasn’t really prepared for the different acoustics this time…

It was truly an honor to be in the company of such folk music legends and masters of melody. And it had been a long time since I’d spent a significant amount of time in Midtown… but it also felt good to be playing tourist again, as I felt like I’d been seeing the sights for the first time!

This is all coming right after the completion of my November solo piano tour, which had three legs: a West Coast tour (3 shows), an East Coast tour (3 shows), and a New England portion (with concerts in Worcester, MA and Old Lyme, CT).

The November tour started in Seattle, which I was visiting for the first time. The Pike Place Market (home of the original Starbucks) is definitely worth a visit, but the most gratifying part of Seattle has to be the view from the many large hills of that beautiful forest city.

Then there was a house show in the wine country of northern California (Sebastopol, CA), and a show at Santa Monica College (The Edye at the Broad Stage) near Los Angeles. On the East Coast, I returned to Virginia for performances in Charlottesville and Lynchburg, and then went on to play at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on the Upper West Side of New York City.

I’m going to conclude this year on a quiet note by visiting family and friends… but I have some big things planned for the spring, so I’ll let you know about those as soon as I can.

Happy Holidays to all and I hope to see you soon.

Matt

My twelfth album is being released today.  It’s called Matt Savage: Piano Voyages and it’s solo piano.  And I’m about to follow it up with my longest tour ever, on both coasts.  Everything is so exciting…

Piano Voyages is my most introspective and personal album, with eight new original compositions balanced with tributes to Herbie Hancock, Wes Montgomery and the Beatles.  There are many tunes about both Boston and New York, plus some electric keyboard interludes (including a “virtual blues”). Saxophonist Erena Terakubo is a special guest on one song.

My official CD Release Concert is at the Regattabar in Cambridge, MA this Wednesday (October 19th).  In anticipation, I’ve been appearing on radio stations in the area, including WUNR Radio International (Boston) and WICN (Worcester).

After that, I have a short break before I head on tour from November 3rd through 13th – which will be almost nonstop – as well as the 25th.  I’ll be on both coasts and I’m looking forward to visiting Seattle (WA), Lynchburg (VA) and Old Lyme (CT) for the first time.

There will also be two big “return to NYC” performances: one solo concert at the spacious and beautiful Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, and one performance at Midtown’s historic Town Hall theater (where I will open for Steve Earle, Graham Nash and Shawn Colvin).  It’s truly an honor to be in the company of such pop music legends.

After this fall, both the weather and the tour schedule might cool down a little…

It’s so much fun to be back on the road again – as Willie Nelson would say.
Matt

The Matt Savage Groove Experiment recently played in Cambridge, MA again (at an underground music venue called the “Lower Level”).  It was the band’s eleventh show.  But I’m going to switch gears again this fall for the Piano Voyages CD release tour.  I’ll start the tour with a performance at Cambridge’s world-renowned jazz club, the Regattabar; this hometown show will also feature alto saxophonist Erena Terakubo.

In addition, I have to prepare for a short tour of the Rocky Mountains this weekend – first Albuquerque and then Denver.  The Albuquerque performance will be my very first time in New Mexico.  I’m excited to see this side of the Rocky Mountains, although I should get ready for potential 100-degree heat…

When I’m in Albuquerque on Saturday, I will be attending a 1 PM screening of Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story, before my 7 PM trio performance that night.  I will be doing a Q&A/discussion about my score for this jazz documentary, as well as my recent musical projects.  Click here for more information.

But this actually will not be my first trip out west this summer; I was in Canada’s Yukon this June.  You can read more about that trip here.

It feels really great to be able to escape the city for a bit.

Enjoy the weather and stay cool, my friends…

Matt

The new Matt Savage album is my first solo CD since my first recordings as a small child.  Piano Voyages and It’s My Request (the new Shota Ishikawa and Matt Savage duo record, released January 1, 2016) are also my first recordings in almost a decade to contain jazz standards.

There’s a lot to do to prepare for a new album… mixing, mastering, CD duplication, promotion and touring.  I will start all of this in late May; every album I have done has involved about 5-6 months of work post-recording.

But summer is coming up and I should start getting ready for a few big trips to the mountains.  The first one won’t require any flying; I will be returning to New Hampshire this week for a solo piano show in the beautiful town of Peterborough- a short drive from the farm where I grew up.  It’s going to be wonderful seeing some familiar faces and places again.

Later on, I’ll head to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the first time, as well as Denver, Colorado.  But that won’t even be the biggest mountain journey…

On June 8, I will be playing and speaking at an event in Whitehorse, in Canada’s Yukon territory.  It’s the Inter-Agency Network on Disability’s Inclusion Expo at the Canada Games Centre (a massive indoor athletic complex).  The performance isn’t even at UConn (University of Connecticut)… it’s really in the Yukon.  This will be my second trip to western Canada as well as my northernmost performance ever.

Happy May to all of you.
Matt

Over the last few months, I’ve been balancing two very different musical endeavors. One is the Matt Savage Groove Experiment, a new instrumental funk band (sometimes with vocal guests) that I started in Boston back in November. With influences ranging from Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters to Bob Marley to Daft Punk, we take rhythmic hit songs and add intense jazz-fusion improvisation to them. I’ve written a lot of new funk tunes for this band.

On the other hand, I’ve continued to play solo shows, especially at benefit events. And, I have some classical pieces too; I’ll play those in Cambridge, MA on Monday, March 14.

I’ve been exploring the more intimate side of jazz piano with bassist Shota Ishikawa; Shota has a new duo album with me called It’s My Request. That album is predominantly made up of jazz standards.

But my next album (to be released this fall) will feature solo piano material from a diverse range of composers (not just jazz standards) as well as recent original tunes of mine. It will be recorded this month in Brooklyn, New York, over two days. The recording process will be very spontaneous, and the final release will probably sound very different from what I am imagining right now.

After the recording, I’ll have some time to kick back musically, with Groove Experiment gigs in New York City on March 25 and April 17.

There’s a lot to think about as I enter this new and different period of my musical life. But I’ll have some time over the summer to get this album together… while continuing my Boston teaching schedule.

It’s going to be a great tour and I hope to see you very soon.
Matt

First of all, I appear on a new duet album with my bassist friend and fellow Berklee alumnus, Shota Ishikawa.  Released in Japan on New Year’s Day, the album is called It’s My Request: Live at Bar Request.  This CD is my first release as a sideman, my first collection of entirely jazz standards (except for one of Shota’s originals), and my first duo album.  So it’s really exciting to be doing this new kind of project.  It’s My Request was recorded in Kobe, Japan on September 3, 2015.

In addition, the funk band I started in November (Matt Savage Groove Experiment) is continuing its run of shows in the Boston area.

I’ve also reunited my original trio lineup with John Funkhouser and Steve Silverstein; we have recorded five albums together.  We’ll be playing in Methuen, MA this month, with special guest Mark Zaleski on alto and soprano sax.

It’s been a lot of work balancing solo/trio shows and Groove Experiment shows, but I’m hoping to continue both this year as much as I can.  I’ve composed lots of tunes and might even record them soon…

In short, it’s good to be back in the swing of things.
Matt

First things first though.  This July, I came out with a new single called “Go On,” which is available on iTunes, CD Baby and many other digital music stores.  This is a jazz fusion piece featuring a new quartet from New York- myself on keyboards, Brandon Wright on tenor sax, Tom Berkmann on bass and Richie Barshay on drums.  It represents a new “crossover” sound for my music, and I take both piano and electronic keyboard solos on the recording.

I’ve been going to New York City a lot this summer, not just for performances (I play with alto saxophonist Zac Zinger), but for a major event.  The documentary film Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story had its first New York showing on August 2 at the Sound + Vision Live festival, located at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.  The film is about the troubled life of alto saxophonist Frank Morgan, and I did the score (it was my first full film score).  The film also features a Frank Morgan tribute band that includes Ron Carter, Delfeayo Marsalis, Grace Kelly and others; many of those great musicians were in the audience.

Right now, I’m preparing fall tour dates; I already have many fundraisers lined up and am confirming club dates in New York and elsewhere.  But the biggest event of all is this September… it’s my second Japan tour (the first tour was in 2012).  There are five shows this time (instead of four), and these will include my very first Tokyo show and a special live duo recording with bassist Shota Ishikawa, who is also on my live album A Live Celebration (recorded during the previous tour).

I have new originals and unusual repertoire choices already planned for the big trip.  And I’m looking forward to seeing what new surprises I will find in Japan this time; the food is always delicious and I’ll be taking the bullet train (Shinkansen) for the first time.

The tour is almost sold out; click here for more info.

I hope you all enjoy the rest of this beautiful summer.
Matt

It’s been such a long journey, but I am now done with my studies at Manhattan School of Music.  I am officially a Master of Music in Jazz Piano as of this May.  It’s an honor to have met and taken classes with so many jazz greats in New York City.  And, I am looking forward to playing and teaching even more this summer.

At the end of May, I’ll play two gigs (a fundraiser and a club date) in San Diego, California with a great bassist and drummer from there… and this summer, I’ll also continue teaching music to children with autism, at Applied Behavioral Learning Services in Newton, MA.

It’s been exciting living in Boston again, and it feels great to be a graduate, but there have been so many more highlights this spring besides my graduation.

In April, I opened for Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Shawn Colvin and others at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood for an Autism Speaks fundraiser called “Light Up the Blues”.  I played my song “We Are Alive” with Crosby, Stills and Nash’s backing band.  It was incredible to share a stage with all of these music legends (and acting legends; Jack Black hosted).  They are all wonderful people.  And I saw the theater and downtown Hollywood for the first time; the Pantages is a beautiful Art Deco theater that actually hosted the Oscars for ten years.

My Master’s degree recital at Manhattan School of Music was on April 10; you can view a video from that recital here.

And the day after my college graduation, I performed in Corning, New York at the Corning Museum of Glass with bassist (and fellow Manhattan School of Music alumnus) Tom Berkmann and drummer Francisco Mela (who performs with McCoy Tyner and Joe Lovano regularly).  This was my first time playing with Mela and I’m looking forward to future performances.

It’s been a very busy spring, but I’m looking forward to spending time with friends and family again this June.  And I hope to see all of you again sometime this summer.

-Matt

This month has been quite monumental for me… not only is this my last full month of graduate school (I will graduate in May), but April will also be the month of three of the most important concerts of my life.

First of all, my graduate recital is on the 10^th (a Friday night) at Manhattan School of Music. This recital will include a whole host of new original compositions, plus some unusual tunes that are not your typical jazz standards. None of these tunes have ever been recorded on my albums before. And the musicians are some of my best friends from MSM, Berklee and beyond (Adam O’Farrill, Patrick Bartley Jr., Ben Flocks, Mike Bono, Tom Berkmann and Curtis Nowosad).

Also (backtracking for a bit)… on April 2, I had a last-minute opportunity that was one of the most special moments of my life. I performed at the United Nations’ World Autism Awareness Day reception, after a major scientific/educational panel focusing on the theme of employment as “the autism advantage.” Many ambassadors were in attendance at the panel, as was Ban Soon-Taek (spouse of Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon). The success of the “Light It Up Blue” campaign (where world landmarks are lit up blue for autism awareness) was celebrated. In short, it was an honor and an incredibly touching moment, especially with the realization that autism awareness is increasingly global.

Finally, on the 25^th, I will perform at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre for a concert event called “Light Up the Blues” for Autism Speaks. I will play a song with Crosby, Stills and Nash’s backing band (Doug Pettibone, Kevin McCormick, Steve DiStanislao). This concert will also feature Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Shawn Colvin, Steve Earle and more. It’s truly an all-star concert so I’m really excited.

Preparation for the completion of my Master’s degree has been intense, but the reward will come in May. I’ll graduate from Manhattan School of Music on May 15 and will play a gig in Corning, NY the next day.

I’m still not sure about my plans for most this summer, but I’m looking forward to taking a break after school and focusing more on tour dates. The highlight of the summer will be a major event- my second Japan tour in the first week of September.

I haven’t caught up to everything just yet, but things are looking up. And I’m excited for the summer.

Matt