MATT SAVAGE

Composer, Arranger, Pianist

“A phenomenally talented pianist and composer”

WALL STREET JOURNAL

“Jazz Savant INDEED!” MARIAN MCPARTLAND

“Wildly inventive”

JAZZIZ

“...a schooled, seasoned jazz pianist...” JAZZTIMES

“Amazing...”

DAVE BRUBECK

Savage&Records&·&www.savagerecords.com!

MATT&SAVAGE:&&&B&I&O&G&R&A&P&H&Y&&!Matt!Savage,!age!24,!has!had!a!fifteen2year!professional!career!as!a!jazz!musician,!bandleader!and!composer!with!ensembles!of!different!size.!He’s!played!with!some!of!the!biggest!names!in!jazz!since!first!labeled!a!“jazz!prodigy”!at!age!8.!That!same!year!he!met!and!played!piano!for!Dave!Brubeck.!Matt!has!performed!(on!stage!and!in!jam!sessions)!with!artists!such!as!Chick!Corea,!the!Ellington!All!Stars,!Chaka!Khan,!Wynton!Marsalis,!Bobby!Watson,!Clark!Terry,!Jimmy!Heath,!Jason!Moran,!Arturo!O’Farrill,!John!Pizzarelli,!Joshua!Redman,!Terri!Lyne!Carrington,!Jon!Faddis,!Jerry!Bergonzi,!Donny!McCaslin!and!the!Aardvark!Jazz!Orchestra.!He’s!even!performed!with!folk!and!rock!musicians!such!as!Steve!Earle,!Jackson!Browne,!Al!Stewart!and!Shawn!Colvin.!!Additionally,!he!opened!for!Neil!Young,!Stephen!Stills!and!others!at!an!Autism!Speaks!benefit!concert!in!Hollywood.!!Savage!has!toured!worldwide,!performing!at!such!venues!as!The!Kennedy!Center,!Carnegie!Hall,!Birdland,!the!Blue!Note,!Bohemian!Caverns,!Town!Hall,!Dizzy’s!Club!Coca%Cola,!Scullers,!the!Jazz!Standard,!the!Pantages!Theatre,!the!Iridium,!the!Berklee!BeanTown!Jazz!Festival,!the!Monterey!Jazz!Festival,!Heineken!Jazzaldia!(Spain),!the!Costa!Rica!International!Jazz!Festival,!the!International!VSA!Arts!Festival,!the!Jacksonville!Jazz!Festival,!the!Ottawa!International!Jazz!Festival,!the!New!Orleans!Jazz!Festival,!Japan,!Curacao,!Aruba!and!for!the!president!of!Singapore.!!Media!appearances!have!included!Marian!McPartland’s!“Piano!Jazz,”!NPR’s!“All!Things!Considered,”!“Late!Night!with!Conan!O’Brien,”!“The!Late!Show!with!David!Letterman,”!the!“Today”!Show,!ABC’s!“20/20,”!the!Discovery!Channel,!BBC,!Telemundo!TV,!and!news!shows!and!documentaries!worldwide!(including!the!U.S.,!Germany,!France,!Japan!and!the!U.K.)'The'Wall'Street'Journal,'JazzTimes,'JAZZIZ,'TIME,'WIRED,'Der'Spiegel,'The'Jerusalem'Report,'People'Magazine,'TIME'for'Kids,'American'Way,'The'Globe'and'Mail,'the'

Toronto'Star,'The'Boston'Globe,!the!New!York'Daily'News,!and!others!have!featured!Matt!in!print.!!As!a!composer,!Matt!has!had!great!success.!2014!saw!the!release!of!a!full2length!documentary!film!scored!by!Matt,!Sound&of&Redemption:&The&Frank&Morgan&Story.!The!movie,!directed!by!N.C.!Heikin,!chronicles!the!story!of!alto!saxophonist!Frank!Morgan’s!troubled!life!and!eventual!redemption.!Matt!composed,!arranged!and!recorded!all!the!original!music.!The!film!was!premiered!at!the!20th!Los!Angeles!Film!Festival!on!June!14,!2014.!In!September!of!2014,!Matt!premiered!two!classical!pieces,!Piano'Sonata'No.'1'and!24'Preludes,!at!Caffe!Vivaldi!in!New!York.!Almost!all!the!songs!on!Matt’s!eleven!albums!are!original!compositions,!several!of!which!have!been!used!in!short!documentaries,!on!web!sites,!in!school!music!curricula!and!in!government!educational!materials.!!Savage!consistently!garners!recognition!through!ASCAP!Young&Jazz&Composer&Awards,!ASCAP&Plus&Awards!and!the!International&Songwriting&Competition.&&He!scores!music!for!ensembles!of!all!size!and!instrumentation,!including!big!band.!!Matt’s!most!recent!recording!projects!are!the!singles!Go&On!(July!2015)!and!The&Day&Before&(November!2015).!These!original!compositions!explore!new!extremes!in!Matt’s!writing!style;!Go'On!is!a!fusion!piece!with!an!exciting!electronic!keyboard!solo,!while!The'Day'Before!is!a!lush!piano!ballad.!In!addition,!Savage!recorded!his!first!album!as!collaborator!and!sideman!on!a!live2in2Japan!piano/bass!duo!recording,!It’s&My&Request:&Live&at&Bar&Request!by!Shota!Ishikawa!and!Matt!Savage!(January!2016).!It’s'My'Request!was!recorded!in!Kobe,!Japan!in!September!2015,!during!Matt’s!second!tour!there.!The!album!is!predominantly!jazz!standards,!evoking!the!compact!and!“classic”!feel!of!1950s!and!‘60s!albums!from!artists!such!as!Bill!Evans.!!Matt!traveled!at!an!astonishing!pace!from!life!on!a!farm!to!professional!composer!and!musician!and!THEN!experiencing!college!life!and!learning;!a!unique!chronology!for!any!musician.!Matt!debuted!at!the!!famed!Blue&Note!(and!was!signed!as!an!artist!for!Bösendorfer!pianos)!at!the!age!of!eleven.!The!following!!

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Matt&Savage:&&Biography&–&page&2&of&4&!year,!he!appeared!at!Birdland!with!the!legendary!Clark!Terry!on!trumpet,!Jimmy!Heath!on!sax,!Jon!Faddis!on!trumpet,!Marcus!McLaurine!on!bass!and!Kenny!Washington!on!drums.!In!2007,!Matt!played!his!first!gig!at!the!prestigious!Dizzy’s&Club&CocaDCola!at!Jazz!at!Lincoln!Center;!the!following!year,!Matt!debuted!in!his!then2new!composition!“Big!Apple!Suite,”!earning!praise!from!the!Wall&Street&Journal!as!“a!phenomenally!talented!pianist!and!composer!who!demands!to!be!taken!seriously!on!purely!musical!terms.”!!Matt’s!ninth!album,'Welcome&Home!(2010),!received!critical!acclaim!upon!its!release.!All'About'Jazz!said!“…this!is!Savage’s!album!all!the!way,!as!he!not!only!plays!with!a!maturity!well!beyond!his!years!but!wrote!and!arranged!every!number…”!CADENCE!Magazine!praised!“…hints!of!Aaron!Copland!and!Pat!Metheny!done!in!a!piano!trio!setting!that!shows!how!hard2swinging!a!player!Savage!is.”!Welcome'Home!was!a!quintet!collaboration!with!Bobby!Watson!on!alto!saxophone,!Jeremy!Pelt!on!trumpet,!Joris!Teepe!on!bass!and!Peter!Retzlaff!on!drums;!it!also!contained!various!trio!configurations!with!John!Funkhouser!on!bass!and!Yoron!Israel!on!drums.!The!album!reached!#18!on!the!JazzWeek!radio!charts,!#9!on!Roots!Music!Report!and!#3!on!CMJ.!!The!past!decade!has!been!filled!with!awards!and!countless!moments!in!the!media!spotlight.!As!a!composer,!Matt’s!media!appearances!have!included!Late&Night&with&Conan&O’Brien,!Marian!McPartland’s!prestigious!Piano&Jazz!series!on!NPR!and!The&Late&Show&with&David&Letterman.!Following!his!performance!on!Letterman,!the!Matt!Savage!Trio’s!Hot'Ticket:'Live'in'Boston!album!hit!#11!on!the!JazzWeek!radio!charts!and!garnered!the!#2!position!in!“Live!Jazz”!sales!on!Amazon.com!(behind!only!Keith!Jarrett).!!JAZZIZ,!JazzTimes,!All'About'Jazz!and!other!respected!music!publications!have!all!praised!Matt’s!talent.!JAZZIZ!touts!Matt!as!a!“wildly!inventive!composer,!interpreter!and!pianist!no!matter!what!his!age.”!NPR’s!Piano'Jazz!concurs!with!Marian&McPartland!describing!Matt!as!a!“young!man!(who)!plays!with!grace,!energy!and!originality.!Jazz!savant!indeed!”!!It’s!now!difficult!to!imagine,!but!a!mere!6!years!before!taking!the!stage!and!wowing!audiences!at!Birdland,!Matt!Savage!did!not!play!a!musical!instrument!and!could!not!tolerate!sounds!in!general.!At!the!age!of!three,!Matt!was!diagnosed!with!Pervasive!Developmental!Disorder,!a!high2functioning!type!of!autism.!For!the!next!four!years,!his!parents!immersed!him!in!intensive!intervention!therapies.!At!age!6!½,!Matt!completed!auditory!integration!therapy,!which!drastically!reduced!his!sensitivity!to!sound.!With!re2tuned!sensory!and!social!perceptions,!Matt!immersed!himself!in!all!things!musical.!His!abilities!flourished!at!a!hyper2accelerated!pace.!Matt!taught!himself!to!read!music!and!play!piano!literally!overnight,!although!he!immediately!sought!a!teacher.!!After!a!year!of!classical!piano!studies,!Matt!found!himself!drawn!to!the!spontaneity!of!jazz.!The!next!three!years!were!spent!at!the!New&England&Conservatory!in!Boston.!In!2002,!Matt’s!family!moved!to!New!Hampshire,!where!Matt!lost!access!to!formal!instruction.!For!a!year!and!a!half,!Matt!self2taught;!he!pored!through!volumes!of!classical!music!and!spent!hours!practicing!with!play2along!jazz!CDs.!Home!schooled,!Matt!learned!the!language!and!art!of!music!through!recordings!from!masters!of!music!of!all!genres,!especially!jazz!and!classical.!He!learned!the!history!of!jazz!greats!through!CD!liner!notes!and!books.!He!intuitively!absorbed!and!understood!the!theory!of!music.!In!late!2003,!Matt!became!a!private!student!with!jazz!guru!Charlie!Banacos.!Charlie!became!one!of!the!most!influential!people!in!Matt’s!world,!teaching!advanced!concepts!in!music!as!well!as!life!lessons.!Matt!studied!with!Charlie!until!2009,!the!year!Matt!entered!Berklee.!At!the!age!of!seventeen,!Matt!had!already!written!and!recorded!more!than!70!songs.!

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Matt&Savage:&&Biography&–&page&3&of&4&!Matt!recorded!his!first!album!in!1999!at!the!age!of!7!½.!The!album,!entitled!One'is'Not'Fun,'but'20'is!Plenty,!was!a!project!to!raise!funds!for!autism!research;!however,!it!turned!out!to!be!the!start!of!Matt’s!music!career.!His!early!talent!was!recognized!such!that!he!immediately!gained!a!fan!base!and!was!embraced!by!the!media.!In!the!next!few!years!Matt’s!story!would!appear!in!numerous!publications!such!as&People,!Time!and!Wired.!Dozens!of!television!appearances!ensued!including!The&Today&Show,!The'View!and!The'Discovery'Channel.!!Matt!released!his!second!CD!(and!first!solo!piano!effort)!titled!Live'at'the'Olde'Mill!in!2001.!At!the!age!of!nine,!Matt!started!a!trio.!This!first!iteration!of!the!Matt!Savage!Trio!included!adult!bassist!John!Funkhouser!and!drummer!Steve!Silverstein.!Their!first!CD,!entitled!All'Jazzed'Up,!was!released!in!2001!and!was!accompanied!by!appearances!on!Lifetime'Television!and!ABC’s!20/20.!The!following!year,!National!Public!Radio!(NPR)’s!All&Things&Considered!aired!a!detailed!piece!about!Matt.!The!story!became!one!of!the!most!listened2to!programs!of!the!year,!winning!numerous!broadcast!and!journalism!awards.!!!Matt!was!invited!to!perform!at!NPR’s!“Jazz!Piano!Christmas”!event!at!the!Kennedy&Center,!alongside!The!Bad!Plus!(Ethan!Iverson,!Reid!Anderson,!Dave!King),!Arturo!O’Farrill,!Jason!Moran,!Stefon!Harris,!Karrin!Allyson!and!Lynne!Arriale.!!Following!a!crowd2pleasing!performance!at!the!famed!New&Orleans&Jazz&&&Heritage&Festival,!the!Trio!released!their!second!CD,!Groovin’'on'Mount'Everest,!in!2002.!The!Trio’s!3rd!CD,!Chasing'Your'Tail,!was!released!in!May!of!2003.!It!was!around!that!same!time!that!Matt!performed!for!the!first!time!in!concert!with!Bobby&Watson!in!Kansas!City.!Matt!Savage’s!Birdland!debut!in!2004!was!marked!by!the!release!of!the!Trio’s!4th!album,!Cutting'Loose.!!In!July!of!2006!the!Matt!Savage!Trio!released!its!acclaimed!studio!album,!Quantum&Leap,!marking!their!first!record!to!receive!worldwide!distribution!via!Palmetto!Records!(MRI/RED).!The!album!reached!the!Top!25!on!the!JazzWeek!charts!and!received!airplay!on!Jazz!stations!throughout!the!country.!Quantum'Leap!continued!to!gain!popularity!when!it!was!added!to!Borders!Books!and!Music!Listening!Stations!nationwide!throughout!January/February!of!2007.!Hot&Ticket:&Live&in&Boston!followed!this!success.!Hot'Ticket!was!Matt’s!first!recording!with!different!sidemen,!Dave!Robaire!on!bass!and!Joe!Saylor!on!drums.!It!was!released!in!2008!and!has!been!Matt's!most!successful!live!album!to!date.!Hot'Ticket!captured!a!special!moment!in!time;!"Jazz!prodigy!makes!‘Leap’!to!maturity,"!stated!the!Boston'Herald.!The!recording!revealed!the!on2going!evolution!of!an!exceptional!artist,!who!continues!to!have!vision!and!technique!beyond!his!years!as!a!composer!and!musician.!It!also!garnered!Matt!appearances!on!late!night!television.!!Two!years!later,!Welcome&Home&furthered!Matt’s!experimentation,!reflecting!the!cycles!of!country!life!and!the!day2to2night!rhythms!of!a!metropolitan!city!through!trio,!quartet!and!quintet!combinations.!With!Bobby!Watson,!Jeremy!Pelt,!Joris!Teepe,!Peter!Retzlaff,!John!Funkhouser!and!Yoron!Israel!on!board,!exploration!of!composition!took!center!stage.!It!became!the!transition!album!for!Matt!in!every!way.!!Composed!and!recorded!while!Matt!was!in!college,!the!album!reflected!Matt’s!rapidly!changing!world!and!musical!knowledge.!!Matt!Savage’s!tenth!album,!A&Bigger&Celebration,!was!released!on!September!17,!2013.!The!studio!album!features!Jerry!Bergonzi!on!tenor!saxophone,!Bruce!Gertz!on!bass,!Richie!Barshay!on!drums!and!Mark!!Zaleski!on!alto/soprano!saxophone.!It!quickly!earned!a!“Most!Added”!status!from!JazzWeek!after!its!!release.!Ten2time!Grammy2winner!Tom!Bates!and!Latin!Grammy2nominated!John!Weston!engineered!the!disc;!Grammy2nominated!Jonathan!Wyner!produced,!mixed!and!mastered!the!work.!The!album!captures!!

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Matt&Savage:&&Biography&–&page&4&of&4&!the!joy!of!being!alive!(and!becoming!a!young!adult)!through!upbeat,!multicultural,!surprising!and!diverse!compositions.!Says!Matt,!“It’s!the!kind!of!jazz!album!you!can!play!in!the!car!on!the!way!to!a!party,!with!the!volume!turned!up!and!the!windows!down.”!!A&Live&Celebration:&Kobe,&Japan,!Matt’s!eleventh!album,!is!a!companion!release!to!A'Bigger'Celebration.!Released!in!January!2014,!the!live!trio!album!features!several!new!compositions!alongside!audience!favorites!from!Matt’s!previous!two!studio!albums.!Recorded!during!Matt’s!first!tour!of!Japan,!it!features!Shota!Ishikawa!on!bass!and!Tatsuhiko!Takeda!on!drums.!Both!of!these!albums!are!available!on!Matt’s!website,!Amazon,!CDBaby!and!iTunes;!the!CD!version!of!A'Live'Celebration!is!limited!to!500!copies!worldwide.!!&It’s&My&Request!(January!2016)!is!another!project!with!bassist!Shota!Ishikawa,!this!time!under!Shota’s!direction.!The!live!duo!album!is!Matt’s!first!full2length!recording!as!a!sideman.!Together!with!Matt’s!recent!singles'Go&On!and!The&Day&Before,!Matt!displays!an!exciting!new!sound.!!A!graduate!of!Manhattan&School&of&Music!and!Berklee&College&of&Music,!Matt!balances!his!professional!music!career!with!teaching.!He!teaches!at!Applied!Behavioral!Learning!Services,!a!school!near!Boston!for!children!and!adults!with!autism!and!other!developmental!disabilities.!Matt!gives!masterclasses!and!workshops!domestically!and!internationally!(in!English!and!Spanish)!as!well!as!private!piano!lessons.!!March'2016!For!more!information!please!visit:!www.savagerecords.com!Publicity!contact:!Sarah!McMullen,!McMullen!&!Company,!310228327907!smcmullen@earthlink.net!

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MATT&SAVAGE:&&&NOTABLE&QUOTES& "…!this!is!Savage's!album!all!the!way,!as!he!not!only!plays!with!a!maturity!well!beyond!his!years!but!wrote!and!arranged!every!number…"!ALL&ABOUT&JAZZ.COM!!“…!Savage!proves!he’s!no!novelty!act,!as!can!be!heard!on!his!CD!Welcome'Home.”!JAZZIZ&!“…!hints!of!Aaron!Copland!and!Pat!Metheny!done!in!a!piano!trio!setting!that!shows!how!hard2swinging!a!player!Savage!is.”!CADENCE& “…!a!phenomenally!talented!pianist!and!composer!who!demands!to!be!taken!seriously!on!purely!musical!terms.”!WALL&STREET&JOURNAL&!“A!wildly!inventive!composer,!interpreter!and!pianist!no!matter!what!his!age…!Savage!proves!his!maturity…”!JAZZIZ&&“He!clearly!knows!what!he!is!doing!…!not!only!as!a!hard!bop/post2bop!pianist,!but!also!as!a!composer.”!ALL&MUSIC&GUIDE&!“This!young!man!plays!with!grace,!energy!and!originality.!!Jazz!Savant!INDEED!”!MARIAN&MCPARTLAND&!“You!blew!my!mind.!That!was!incredible!”!CONAN&O'BRIEN,&host&of&"Late&Night&with&Conan&O'Brien"&!“A!jazz!legend!2!at!15”!AMERICAN&WAY&!“Jazz!prodigy!makes!‘Leap’!to!maturity.”!BOSTON&HERALD&!“…!a!schooled,!seasoned!jazz!pianist!…”!JAZZTIMES&!“…!astonishing,!refreshing!and!engaging!…”!!ALL&MUSIC&GUIDE&!“I!am!amazed!at!Matt’s!musical!ability!at!such!an!early!age.”!DAVE&BRUBECK&!“…!is!Matt!Savage!really!that!good?!Does!he!deserve!the!hype!and!hoopla?!In!a!word,!yes…!he's!an!admirable!jazz!pianist,!one!whose!age!seems!largely!irrelevant…”!ALL&ABOUT&JAZZ.COM&&

Matt Savage: Notable Quotes – page 2 of 2 “…!brilliant”!TIME&MAGAZINE&!!“…!jazz!phenom!Matt!Savage!unlocks!a!door!to!genius!using!88!keys”!PEOPLE&MAGAZINE&!“The!Key!Master.”!!…!he's!got!command!of!the!music!and,!most!important,!he's!got!swing.”!THE&BOSTON&GLOBE&!“…!delightful!and!inspiring!…”!CHICK&COREA&&“…!the!future!of!JAZZ”&JIMMY&HEATH&&!“Besides!being!an!extremely!gifted!pianist!and!improviser,!Matt!has!the!musical!instincts!of!a!person!many!years!older.!To!me!this!is!the!most!incredible!characteristic!about!Matt.!Where!did!this!come!from?!Wow!!I!can't!wait!to!hear!him!perform!when!his!feet!can!reach!the!pedals.”!BOBBY&WATSON&!“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&!“Matt!Savage!is,!in!short,!a!wonder,!and!he’s!just!13!years!old.”!OAKLAND&TRIBUNE&!“Whenever!he!plays…!he!blows!people!away.”!!THE&MAINE&SUNDAY&TELEGRAM&!“Matt!combines!all!forms!of!harmony!resolution,!not!just!rhythmic!or!counterpoint,!but!he!goes!beyond!to!levels!once!visited!by!Bach!concerto!and!Mozart.”!AFRO&AMERICAN&SYNDICATE&&!“Phenomenal…!He!sounds!as!good!as!any!of!the!top!pros!in!this!town,!and!better!than!some.”!!JOHN&PAYNE&&&&&&&&&&

Savage&Records&·&www.savagerecords.com&

The Boston Globe Saturday, May 12, 2012

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&The Boston Globe Tuesday, February 9, 2010

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ALL MUSIC GUIDE

JAZZTIMES Eighty-Eights from the November 2006 issue MATT SAVAGE TRIO Quantum Leap (Savage) If this album had arrived unannounced and unidentified, you would think you were listening to a schooled, seasoned jazz pianist. You would notice the unique astringent voicings, the slightly halting, asymmetrical phrasing, the unexpected elasticity of meter, the dense, formal chordal patterns suddenly shot through with impulsive right-hand ripples and cascades—and you would assume you were listening to a pianist well on the way to forging an effective personal language.

You would encounter deep ballads like “Serenity” and assume they were standards, and later learn that they are originals. You would discover interpretations of actual standards like “All the Things You Are” and “Lullaby of Birdland” that are intriguing in the sharp angles of their approaches and the liberated spontaneity of their departures. In another standard, “A Child Is Born,” you would hear a darkness not found in other versions, and then hear it become light.

Matt Savage, now 14 years old, was diagnosed with autism when he was three. He has made extraordinary progress in a special program for autistic children, and has been performing brilliant jazz in public since he was nine. It should be fascinating and uplifting to hear his story as it unfolds.

-Thomas Conrad