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 · P.O. Box 35 · Francestown, NH 03043 · (603) 547-3454 · www.savagerecords.com

MATT SAVAGE: B I O G R A P H Y

Matt Savage’s highly anticipated tenth album, A Bigger Celebration, hits stores this September. Ten-time Grammy-winner Tom Bates and Latin Grammy-nominated John Weston deliver stellar engineering; Grammy-nominated Jonathan Wyner acts as producer and mixes and masters the work. The album celebrates life and youth and embracing experiences with open arms. It captures the joy of being alive through upbeat, multicultural, surprising and diverse compositions. Says Matt, “A Bigger Celebration is my first release in three years, and it comes after a very productive year of composing. It commemorates my rite of passage from college and expresses how optimistic I am about the next chapter(s) in my life. That calls for a celebration that I hope my fans will relate to and enjoy!” An impressive lineup of musicians joins Matt on this new and musically defining album. Tenor saxophone great Jerry Bergonzi, a top player on the Boston scene, scorches on Matt’s compositions. Colleague Bruce Gertz amps things up on bass. New York drummer Richie Barshay, of Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea fame, adds unlimited fuel; and Boston’s Mark Zaleski (alto/soprano saxophone) tops it off as a very special guest. A recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, Matt made Boston his “home away from home” for three years, performing at such venues as the renowned Regattabar. Balancing classes, studies and concerts, Matt maintained a GPA of 4.0 and Dean’s List status. In May of 2012, The Boston Globe heralded Matt’s success in a front page cover story. The article, entitled “Growing Into His Gift, And Into Life,” described Matt’s navigation through autism, college and career. Bella English wrote, “He gained early fame as a jazz prodigy beset by autism. Today, Matthew Savage is ready for anything.” Watching Savage, she marveled, “His slender fingers fly over the keys, alternately muscular and nuanced.” His professors and friends lavish him with praise… as one of the genius guys, a quick study, that his talent draws respect. He’s “in the zone” whenever he plays. In September, Matt heads to the Manhattan School of Music in NY to work toward his Master’s degree. He plans to teach the next generation of musicians even as he makes music. Composed and arranged entirely by Matt, A Bigger Celebration features ten new and original songs, including the title track. Each song on A Bigger Celebration is unique and tells a story of its own. Fast-paced “A Bigger Celebration,” the title track, opens the album with colorful harmonies on top of unpredictable time signatures. “A.B.C.” symbolizes the intensity of life and the great rewards that come with it. Latin-tinged “Some Beach Somewhere” and Asian-influenced “Dream of the East” look forward to the future; “Power Pop” looks in a different direction and focuses on the pop and rock songs of today. Three-part “A Fast Car In Summer” frequently changes tempos and includes both rock and jazz-influenced sections; the album culminates with a sweeping and mysterious “Howler Monkey.” It’s no wonder Matt celebrates life, having 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 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 Coca-Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center; the following year, Matt debuted in his then-new 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 last 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

Matt Savage: A Bigger Celebration Biography – page 2 of 4 and arranged every number…” CADENCE Magazine praised “…hints of Aaron Copland and Pat Metheny done in a piano trio setting that shows how hard-swinging 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. Now age 21, Matt has been connected 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, Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, John Pizzarelli, Joshua Redman, Terri Lyne Carrington, David Wong, Erena Terakubo and the Aardvark Orchestra. He’s even performed with folk musicians such as Al Stewart and Shawn Colvin. He toured Japan with Shota Ishikawa and Tatsuhiko Takeda and joined forces with Javier Mayor de la Iglesia and Hasier Oleaga at the Heineken Jazzaldia Festival in Spain. The Monterey Jazz Festival, the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, the Costa Rica International Jazz Festival, gigs in Curacao, Aruba and Singapore are all listed among Matt’s highlights. The past decade has been filled with awards and countless moments in the media spotlight. As a composer, Matt consistently garners recognition through ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards. Likewise, he tops the International Songwriting Competition; he scores music for ensembles of all sizes and instrumentation, including big band. 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 high-functioning 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 re-tuned sensory and social perceptions, Matt immersed himself in all things musical. His abilities flourished at a hyper-accelerated 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 self-taught; he pored through volumes of classical music and spent hours practicing with play-along jazz CDs. Home schooled, Matt learned the language and art of music through recordings from masters of music of all

Matt Savage: A Bigger Celebration Biography – page 3 of 4 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. Finally, in late 2003, Matt was accepted as 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. 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 listened-to 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 crowd-pleasing 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 first performed 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 on-going 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 day-to-night 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: A Bigger Celebration Biography – page 4 of 4 Matt’s upcoming A Bigger Celebration is a musical representation of becoming a young adult, with its release not long after Matt’s 21st birthday. 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. Happiness takes different forms … driving a fast car, dancing at a party, exploring jungles, traveling to distant continents, even lazing on a beach. It’s wild and fun, but in the end, it’s an affirmation of all the great things in life.” A Bigger Celebration delivers a rich blend of musical styles and sounds, but the acoustic piano ultimately takes center stage, a place that Matt Savage is destined to enjoy for many decades to come.

July 2013 For more information please visit: www.savagerecords.com Publicity contact: Sarah McMullen, McMullen & Company, 310-283-7907 smcmullen@earthlink.net

Savage Records · P.O. Box 35 · Francestown, NH 03043 · (603) 547-3454 · www.savagerecords.com

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 hard-swinging 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/post-bop 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 - 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 · P.O. Box 35 · Francestown, NH 03043 · (603) 547-3454 · www.savagerecords.com

The Boston Globe Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Boston Globe Tuesday, February 9, 2010

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