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Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.

ALBUM REVIEW January 21, 2021

Matt Piet: (pentimento)

Read "(pentimento)" reviewed by Mark Corroto

It goes without saying that 2020, year one of the global pandemic, was oppressive and overwhelming at times. Nearly everyone in their individual isolation came to recognize what has been lost and, hopefully, identify the resilience of the human spirit. One could argue the hardest hit were musicians, where touring and performing for an audience, and even recording opportunities were unavailable. But there is always hope, and that resilience cannot be suppressed. Exhibit #1 is (pentimento) by Chicago improvising artist ...

ALBUM REVIEW November 10, 2018

Matt Piet & His Disorganization: Rummage Out

By John Sharpe

Perhaps it was pianist Matt Piet's appearances with esteemed reedman Dave Rempis on the co-operative Hit The Ground Running (Aerophonic, 2016) which first started to garner him attention, but he is certainly beginning to gain a reputation in his own right, a trend which can only be furthered by the release of Rummage Out. Piet set aside his classical studies to focus on jazz during his stint at Berklee College of Music and, since his return to his native Chicago ...

ALBUM REVIEW April 26, 2018

Dave Rempis / Matt Piet / Tim Daisy: Throw Tomatoes

By Mark Corroto

There is something about the trio recording Throw Tomatoes that brings to mind the distinction between yin and yang. Not that there is a clear difference between the two, as in yang yoga and yin yoga, where the same movement can be either (to a degree) and both. In music, a classically trained musician would be considered more yang than yin and an improvisational one, such as Ornette Coleman with his violin performances, more yin. With musicians such ...

ALBUM REVIEW September 30, 2016

Matt Piet: Of Sound Mind

By Budd Kopman

Pianist Matt Piet is most definitely a thinking man's player, roughly on a par with Ron Stabinsky (see Free For One), but with less notoriety (at least for now). Appearing as a member of the cooperative group Four Letter Words on Blow, he seemed to drive the music with a strong, clear musical personality. Of Sound Mind is his recording debut as a leader, and is intended as a major statement of intent. The instrumentation is that of ...