Matt Savage

“…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

“...a brilliantly inventive pianist/composer. This is staggeringly exciting jazz, no matter the artist's age, which should never be a factor again.”
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

“As always, his amazing technique shines...”
JAZZIZ

“...a schooled, seasoned jazz pianist...”
JAZZTIMES

“...absolutely astonishing, refreshing and engaging...”
ALL MUSIC GUIDE

“I am amazed at Matt’s musical ability at such an early age.”
DAVE BRUBECK

“…he’s possessed of a remarkable talent...”
JAZZIZ

“…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

“…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
- -

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


Eighty-Eights from the November 2006 issue

MATT SAVAGE TRIO
Quantum Leap (Savage)


- Thomas Conrad

Cutting Loose is the fourth album by the Matt Savage Trio, which was formed about three years ago. Since that time, Savage has been featured on NBC's Today show (twice, with the trio) and ABC's 20/20 and The View; he has been interviewed twice by Montel Williams; and he has appeared on the Discovery and Lifetime channels and in a number of documentaries overseas. The trio was warmly received at New York's Blue Note and the New Orleans Jazz Festival, among other venues, while Savage was profiled in People, Time and Jazziz magazines. He has been described by fellow pianist Dave Brubeck as “amazing” and “another Mozart,” and by Chick Corea as “delightful and inspiring.” What's so unusual about that?

Brace yourselves, dear readers—in May '04, Matt Savage celebrated his twelfth birthday.

One question naturally arises: is Matt Savage really that good? Does he deserve the hype and hoopla? In a word, yes. For one thing, he's not only an admirable jazz pianist, one whose age seems largely irrelevant, but he wrote every one of the fourteen selections on Cutting Loose, and they reveal a notable flair for jazz composition.

Technically, Savage can't yet match Brubeck, Corea or, say, Kenny Barron, but again, his forward progress since the trio's debut album, All Jazzed Up, was recorded (when Savage was nine) is remarkable.

Savage and his “rhythm section” (bassist John Funkhouser, drummer Steve Silverstein) came together at a performance, not a rehearsal, three years ago, and in fact they never rehearsed, they simply started gigging and have been doing so ever since. So far, so good.

Among Savage's songs are a blues in 5/4 (”The New Sensation”) , an elegant “Waltz for Mom,” a flag-waver in 7/4 (”Seven Up”), a feature for Silverstein's “Ride Cymbal,” two shapely ballads (”Nine at Night,” ”The Wild Rose”), a groover whose rhythmic pattern is “Stop and Go,” a “Ramble” for his grandpa, and a flat-out burner (”Wow!”) whose tempo marking, Savage says, reads “Call the paramedics!” The opener, ”Infected with Hemiola,” he explains, doesn't refer to a disease—”It's just a musical term meaning that you play phrases from one time signature when you're actually in another.” Of course, we all knew that, didn't we?

If you are concerned about the future of jazz and need some reassurance, here it is, waiting for you to reach out and grasp it. As is the case with each of Savage's albums, a part of the proceeds is donated to autism research and support.

~ Jack Bowers

Track Listing: Infected with Hemiola; The New Sensation; Plain Old Rhythm Changes; Sneaking Up; Waltz for Mom; Nine at Night; The Ride Cymbal; House Cat; Seven Up; Stop and Go; The Wild Rose; Wow!; Grandpa's Ramble; Ladybug Bounce (53:02).
Personnel: Matt Savage, piano; John Funkhouser, bass; Steve Silverstein, drums. Style: Mainstream

Review Published: October 2004
The Matt Savage Trio | Savage Records

- Jack Bowers

At what point does a child prodigy become so good that the back-story of his rise to prominence -- complete with performances by a handful of jazz legends -- becomes old hat and he must be judged solely on the power of his latest work. For the brilliantly inventive pianist/composer Matt Savage, that time is in 2008, in his mid-teens. The passionate excitement of this September 2007 live date, featuring the tender wonders of originals like "Setting Sun" contrasted with the scorching Latin opener "Muy Caliente" and the piano-pounding exuberance of "Father's Day," can seriously supersede the fact that he was performing at age eight and nine with Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, and McCoy Tyner and headlining New York's Blue Note by 12. The fact that this is a live album doesn't mean it's just a spirited rehash of previous recordings. With the exception of "Curacao," the jumping calypso tune from 2006's Quantum Leap that Savage performed on Conan O'Brien; the seductive, Latin-spiced "El Fuego"; and a breezy, percussive zip through Miles Davis' "Seven Steps to Heaven," Hot Ticket features all-new compositions by the pianist. Making this concert at Tufts University's prestigious Distler Performance Hall at the Granoff Music Center even more exciting was the fact that Savage was working (and recording for the first time) with his new dynamic new trio of bassist Dave Robaire and drummer Joe Saylor. Savage proved here that he was mature enough not to need legendary jazz greats to work with, but the behind-the-scenes names bringing his music to life are no less prestigious; Hot Ticket was engineered by nine-time Grammy winner Tom Bates and produced by the Grammy-nominated Jonathan Wyner, whose credits include everyone from David Bowie to Pieces of a Dream. This is staggeringly exciting jazz, no matter the artist's age, which should never be a factor again. - Jonathan Widran

This is one of those things you just do to get it out of you. You say something that you might later regret, but are 99 percent positive you’ve got a sure thing. You call someone or something “the next biggest thing.” You just say it, and it’s out there.

Well, I’m going out on that limb to say that I think the Matt Savage Trio is going to have people talking if they already aren’t.
Why do I think this? A live set on Conan O’Brien tonight proved two things: the threesome has chops, namely those of Matt Savage, and that you don’t have to be a 30-something jazz artist to join the big leagues. Why? Savage is just 14 years old.

That’s not a misprint - the young artist says he discovered jazz at age 7 and has been exploring the genre since. In fact, he has released seven albums. But when he plays, you can forget his age because he plays far beyond his years. He’s no Dave Brubeck, but with his confidence and musical ability, he’s clearly ready for the big time.
Keep an eye on this trio - I think they might be ready for a bigger stage.


HEARD MENTALITY
New music, reviews and local happenings.
December 13th, 2006


- Thomas Ritchie

Dave Brubeck was just one of the existing jazz community who flipped out at Matt's genius-level keyboard chops at age 8.

Published on January 05, 2008


The Matt Savage Trio - Hot Ticket: Live in Boston - Savage Records, 1 hr. **** [Release date Jan. 22, 2008]:

(Matt Savage, piano; Dave Robaire, bass; Joe Saylor, drums)

Matt Savage is only 15 now, and at age 8 Dave Brubeck was just one of the existing jazz community who flipped out at his genius-level keyboard chops. Afflicted with a variety of autism, he is one of fewer than 100 people known worldwide as “prodigious savants.” Their skills would be regarded as spectacular even if they were demonstrated by someone without a disability of any kind. Among therapies he had starting at age 3 was auditory integration to retune his sensory and social perceptions. Following that his musical skills were accelerated and he taught himself to read piano music and began studies in classical piano. At age 7 he discovered Monk, Coltrane and Miles and jumped into jazz in a big way. Now he’s even been made a Bosendorfer Piano artist and performs on that Rolls Royce of pianos at his concerts.

This is the sixth album of Matt’s Trio. All the dozen tunes on it except for Miles’ Seven Steps to Heaven are originals composed by Matt. They cover a wide range of moods and tempi. There’s a simplicity and directness about them, with rather formal chordal structure, but often unusual harmonies and phrasing. It sounds like a pianist/composer feeling his way to evolving a completely distinctive style - but someone of, say, 25 or 30, not just 15. His special arrangement of Seven Steps is very uptempo and swinging, with rapid runs all over the keyboard. Only when you hear his voice introducing the tunes do things begin to fit together about what you are hearing.

TrackList: Muy Caliente, Father’s Day, Setting Sun, Quittin’ Time, Black-Key Magic, An Awful Song, El Fuego, A 6/4 Song, Colors, Seven Steps to Heaven, Curacao, Free and Easy.

- John Henry



Jazz CD Reviews

The Matt Savage Trio - Hot Ticket: Live in Boston - Savage Records

- John Henry

Listening to this 15 year old delightfully over achieve his way around piano jazz must be something like what it was like to see young Mozart give the musical finger to Salieri. Kicking it out with some new cats in tow, after all this is his 8th album, sixth with a trio, the young wizard does it again. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy and let him do all the rest. A killer player that seems to be able to play anything, get hip to this tyro lion because times wasting if you haven’t heard him yet. Just amazing.

Volume 31/Number 66
January 5, 2008
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
©2008 Midwest Record

http://www.midwestrecord.com/

MATT SAVAGE TRIO/Hot Ticket: Live in Boston
SAVAGE RECORDS
1-05-08 - Chris Spector

You know, I have heard so many stories of child prodigies over the years. Somehow, they always depress me — mostly because the child in question passes into adulthood and those dreams and high hopes never seem to be realized. Either that or they do attain their dreams and we never hear about it because music holds such a low spot in our societal hierarchy of needs.

Matt Savage's story did not take the usual child prodigy route. He was diagnosed at three years old with Pervasive Developmental Disorder, a high-functioning type of autism. Matt found it very difficult to tolerate noise or music. After some very focused therapy and dietary changes, Matt's dislike of noise became inverted and an aptitude for music surfaced. At the age of 6 he began teaching himself music and piano. The next year he began studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. His first solo album came out later that year.

This is where the story usually trails off. In Savage's case though, there have been appearances on Conan O'Brien, The View, The Today Show, The New Orleans Jazz Festival, The Kennedy Center, and The Blue Note. This year sees the release of Savage's eight album, a live recording entitled Hot Ticket. My goodness, when I was fifteen I was worrying about asking that girl to the dance and stumbling through the chords of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" on my acoustic guitar!

So the question remains, how is the music? "Surprising" is the word. Maybe that description is a little unfair, because what kept happening to me was that I'd allow the cliché of the young savant to creep in, making the arrival of mature musical passages seem surprising.

Case in point: "Father's Day." Savage's introduction (spoken in a very young, pre-change voice) dedicates the composition to his dad. Then...the song starts off with a simple blues shuffle that reminded me of the theme from (Matt, I'm sorry) Sesame Street. So here I am trying to evaluate this kid's talent and instead I'm falling back onto the lamest of thoughts. I feel bad. I want the kid to rally....to save me from myself. But that shuffle...there's not much in it. Oh sure, he does take some pretty sparse runs through the blues changes. It's nothing special but....wait, where'd that dissonance come from? And the switch back to half-time? Savage turns up the heat on the next chorus with some slippery and angular paths through the chords that would not be out of place in a Monk tune, coming from Monk's fingers.

I'm sort of stunned.

There are many more such moments on Hot Ticket, from the clattering fun of "Black-Key Magic" to the Caribbean bounce of "Curacao" to the insanely fun "A 6/4 Song."
Savage and his trio even take a quick turn through the Miles Davis classic "Seven Steps To Heaven."

For a while, there was a quality to the music that escaped wordsmithing, but it's "enthusiasm." The stock phrase would be "youthful enthusiasm," which really does fit here. For all of his talent, Savage doesn't appear to take himself too seriously. That puts a friendly spin on the music.

Matt Savage is playing at a maturity level far beyond his chronological age. It'll be interesting to see where he takes all of this in the next decade or so.


Music Review: The Matt Savage Trio - Hot Ticket: Live in Boston

Published January 24, 2008

- Mark Saleski