One In Mind Feature Article

JazzTimes.com Matt Richards transcends styles and labels.... and his hometown Alex Gomez ‘Beneath the radar’ would be an appropriate phrase to describe guitarist Matt Richards. Classifying him as one of those Best-Kept Secrets that get mentioned annually in a metropolitan magazine would be fitting. Catch-phrases aside, Matt’s musical abilities speak for themselves. His most recent release One In Mind (FingerMusic 1008) chronicles Matt on both acoustic guitar and fretless guitar in different settings, from solo to duo to group. Jazz standards sit comfortably alongside middle-Eastern rhythms and free-form group excursions….. there’s even a fingerstyle Beatles’ tune. Hailing from a city that has spawned six-string talents such as Pat Martino and Jimmy Bruno and provided a formative setting for a number of musical innovators (John Coltrane instantly comes to mind), Matt’s penchant for artistic uniqueness would seem inevitable. However, Philadelphia's music scene most often resembles a roller coaster rather than a boat on a lake. “While there are is a lot of creative local talent,” Matt explains, “the opportunities to present and develop your music and hone your abilities are limited; gaining notice and building a reputation as a creative musician in Philly is really tough.” If the Philadelphia scene hasn't caught on, it's their loss. Matt’s resume provides proof that he’s not just another living room wonder. His well-earned jazz-fusion credentials with the band New Light stretch back to 1979, when the Philadelphia Bulletin dubbed Matt ‘the most creatively original guitarist on the scene’. Though the fusion fury eventually fizzled, it was a musical jumping-off point that allowed Matt to venture straight ahead into organ trios and quartets in the late1980s. Forays into acoustic music, both as a solo guitarist and in pairings with guitarists Larry Coryell, Emiliano Pardo and Jim Goodin and double-bassist Bill Zola, prompted Matt to expand not only his playing technique but his overall approach to his music. One In Mind offers evidence of Matt's versatility. Most of the tracks were recorded live, including jazz standards recorded with Bill Zola in the early 1990s that may owe as much to the influence of Bill Evans as to Django Reinhardt. “Over the past few years,” Matt explains, “I think I have been exclusively identified as a solo acoustic musician when, in fact, it’s a part of the total picture.” Given his impressive fingerstyle abilities (in addition to the comparisons to guitar icons Ralph Towner and Pierre Bensusan) it’s easy to understand how such a classification would fit. Indeed, Matt welcomes the identifier. “There are some truly gifted players who stretch the concepts of acoustic guitar and don’t fit into the usual definitions of jazz or classical or folk music,” Matt states. “I am delighted to be included alongside any one of them.” Matt’s electric side is already gaining notice by way of his recently-reconstituted jazz trio that features long-time collaborator Adrian Valosin on drums and acoustic bassist Dave Kaczorowski. “Now that I’ve begun playing regularly with the trio I find the ideas and concepts I’ve developed as a solo player prove beneficial in the group. This trio is really about interplay, providing a conversational approach to whatever we play, which is a dream come true.” For further information visit Matt’s website: www.MattRichardsMusic.net. Reproduced with the author’s permission