Biography
Job title: Senior Lecturer
Courses taught: BA (Hons) Music (Jazz), BA (Hons) Music - cross-pathway
Specialisms:Jazz Saxophone, Composition, Transcription, Intercultural Music, Jazz History, Aural
Originally hailing from the North Yorkshire Moors, London-based saxophonist and Dankworth Prize-winning composer Matt Anderson released his second critically-acclaimed album ‘Rambling’ in 2018. Since its launch at the hotbed of the creative London jazz scene, the Vortex Jazz Club, the album has won praise from the likes of Jazzwise, BBC Radio 3 and Jazz FM for its “outstanding,” melodic writing and “uniformly excellent playing”, all fronted by Matt’s warm tenor sound.
Matt’s well-received first album, ‘Wild Flower’, also featured many leading lights of the U.K. jazz scene such as Laura Jurd (BBC New Generation Artist, Dinosaur) and Alex Munk (Flying Machines), and he is also popular as a sideman in a variety of projects on the fertile London and Leeds jazz scenes, performing regularly across Britain and internationally with recent appearances as a leader in Spain (Jimmy Glass, Valencia and Jamboree, Barcelona) and Switzerland (Villars Vanguard, Ollon). In 2015, he performed in Greece with Jiannis Pavlidis' Quintet featuring legendary American jazz drummer Greg Hutchinson.
Matt is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and also teaches at the Royal Academy of Music in London and the University of Leeds. In 2019-20, membership of Serious’ LEAP (Learning and Participation) scheme led to an Arts Council-funded jazz education project Lighting a Beacon, workshopping and performing newly-commissioned music with young musicians in North Yorkshire.
Quotes:
“The writing on Rambling is outstanding: varied and imaginative... There's a beautiful warmth to Anderson's sound that suffuses the whole album.” Thomas Rees, Jazzwise
“memorable melodies, adeptly interwoven influences… unhurriedly stylish... (Anderson) can deliver an ear-catching tenor sax flourish, but knows the value of understatement and uses it well. This is solidly-crafted small group jazz that knows its history, but wears its learning lightly.” John Turney, London Jazz News
"Their own unique stamp on Shorter's very personal repertoire... of a quality that resonates with its inspirational source... Enjoyably un-pretentious." Selwyn Harris, Jazzwise
"This is sophisticated stuff, with a proper handle on Shorter's post-bop genius... Everyone plays superbly and the whole set is wholly recommended." ***** Mark Gilbert, Jazz Journal
