By Matt Savage
Hello world! My name is Matt Savage, and I am a jazz pianist and composer who is currently living in New York. I grew up in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and I am currently on the faculty of Bunker Hill Community College and the Longy School of Music. And my latest position is as the touring music director for the classic vocal group, The Platters.
I was diagnosed on the autism spectrum at the age of 3 (PDD-NOS), and I underwent many therapies (particularly auditory integration therapy) for the following five years.
Despite my sound sensitivities as a small child, musical knowledge came rapidly to me, through my absolute pitch and my strong visual awareness of the notes on the piano. I had always wanted to be a mathematician until I was eight years old, but I soon found performing to be much more interesting – because the piano felt a lot more satisfying than all those Xs and Ys in algebra. And through my family’s intensive support, I became a child prodigy musician, recording an album of jazz standards and originals almost every year.
These days, I’m used to the logistical demands of performing concerts as both a bandleader and sideman. My music now requires more of the measures to be written out (rather than improvised over) compared to the past. But my quick music theory reflexes have always been my motivation to achieve socially and emotionally.
When it comes to dealing with handling many different tasks at the same time, it is very easy to get distracted. This is especially true when it comes to socializing, as it’s hard to come up with the language needed for successful rehearsals and industry networking. Just saying “listen faster” to myself is not going to be helpful for me or for anyone – so my musical training has been the best therapy when it comes to handling lots of conversations in a pinch. Balancing rhythms and pitches forms a sort of physical education for my socializing. The eye contact is still the hardest part though.
Touring is physically demanding for even the most seasoned of performers – and teaching is also very energy intensive. While I have taught in higher education for almost nine years so far, and toured a whole lot more in the last year, my physical coordination and attention spans are the greatest challenges I face today. But thanks to careful attention paid to diet and lifestyle changes, my mind feels clearer than it has been in a long time.
It has been almost three years since my last album, The Whole Package!, but I’ve been wanting to go into the studio again in the near future.
I hope to see you soon at a future Damon Brooks event; I would love to hear more about what projects you may have in mind!
See you around,
Matt