Matthew Whitaker - Connections (2021) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

At just 20 years old, New Jersey native Matthew Whitaker has already shared his powerful story and ascent to the biggest stages in jazz with 60 Minutes and The Today Show; but on the young star pianist’s new album Connections (out August 13 via Resilience Music Alliance), he takes a bold step forward in defining for himself, on his own terms and in his own words, what it truly means to be Matthew Whitaker. This shines through in his collaborations with the genre's present day stars, like Jon Batiste and GRAMMY-winning producer Derrick Hodge (Robert Glasper, Q-Tip), in songs that signal “a new direction in his artistic expression” as NPR’s Nate Chinen notes, and in arrangements that transcend traditional jazz and draw from R&B, Latin, Gospel and so much more.

On Connections’ 16 tracks, Whitaker “doesn’t kick off a tune or improvisation as much as plunge into the music, twisting time,” GRAMMY-winning jazz scholar Ashley Kahn notes - also calling attention to Matthew’s “deepening confidence and rhythmic vigor.” In the midst of all this, Whitaker tells his own story most directly through the album’s riveting spoken word pieces, where he unflinchingly shares his experiences of perseverance while rising to the top of the genre after being born three months premature and blind.

TRACKLIST

1. Matthew Whitaker - Journey Uptown
2. Matthew Whitaker - A New Day
3. Matthew Whitaker - Bye-Ya
4. Matthew Whitaker - Spain
5. Matthew Whitaker - Connections
6. Matthew Whitaker - Stop Fighting
7. Matthew Whitaker - Lately
8. Matthew Whitaker - I'm Sorry
9. Matthew Whitaker - Jeannine
10. Matthew Whitaker - Don't Get Around Much Anymore
11. Matthew Whitaker - Blue Rondo a la Turk
12. Matthew Whitaker - Trust Me
13. Matthew Whitaker - It Will Be Okay
14. Matthew Whitaker - Garden Wall
15. Matthew Whitaker - Acceptance
16. Matthew Whitaker - His Eye is on the Sparrow



Thanks to the Original customer.