WITH KIRK KNUFFKE, JEFF LEDERER AND CHRIS LIGHTCAP
Thursday, February 25 at 8 p.m., Bezanson Recital Hall
General Admission: $12; $7 students
Matt Wilson is one of today’s most celebrated jazz artists, universally recognized for his musical and melodic drumming style, as well as for being a gifted composer, bandleader, producer, and teaching artist. He has performed at the White House with Herbie Hancock, graced the covers of Downbeat and Jazz Times Magazine, appeared on over 250 CDs as a sideman, and released 15 recordings as a leader.
CONNECT
Website
On a cold damp winter’s eve, the Matt Wilson Quartet entertained with extraordinary energy, warming the hall with playfully complex rhythms and soaring passages that were at once strange and familiar. A delightful evening of jazz mastery!
Already knew what to expect from Matt Wilson-subtle mastery, restraint, and humor. The entire quartet was incredibly entertaining but the real treat was Kirk Knuffke. From the first number on, his playing was mesmerizing. A great start to the series! Thank you again for Glenn Siegel for perservering and continuing to bring great music to the area!
What a delightful evening of amazing music. I can’t think of any other musician I know of who has more unbridled fun playing than Matt Wilson. No arch pretensions here. And yet there was some very substantial and adventurous music happening–midwestern avant-garde. Wonderful solos throughout, and all notable for both their passion and their taste. Kirk Knuffke, in particular, was amazingly expressive, fluid, and compelling–cream to go with Jeff Lederer’s pepper sauce. Chris Lightcap made the perfect partner for Wilson, providing an anchor and offering probing, tasteful solos. Matt Wilson himself is the very model of taste. As a drummer, I marveled at his restraint, his inventiveness, and his perfect musicality.
All in all, it was one of the most enjoyable concerts I’ve been to in a long time, and yet another high point in the Magic Triangle series. This series is something I never, ever take for granted, and it’s something I brag about to my New York friends: I can drive 15 minutes from my home in the woods, park for free 100 yards from the concert, and hear incredible music that is hard to find even in New York these days. It’s a miracle. Thank you to UMass, the Fine Arts Center, and Glenn Siegel for keeping this going.