Matthew Mitchell (born July 19, 1975) is an American jazz pianist and composer. He is also part of the faculty of the New York-based Center for Improvisational Music.
Early life Mitchell was born on July 19, 1975."Matt Mitchell". Scrapple Records. Retrieved January 31, 2015. He grew up in Exton, Pennsylvania.Ratliff, Ben (October 6, 2011) "New Pilots at the Keyboard". The New York Times. He first played the piano aged six, and composed from the age of 10. He had lessons in jazz and theory at a university from the age of 12. At this stage he was influenced by pianists Keith Jarrett and Herbie Hancock.
Later life and career Mitchell attended Indiana University for three years and then, in the late 1990s, he completed a master's degree at the Eastman School of Music and settled in New York. In 1999, he contacted saxophonist Tim Berne for some of his scores, but did not pursue the contact further at that point. Mitchell had various jobs in New York, but chose to return to Philadelphia. He then worked in a library at The University of the Arts for nine years before leaving when he had too many gigs to fit in.
In 2011, Mitchell had a sextet named Central Chain. In 2012, Mitchell introduced a new trio, with Chris Tordini on bass and Dan Weiss on drums.Chinen, Nate (August 10, 2012) "New Compositions from a Trio Propelled by Piano". The New York Times. In the early 2010s, Mitchell was also part of Berne's Snakeoil band, and John Hollenbeck's Large Ensemble and Claudia Quintet.Layman, Will (November 22, 2013) "Matt Mitchell: Fiction". popmatters.com
In 2014, Mitchell joined Rudresh Mahanthappa's band, and recorded with the saxophonist later that year.Beuttler, Bill (February 2015) "Rudresh Mahanthappa – Moving the Eye". Down Beat. pp. 32, 34.
Mitchell has written and published several collections of études."Matt Mitchell Études" . Screwgun Records. Retrieved January 31, 2015. His 2017 release A Pouting Grimace is"a 10-part suite extrapolated from a one-bar vamp reminiscent of Roscoe Mitchell's 1977 piece 'Nonaah'."
Playing style A New York Times reviewer commented in 2011 that Mitchell "feels close to the consensus language of straight-ahead jazz but wants to get beyond it. He does it with hands moving in independent parts, with polyrhythms, with music that approaches the technical level of études but that churns and whirls and leaves spaces for broad interpretation." Mitchell has been described as "a chameleon, able to take on completely different musical personas across of fast array of situations."Ackermann, Karl (October 15, 2017) "Matthew Mitchell: A Pouting Grimace". AllAboutJazz.
Another New York Times reviewer observed that "Mitchell has his guideposts as an improviser, including Paul Bley and Andrew Hill, pioneers of stubborn poise and self-containment". Mitchell's playing reflects a thorough understanding of his predecessors but remains powerfully singular: "Mitchell is special [...] because he weaves together understanding of perhaps four distinct and critical jazz piano traditions, pulling in impressionistic texture from Bill Evans/Herbie Hancock, ravenous but dynamic attack from Cecil Taylor/Don Pullen, the rhythmic rush of Bud Powell, and the comfort with abstract melodic logic of Paul Bley. Does Mitchell, therefore, sound schizophrenic or derivative? No – over and over he sounds like himself: the most complete and well-integrated improvising pianist of the last 15 years."Layman, Will (October 9, 2018) "Jonathan Finlayson's Jazz Is Cerebral and Strutting on '3 Times Round'". popmatters.com
Compositions Mitchell commented that "I aim to think compositionally when improvising and think improvisationally when composing – trying to expand what is possible in both scenarios."
Awards Mitchell was awarded a Pew Fellowships in the Arts in 2012."Matthew Mitchell". The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
Discography An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.
As leader/co-leader Year recordedTitleLabelPersonnel/Notes2000Adenium (v. 1)ScrappleAs Kaktus; trio, with Aaron Meicht (trumpet), Lars Halle (drums) 2000Adenium (v. 2)ScrappleAs Kaktus; trio, with Aaron Meicht (trumpet), Lars Halle (drums) 2001Sharing the DryScrappleAs Kaktus; trio, with Aaron Meicht (trumpet), Lars Halle (drums) 2002FeignerScrappleAs Feigner; trio, with Aaron Meicht (trumpet, electronics), Brendan Dougherty (drums, electronics)2004Laughter only Feigned ReproachScrappleAs Feigner; trio, with Aaron Meicht (electronics) and Brendan Dougherty (electronics)2005Vapor Squint, Antique ChromaticScrappleSolo2013*FictionPiDuo, with Ches Smith (drums)2015*Vista AccumulationPiQuartet, with Chris Speed (tenor sax, clarinet), Christopher Tordini (bass), Dan Weiss (drums)2017*FørageScrewgunSolo, performing the music of Tim Berne2017*A Pouting GrimacePiWith Scott Robinson (bass sax, contrabass clarinet), Jon Irabagon (soprano sax, sopranino sax), Ben Kono (oboe, English horn), Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon), Anna Webber (flute), Katie Andrews (harp), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone, marimba), Ches Smith (vibraphone, glockenspiel, marimba, timpani, percussion), Dan Weiss (tabla), Kim Cass (double bass), Kate Gentile (drums, percussion)2018*Angel DuskScrewgunDuo, with Tim Berne (alto sax)2019*Phalanx AmbassadorsPiWith Miles Okazaki (guitar), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone, marimba), Kim Cass (double bass), Kate Gentile (drums, percussion)2020SpidersOut of Your HeadDuo, with Tim Berne (alto sax); in concert2021Snark HorsePiDuo, co-led with Kate Gentile (drums); with guest appearances from the Snark Horsekestra (Kim Cass, Ben Gerstein, Jon Irabagon, Davy Lazar, Mat Maneri, Ava Mendoza, Matt Nelson, Brandon Seabrook)2022One More, PleaseIntaktDuo, with Tim Berne (alto sax)2023IllimitableObliquitySolo2024Zealous AnglesPiTrio, with Chris Tordini (bass), Dan Weiss (drums)
As sideman Year recordedLeaderTitleLabel2003*A History of MadnessCuneiform2004*Upon Both Your HousesNearfest2006*AnastomosiAbeat2011*What Is the Beautiful?Cuneiform2011SnakeoilECM2012*Spun TreeClean Feed Records2012*Book of Mæ'bul (Another Kind of Sunrise)AUM Fidelity2012*Of the WoodsMike Lorenz Music2012Be StillGreenleaf Music2013Shadow ManECM2013Time TravelGreenleaf Music2014*FourteenPi2014*SimpleSkirl2014Bird CallsACT2015Blue DialectClean Feed Records 2015*Brazen HeartGreenleaf Music2015*Brazen Heart – Live at Jazz StandardGreenleaf Music2015You've Been Watching MeECM2015* and Greg OsbySonic HaloChallenge2016*FluxMythology2016ShelterFresh Sound New Talent2017MorphogenesisPi2017*ChromePlayscape2017Moving StillPi 2017IncidentalsECM2017 (released 2018)All Can WorkNew Amsterdam2017...For Its Beauty Alone2018*StarebabyPi20183 Times RoundPi2018*Path of TotalityWhirlwind2019Sam OspovatRide AnglesSkirl2022Miniature AmericaCygnus2023Golden CityMiel Music2024*LevsPi
References