Sun Sep 29
Matthew Whitaker Organ Trio
9:30PM / $35 | $7 Fees Get Tickets
Matthew Whitaker
Matthew Whitaker and his trio will perform music from his new recording, On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute, a soulful shout-out to some of the Hammond B-3 organ pioneers who paved the way for him. Marcos Robinson on guitar and Johnny Steele on drums will join him on stage.
At the age of 23, Matthew Whitaker has lived a musical life richer than artists twice his age. This Hackensack, NJ musician, who started as a promising and prolific prodigy, became a protean and prestigious professional who stunned the music world with his limitless virtuosity on piano, keyboards, organ, and drums, his compressive creativity as a composer and arranger and his inspiring presence as a bandleader.
Whitaker is an artist who knows where he’s going because he knows where he comes from. Whitaker’s new recording On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute, is his soulful, 7-track shout-out to the Hammond B-3 organ pioneers who paved the way for him. They include “The Organ Grinder’s Swing” by Jimmy Smith; Charles Earland’s “Happy ‘Cause I’m Goin’Home,” Dr. Lonnie Smith’s “Pilgrimage,” Joey DeFrancesco’s “In The Key of the Universe,” and the festive “Expect Your Miracle” by gospel organist Elbernita “Twinkie” Clarke of The Clarke Sisters. The recording also contains two in-studio jam sessions: the Latin-tinged “Yessaah” and the Afrofuturist, hip-hop-pulsed “Don’t Count Me Out.”
“The idea to do this project [came from] playing a lot of these songs and listening to those artists growing up,” Whitaker says. “I was listening to Jimmy Smith a long time ago, and I just love the way that his trio interacted with each other musically. I remember my uncle playing Charles Earland for me. And I remember how it just grooved all the way through nonstop. Dr. Lonnie Smith was so down to earth, from the time I met him until his passing. And every time I’d go see him live, he would always play ‘Pilgrimage,’ and he would always invite me on stage to play it as well. I also saw Joey De Francesco growing up, and his wife suggested that I record ‘In The Key of the Universe.’ Elbernita “Twinkie” Clarke was another one that I've had a chance to see live and interact with. I saw her play “Expect Your Miracle” at a concert she did last January. And I was like, oh …I have to do this!” Whitaker’s latest album is his fourth release as a leader.
One of the most memorable moments of his life occurred when he won first place in the Child Stars of Tomorrow Competition at the Apollo Theater, also when he was nine. The next year, Whitaker was invited to perform at the Apollo for Stevie Wonder’s induction into the theater’s Hall of Fame.
Whitaker starred, produced and scored the All Arts Emmy-nominated short documentary, “Matthew Whitaker: About Tomorrow,” and he also wrote the score for the motion picture short, “Starkeisha,” for ESPN’s Andscape platform; currently streaming on HULU. He was also cast in "The Greatest,” an Emmy-nominated Apple commercial highlighting the company's accessibility features, which help people with disabilities solve everyday challenges. Whitaker served as musical director for “Billy Strayhorn: Something To Live For,” a musical about composer/arranger Billy Strayhorn, which debuted in Pittsburgh.
9:30PM / $35 | $7 Fees Get Tickets
1. Final sale, no refunds, not transferable.
2. $15 food/beverage minimum per person not included in ticket price.
3. Seating first come at the door. Doors open 6 PM & 8:45 PM respectively.
4. Photography or Recording of any kind is prohibited during the performance.
5. Keep conversation to a minimum during the performance.