I’m so grateful to all my fellow musicians who helped make this album sound great (Mark Zaleski, Greg Loughman, and Zak King).

This album is available on all the major platforms, as well as at our online store.

It’s so exciting to be making music again, and getting back on the road!

But first I should explain everything and thank everyone who set this tour up.

This August 2018, I played in three Asian countries (India, Japan and China, in that order), two of them for the first time.  I also spent a few days in Bangkok, Thailand during the off-days.

The India solo piano show was part of the International Autism Conference in Trivandrum, Kerala (on the very southern tip of the country), organized by CADRRE, the Autism Center.  The Japan tour dates were all in Kobe, and that was my third time playing in that city with bassist friend Shota Ishikawa.  And the China tour dates were all quartet performances, with a rising star alto saxophonist in Shanghai named Shihai Li.

This was the longest trip I had ever done, and even though I was totally exhausted by the end thanks to all of the flights, it was absolutely worth it.

In case you were wondering what the longest leg of the journey was, it was actually the first one – Boston to Dubai to Trivandrum (fun fact: the full name is Thiruvananthapuram).

In India, one of the most beautiful areas was the Kovalam beach, which is located outside Trivandrum in Kerala.  This was my first time in India and my first time seeing the Indian Ocean.  And the weather was very pleasant and cool due to the ocean climate and the humidity of the rainy season.  The food is very fresh, with lots of fish curries and various types of bananas.

Then, in Thailand, I was able to catch up to several friends in Bangkok and sit in a couple of times at the famous Saxophone Jazz Club.  Bangkok is a very fast-growing and cosmopolitan city, with lots of gorgeous temples (such as the Grand Palace) and a great variety of restaurants with very large menus.

In Japan, I got to visit my friend Shota Ishikawa’s neighborhood (Maiko, in west Kobe) for the first time, playing a solo show there at Kantokotoro.  This hidden jazz club is located close to the top of a circle of hills, with views of the ocean and of the world’s longest suspension bridge.  The next day, Shota and I played two gigs with two trios at Bar Request (where we recorded a live duet album three years prior).   The other members of the trios were vocalist Mariko Yoshida and drummer Hiromasa Sadaoka.

Finally, in China, I touched down in Shanghai and played at three of China’s most renowned jazz clubs – Shanghai’s JZ Club, Beijing’s Blue Note, and Zhengzhou’s MJ Club.  These were with a quartet with saxophonist (and New England Conservatory alum) Shihai Li, bassist Danny Zanker (an American living in Shanghai), and drummer Xiaolun (Scott) Xue.

The sheer size and beautiful landscapes of China are apparent right from the start – and nowadays you can see them from the 200 mph high speed trains that go all over the country.  I saw many landmarks in China with some friends, including Tiananmen Square, Jingshan Park, and the 2,000 foot tall Shanghai Tower.

I have to thank Lakshmi Raghu, G. Vijaya Raghavan, Shihai Li, the Blue Note Beijing, Shota Ishikawa, Dai Murata, and all my friends in Bangkok for making these international trips so amazing.

Until next time – thank you Asia!

Beach in India

Grand Palace, Bangkok

View of Kobe from the hilltop

JW Marriott hotel building, Zhengzhou, China (the MJ Club, where we played, is in this building)

View from the Shanghai Tower

View of the Forbidden City, Beijing

Shota Ishikawa, Matt Savage, Hiromasa Sadaoka

Dai Murata, Matt Savage

In May and June 2017, I had a special opportunity to visit Europe for the second time – this time, in the Champagne region of France, as well as Paris, and Madrid, Spain.

This was for a special inter-continental recording project led by vibraphonist Thierry Collin and organized by drummer Alexis Sereduik.  I am so honored to be a part of this group – which actually doesn’t have an official name yet, but I will announce it soon :)

The other members of the quintet are vocalist Song Yi Jeon and bassist German “Choby” Scheufler, who also came from the Northeast (Boston and NYC).

I started this tour off in Champagne, specifically in the city of Troyes, which is actually pronounced the same way as “trois” (three).  Troyes is two hours away from Paris via train and the train ride goes through many beautiful wheat fields and farms.  And the vibrant downtown has many buildings that are about 500 years old.

We did all of the rehearsing for the recording at the studio, which is located in the basement of a private home just outside of Troyes.  It was indeed a very beautiful location for recording…  The tunes are all very complex and yet have a sense of folk melody throughout.

But we also had plenty of time to see the countryside, from the grand cathedrals to the rivers and ponds.  Alexis and I also visited the Devaux champagne winery in Bar-sur-Seine (yes, that’s the name of the town).

Once the recording was done, I had a gig in Paris with the Song Yi Jeon Quintet.  Song Yi went to Berklee with me and we have collaborated many times… so it was truly wonderful to be able to play together again, in two different quintets, in France!  The gig was at Sunset/Sunside, a two-jazz-club complex that extends two floors underground – and the rehearsal was in an even smaller basement.

After the obligatory visit of the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, it was time to head to Madrid, where I played a very special gig with my fellow Manhattan School of Music alum Aurora Arteaga.  This was a special “Matt Savage Trio & Aurora Arteaga” collaboration project, with half of the tunes being instrumental and half being vocal.

The show was with Aurora’s friends Dario Guilbert on bass and Miguel “Pepe” Benito on drums, at El Plaza Jazz Club in downtown Madrid.  The concert was a success and I hope to be back soon.

I spent the last couple of days in Europe seeing the sights in Spain, specifically in the very hilly city of Toledo, which is about 45 minutes’ bus ride from Madrid and located on a very large hill.  The view from the top of Toledo is one of the most dramatic I have ever seen.

I miss Europe already and I just want to say thank you to the musicians and organizers who made all of this possible!