Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
“...complex guitar melodies, converging currents of rock, blues, jazz and Latin rhythms and the musician’s creative twist of a colorful phrase... clearly, Yaki is in a league of his own.”
“...rich textures, with his clear voice the strong glue that binds guitar melodies and lyrics filled with color and emotion.”
- Homer Tribune
When I finally saw him perform, it was immediately apparent why people were chattering about him. His presence and expressiveness were palpable. The sheer fluidity and grace of his playing was absolutely luxurious.
Matt Yaki and company had the joint jumping for sure. His onstage energy was genuine, charming and infectious. This was one of the best unknown club bands I had ever experienced, and I have definitely seen the motherlode...
... he has evolved from his self-described poet/musician duality into a stellar songwriter.
- 8-Ball, Anchorage Daily News
Discography
Black Licorice - 2000
Open Up your Presence - 2001
Stereolight - 2003
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Matt was born in British-era Hong Kong, steeped in the duality of Tao and industrial capitalism. He is the product of a New World mix of cultures, Pan Asian, Pan Pacific, Pan American.
Matt's earliest influences were the typical idols of rock, his teenage years informed by the age of hip-hop, then later the legacies of Bach, Jobim, Coltrane. While studying all around the Pacific - Hawaii, California, Southeast Asia, Matt began writing the music that eventually lead to his first album, Black Licorice, recorded solo in a cabin on the edge of the forest in Alaska, and then Stereolight, recorded two years later in that same cabin.
In many ways, Matt is the story of America - his mother was born in Lisbon, Portugal while fleeing the cultural revolution of China. Matt's father emigrated from Maui to California only to be interned in the Arizona desert during WWII.
Now living in Phoenix, Arizona, Matt has dedicated himself to teaching teenagers and furthering his own wisdom. He donates a percentage of all his CD sales to the Nature Conservancy.
Matt's songwiting is a reflection of a life brimming with cultural diversity and a rare breadth of experience. Spiritual and introspective by nature, musical by evolution, Matt Yaki is a truly rare artist.
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