Matt Herskowitz

A graduate of the Juilliard School in New York and the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Albany native Matt Herskowitz has made Montréal (Québec) his adopted home since 2000. He distinguished himself as a talent deserving of wider recognition with his first solo piano release, 2007’s Matt Herskowitz Plays Gershwin (Disques Tout Crin), which featured solo arrangements of “Rhapsody in Blue,” “Concerto in F” and “Cuban Overture.”

Matt's performance on the soundtrack of the Grammy-nominated film The Triplets of Belleville has earned him much popular and critical acclaim. He performs Bach's Prelude in C minor in the film, loosely posing as Glenn Gould, and his own Bach à la Jazz, a jazz arrangement of the same Bach prelude, which is also featured on the award-winning hit soundtrack CD of the film.

In 2008, he premiered his piano concert Undertow with the Absolute Ensemble at the Bremen International Musikfest in Bremen and in 2010 recorded the ambitious Jerusalem Trilogy, which seamlessly fused contemporary jazz and classical styles with a unique blend of Arab and Jewish scales and grooves. As a followup to 2010’s acclaimed Jerusalem Trilogy, the pianist-composer showcases the art of solo piano on Upstairs, recorded before a live audience in the intimate setting of Montréal’s Upstairs Jazz Bar & Grill.

Drawing on his classical training and his deep love of jazz, Herskowitz presents an artful blend of musical styles with direct nods to Michel Petrucciani, Dave Brubeck, George Gershwin, J.S. Bach and Robert Schumann along the way. “I wanted the choice of pieces to reflect a broad range of what I do, including my own compositions, arrangements of classical pieces, and my favourite jazz covers,” writes Herskowitz in the liner notes. Now with the releaes of Upstairs, the outstanding pianist-composer stands ready to make the next incremental leap in his burgeoning career.