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Matt Brewer

Matt Brewer is one of the world’s premier bassists. He was born April 20, 1983, in Oklahoma City but spent most of his youth in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Born into a musical family, Matt was surrounded by music from an early age, both his father and grandfather being jazz musicians, and his mother an avid music lover and radio DJ (who, before Matt was born, would play classic jazz albums for him). He started playing drums at age 3, learning rudiments on a small practice pad, but didn’t take music seriously until the age of ten, when he found the bass during a summer program at the Interlochen Center for the Arts.

There he began studying classical bass from two world renowned bass instructors, Winston Budrow, and Lawrence Hurst, while learning about jazz from his father. Matt started gigging professionally at the age of twelve around the Albuquerque area and was soon winning awards from the top university jazz festivals, twice winning the festival’s highest award which had never before been given to a middle school student. He continued his study of classical bass with the superb principal bassist of the New Mexico Symphony, Jean-Luc Matton, but soon realized that it would be necessary to be in an overall more creative and art appreciating environment. This led to the decision to attend high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy. Matt continued his study of classical bass, and took jazz performance classes. During his junior and senior years, Matt was selected from applicants across the country, to participate in the Grammy Band. He then performed on the 2000 Grammy Awards telecast in a group that was the first ever to perform on the show without being nominated for a Grammy. After graduating the Interlochen Arts Academy, Matt attended the inagural class of The Juilliard Jazz Program and studied with bassists Rodney Whitaker and Ben Wolfe.

After spending two years at Juilliard he decided to leave school to make time for his busy touring schedule. Since then he has worked with artists such as Greg Osby, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Lee Konitz, David Sanchez, Terence Blanchard, Aaron Parks, Jeff “Tain” Watts, and many others. He is features on dozens of recordings, including two on the Blue Note record label. “Channel Three” by Greg Osby, and “Avatar” by Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Matt has also led bands in New York, performing at venues such as the Jazz Gallery, Fat Cat, and the Tribeca Performing Arts Center.

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10
Album Review

Out Of/Into: Motion I

Read "Motion I" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


Most supergroups happen and barely dent the dust. Despite those odds, one or two happen for a reason. That reason is  Motion I  by Out Of/Into. Formerly known as The Blue Note Quintet--pianist Gerald Clayton, alto saxophonist  Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, drummer Kendrick Scott, and bassist Matt Brewer--hijack the lead track “Ofafrii" with a brazen romp of everything tuneful and tasty. Wilkins and Ross virtually ground the driving ethic while power-gliding above the whole enterprise. It is a hellion ride, considering ...

10
Album Review

Misha Tsiganov: Painter Of Dreams

Read "Painter Of Dreams" reviewed by Edward Blanco


A mainstay musician in the vibrant and exciting jazz scene of New York City, Russian-born pianist Misha Tsiganov presents his fifth Criss Cross album, Painter of Dreams, which features six original compositions and two familiar reimagined standards, with every piece but one running from between eight to eleven-minutes in length. The pianist expands his musical boundaries, implements new elements, augments the horn section and, with regard to his own playing, states that he was moved to include an “entirely acoustic ...

9
Album Review

Misha Tsiganov: Painter Of Dreams

Read "Painter Of Dreams" reviewed by Neil Duggan


Like a fine wine, Russian-born and New York-based pianist Misha Tsiganov, seems to improve with age. His music continues to evolve and his creativity hits a high spot with Painter Of Dreams. He has appeared on countless albums over the years and has played with such musicians as Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson and Michael Brecker. His ability to shift tempos and mix meters in his compositions has always been notable. Recent work with the Romanian Radio Big Band has also ...

3
Album Review

Alex Sipiagin: Horizons

Read "Horizons" reviewed by Nicholas F. Mondello


Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin has always been a deeply devoted musical explorer. From early bop origins to more modern forays, he has ventured far and wide, developing both improvisationally and compositionally. With Horizons this fine artist continues his path, delivering--along with frequent sidekick Chris Potter and a superior rhythm section--yet another breakthrough album. It is possibly Sipiagin's most explorative and best ever. “While You Weren't Looking," one of two selections gifted to the album by Pat Metheny, launches ...

1
Album Review

Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Trio D'été: Turning Point

Read "Turning Point" reviewed by Maurizio Zerbo


Ecco un trio di qualità superiore e magistrale souplesse, in grado di regalare profonde emozioni a chi lo ascolta. Aleggia in questo Turning Point un mirabile magistero tecnico, coniugato a un invidiabile interplay nel valorizzare il magniloquente pensiero compositivo di Gonzalo Rubalcaba. Nelle sette tracce di questo album c'è imprevedibilità, fantasia esecutiva, tensione emotiva. All'interno di un fitto interplay scorre senza soluzione di continuità la migliore essenza del jazz, distillata in cinquanta minuti di musica appassionante: trame eleganti, ...

7
Album Review

Reggie Quinerly: The Thousandth Scholar

Read "The Thousandth Scholar" reviewed by Chris May


The Thousandth Scholar is Los Angeles-based drummer and composer Reggie Quinerly's fifth album, each out on his Redefinition label. Quinerly themes his albums. His debut was Music Inspired By Freedmantown (2012), a tribute to the Houston neighborhood where he was born and raised. It was followed by Invictus (2015), a salute to hard bop, Words In Love (2018), which dealt with vocals, and New York Nowhere (2021), a portrait of life in the city (Quinerly studied at the New School ...

23
Album Review

Tyshawn Sorey Trio: Continuing

Read "Continuing" reviewed by Karl Ackermann


Tyshawn Sorey listeners who were weaned on his Pi Recordings, The Inner Spectrum of Variables (2016), Verisimilitude (2017), and Pillars (2018), were probably unprepared for the swinging trio outing Mesmerism (Pi, 2022). With the multi-instrumentalist Sorey on drums, Aaron Diehl on piano and Matt Brewer on bass, the group delivered one of the best piano trio albums of the year. Later in 2022, they issued a live recording, The Off-Off Broadway Guide to Synergism (also on Pi), adding saxophonist Greg ...

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The Thousandth Scholar

Redefinition Music
2024

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Horizons

Blue Room Music
2024

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Painter Of Dreams

Criss Cross
2024

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Motion I

Blue Note Records
2024

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Mel's Vision

Criss Cross
2023

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Continuing

Pi Recordings
2023

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