Biography
A professional musician for forty-five years, multi-instrumentalist Matt Finley is a native of Lake George, New York. He graduated from Union College, where he led the combined Union/RPI/SUNY Albany Jazz Workshop to a semi-final appearance at the American College Jazz Festival and received honorable mention in the New York Times. Matt earned his master’s degree from the College of Saint Rose and is permanently certified to teach music in New York State. He performed for many years with Grammy-winning baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola. Matt studied composition with Edgar Curtis, founding director and conductor of the Albany Symphony Orchestra.
A long-time member of American Federation of Musicians Local 238, Matt is a retired professor of computer information systems and was academic dean at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, New York. For many years, Matt accomplished his goal of learning to play a new instrument every year to improve his composing and arranging abilities. Not only a multi-instrumentalist, he is in demand as a composer, arranger, sound engineer and recording sideman. Matt recently served as guest clinician for the Dutchess County All-County Jazz Festival, and was selected to perform his compositions at the Temecula, California International Jazz Festival.
Two of Matt's compositions, "Childhood Home" and "When She's Gone", were selected among the final 12 in the instrumental jazz category at the 17th annual Los Angeles Music Awards competition!
Matt currently leads Rio JAZZ, a Brazilian jazz concert band he formed in 1988. Matt is also musical director for his wife, singer/songwriter Denise Jordan Finley. They live in New York's Mid-Hudson Valley and in Lake George.
"Flugelhorn master!" - Poughkeepsie Journal
"Remarkable technique on trumpet & flugelhorn" - Schenectady Gazette
"Standout solo trumpet" - Troy Times Record
"Matt's concert is our favorite event of the year" - Dutchess Community College Student Activities
"The highlight of our summer concert series" - Bolton Landing Chamber of Commerce
"Execution is virtually flawless; he smokes on every tune" - Frank Villafane (Reviewer for WWW.VINILEMANIA.NET)
Contact Matt at (518) 398-7376 or visit the website (see below):
Instrumentation
Matt Finley plays jazz on flugelhorn, trumpet, soprano sax & flute, and is the bandleader of Rio JAZZ, the Hudson Valley's premier Brazilian jazz concert band.
Regular performers in Rio JAZZ include Peter Tomlinson, piano; Jeff Ciampa or Peter Einhorn, guitar; Mark Egan, Don Miller or John Menegon, bass; Joel Rosenblatt, Terry Silverlight or Jeff Siegel, drums; and Tomas Martin Lopez, Latin percussion. Denise Jordan Finley is our frequent guest vocalist. More than forty outstanding musicians have performed with Rio JAZZ.
View our three videos on YouTube under the name, "Matt Finley".
Discography
Matt’s 2006 CD, "Brazilian Wish", features nine of Matt's original Brazilian jazz compositions of sambas and bossa novas played by an all-star lineup produced by Jon Werking. It's Rio JAZZ in a box.
"Your playing certainly is top-notch - best of luck" - Russ Davis, XM Radio
"Great energy! Warm, bright & relaxed." - Kate Goldsmith (Editor, Taconic Press)
"Your CD sounds great!" - Rachell Bivins (Publisher, ABYSSJazz Magazine)
“Brazilian Wish showcases thirteen of the hippest Brazilian jazz performers in the world. This disc never takes its eyes off its roots, and is a hybrid of Brazilian sonic structures under sleek, melodic American style jazz." - J. Spica (WVKR Radio)
Musicians include Romero Lubambo [Trio da Paz], Warren Bernhardt [Steely Dan & Steps Ahead], Mark Egan [Pat Metheny, Sting & Larry Coryell], Joel Rosenblatt [Spyro Gyra], Jon Werking [New York Voices], Tomas Martin Lopez [NYC Latin bands], Dave Finck [everybody's Brazilian CD], Jeff Siegel [Sir Roland Hanna], Jeff Ciampa [Dave Matthews], and horn section Dan Levine, Barry Danelian and David Mann [Tower of Power].
To listen to samples and purchase the CD, “Brazilian Wish”, visit www.cdbaby.com/cd/mattfinley
Matt Finley also appears on the CD, "Hauntress" by singer/songwriter Denise Jordan Finley. Matt plays flute, alto flute, vibes, soprano sax and trumpet on arrangements he wrote for three songs. Visit www.cdbaby.com/cd/djfinley2
Links
| http://www.mattfinley.com |