DATE	Friday 24 February 2012
TIME	8.30 - 11pm
VENUE	The Sound Lounge
TICKETS	$20 / $15 / $10 (Non-Member, Member, Student) book online * Tickets on sale 9351 7940 from 9 January 2012

“A cloudburst of a piano solo... full of tension and release...a forcefully rhythmic piano edifice...”
CADENCE MAGAZINE, NEW YORK

Pianist/composer Matt Baker, a multi-finalist of the Montreux International Solo Jazz Piano competition (2003- 2005) is now New York-based so this is a rare treat for Sydney audiences. Matt has travelled far with his career, literally and physically, performing at festivals, clubs and concert halls across Australia, Europe, USA and the Pacific.

“Baker has a playful approach to melody, particularly on the standards that he interprets with Joe Sanders and Gregory Hutchinson.”

“…Baker reins the tempo back in with a lilting, off-handed statement of the melody that captures the lyric’s enthused giddiness”.

“Underground betrays no hint of the urgency that comes with ambition …the album as a whole exhibits a cerebral intensity even at its  most up-tempo”.

3 1/2 stars.
Shaun Brady, DOWNBEAT Magazine, March 2012
 

2011 saw the release of a New York-produced album, Underground, featuring Gregory Hutchinson, Joe Sanders, Jeremy Pelt and Dayna Stephens. Featuring a selection of original work alongside some classic jazz standards, the recording is a fresh new sound for Baker, inspired from living the New York underground jazz scene: endless nights of clubs & jam sessions, something sure to inspire musicians and listeners alike in Australia. 

Familiar with all the noted New York Jazz venues Smalls Jazz Club, Miles Café, The Zinc Bar,Tomi Jazz, The Garage and Cleopatra’s Needle, Matt has performed professionally with some of New York’s top musicians including drummer Gregory Hutchinson, saxophonist Dayna Stephens and with trumpet legend Roy Hargrove.

"If pianist and composer Matt Baker's new recording has the tempo and feel of a jet-set traveler, there's a reason for that: Baker, an Australian native, has kept busy since moving to New York City in mid 2010—playing a series of well-received engagements at jazz venues like Smalls and the Zinc Bar, among others, having already performed at an impressive number of festivals (including a two-year stint as house band at Montreux) and concert halls from his home country and the Pacific to Europe and the states". ALL ABOUT JAZZ

Read the full article here: UNDERGROUND
 

The Montreux Jazz Festival also engaged The Matt Baker Trio as their exclusive in-house band 2 years straight, where they performed 17 nights in the Montreux Festival Jazz Club, accompanying and supporting many of the festivals headlining artists. While there, he enjoyed one-on-one time with Jazz legend Herbie Hancock and Latin American pianist Michel Camilo, studying their music, concepts and approaches to modern jazz.

A serious student of the jazz idiom, Matt has spent time watching piano legend Oscar Peterson perform, as well as studying with Mulgrew Miller, Benny Green, Taylor Eigsti, Aaron Goldberg, Jacky Terrasson, James Williams and Ella Fitzgerald’s life-long accompanist Paul Smith. He has performed privately for Quincy Jones and played in support of jazz legends Tony Bennett and Al Jarreau. Matt has now four albums as a leader.

Come and enjoy this exciting night of music by this international and inspiring musician and his band.

Matt Baker (piano)
Ken Allars(trumpet)
Brett Hirst (bass)
Cameron Reid (drums)

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