Ben Matthews

Ben Matthews was drawn to the piano at a young age, following a passion for artistic expression through improvisation and composition. He performs in a unique style that blends genres drawing influence from jazz legends like Herbie Hancock and Oscar Peterson, and from soundtrack titans like John Williams and Joe Hisaishi (Studio Ghibli), and from other pianistic composers like Ludovico Einaudi and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

After a decade performing as both a sideman and bandleader with some of Australia’s top-tier musicians, WAAPA graduate jazz pianist and contemporary keyboardist Ben Matthews turned his focus to composition in late 2015. In 2016, he wrote and recorded the following projects: an original jazz soundtrack to THQ Nordic’s game ‘This Is The Police’; an original jazz/instrumental neo-soul double-CD release, ‘LiveWyre’; a collaborative E.P. of contemporary ballads with vocalist Edwina Masson entitled ‘An Open Letter of Imperfections’; a seven track, entirely improvised solo piano album, ‘My Story’; music for the short film ‘Lightbulb’; and two improvised solo piano singles, ‘Indulge in a Daydream’ and ‘Uncertain Times’. In 2017 a second solo piano album ‘Memoir’ was improvised. In early 2018, Ben was commissioned to fly to Norway to compose and record for game title “This Is The Police 2”, creating a rich and diverse soundtrack featuring a blending nordic folk instruments into the world music, 60’s jazz and fusion genres. This project included collaborations with composer Kevin Penkin (Tower of God, Made in Abyss, Florence the game), producer Jia Lih, vocalist Holli Scott. In 2019 Matthews was nominated for Best Keys/Synth Artist for the 2019 Western Australian Music (WAM) Awards. Ben’s piano and keyboard work can also be heard on the 2020 ‘Tower of God’ anime series’ original soundtrack.

Over the years, five of Ben’s compositions have been finalists for WAM Song of the Year awards (2011, 2015, 2016, 2018). His latest release, ‘A Soundtrack to Unwritten Cinema’ (2020) is a fourth improvised solo piano album that guides the listener through deeply personal, emotional experiences with pianistic soundscapes. Ben’s current aspiration is to create honest and emotional music that balances creativity and accessibility.

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