Music
Press
It is indeed refreshing when you can track an artist’s growth and development by way of his or her recorded work. Guitarist Matt Richards’ second release offers the next step in his musical journey, following his previous CD In This Single Moment from 2001. While he continues on his crossover, guitar-based path, Richards is venturing deeper into the heart of the music this time.
Original pieces, such as The Breakthrough and The Middle Man, are lyrical with plenty of room for spontaneity. Distancing himself from the usual New Age simplicity, Richards’ overall style delves deeply
into extended harmonies and, quite often, seamless improvisations. His originals are complimented by two covers: Angel Eyes and a melodic Latin ballad Gente Humilde.
Dayside certainly provides fingerstyle guitar fans with a healthy dose of technical accomplishments to aspire to, but it also delivers a rich musicality for the contemporary acoustic music lovers.
- Off Beat Magazine
Discography
In This Single Moment (solo guitar)
Released Fall, 2000
Dayside (solo guitar)
Released Spring 2004
Balance (solo guitar)
To be released Winter 2007
One In Mind (acoustic duo/group)
To be released Winter 2007
Photos
Bio
When explaining Matt Richards guitar style, the word jazz will be combined with classical, Spanish, modern acoustic in fact, each term describes a different aspect of Matts musical identity.
Growing up in the culturally fertile cross-currents of the 1960s, Matts musical pathway begins with the mix of folk, rock and psychedelic music that defined that decade. Eventually drawn into the electronic-laden jazz-rock of the 1970s, Matt began developing the technically advanced skill and musical abilities demanded by those styles. As his talent grew, Matt was drawn into straight-ahead jazz, classical and world music, playing acoustic guitars and a fretless guitar more frequently.
As a soloist, Matt has been featured on the television series Miles of Music with Bob Miles, on the Philadelphia-produced television series Puerto Rican Panorama and in the film Smoke And Mirrors. He has performed at the CoreStates and Mellon Jazz Festivals, the Naturist Societys Eastern and Midwestern Gatherings, National AIDS Awareness Day, Daniel Pearl Day, SUNOCOs Welcome America celebrations and numerous clubs and venues. Matt has performed duets with guitarists Larry Coryell, Emiliano Pardo-Tristan and Sam Gorelik, violinist Joyell Washington and bassist Bill Zola, among others. He is also a founding member of the all-acoustic Language of 3.
As a sideman, Matt is featured on gospel vocalist Paul Middletons CD Keep The Faith (1995) and rock/alternative artist Nate Hawks Nathaniel Hawk (1994). Matt has worked in live performances with a broad range of artists, including vocalists Essra Mohawk and Julie Holtzman, bassist Starr Cullars, Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, saxophonists Bobby Zankel and Steve Oliver, pianists Elio Villafranca and John Conahan, organists Joey DeFrancesco and Herbie Nix, drummers Mike Clark, Kenwood Dennard, Marlon Simon and Adrian Velosin and percussionists Cafe and Pablo Batista.
A Freedom Foundation 2003 Fellowship nominee, Matt is Head of Faculty at the FrankfordStyle School for Creative Arts and a faculty member at Cheltenham Art & Music. In conjunction with his performances, Matt frequently conducts workshops and master classes.
Currently, Matt has artist endorsements with Seagull/Godin Guitars, EMG Pickups, John Pearse Strings, Strapture accessories and Zanaras Music cables and connectors.
In the Summer of 2000, Matt released his first solo CD In This Single Moment on his own FingerMusic label and followed with Dayside in February of 2004. Matt will be featured on the upcoming Language of 3 Live as well as his own third solo album both scheduled for release in September of 2007.
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