Release Date: 22 October 2021
Label: Whirlwind Recordings
Packaging Type: Digipak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 0655498297908
Genres: Jazz Contemporary
Release Date: 26 August 2022
Label: Whirlwind Recordings
Packaging Type: Slip Sleeve (CD or Vinyl)
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 0655498297915
Genres: Jazz Contemporary
Description
He may not have known it before, but Toronto-born, New York-based guitarist Matthew Stevens, prized for his forceful, distinctive electric sound was an ideal candidate to make an album fully devoted to solo acoustic guitar: the intimate, unadorned, straightforwardly titled 'Pittsburgh'.
September 2020, Stevens was hunkering down in his wife's family's hometown of Pittsburgh, while navigating his way through the crisis. He had with him a vintage Martin 00-17, a small-body mahogany guitar. Practicing daily on the Martin, he began generating a series of short song "starts" - ideas and sketches he thought might lead somewhere. Then one rainy Pittsburgh day, Stevens' bike slid out from under him and he broke his right elbow. Rather than getting derailed musically, he became immersed in a creative process that led straight to 'Pittsburgh': a document of those short song "starts" from the notebook, now hatched as completed compositions. "Playing this music became a big part of my rehab," Stevens recalls.
As the album took shape, it became clear to Stevens that he was headed in the direction of a wholly unaccompanied recital, with no overdubs or sound layering of any kind. Just him and this special Martin, two Neumann U89 mics and enough peace of mind across two separate sessions to make 'Pittsburgh' the triumph that it is.
In addition to his extensive high-profile work with Esperanza Spalding (serving as co-producer on 'Exposure' and '12 Little Spells'), Stevens is also a member, songwriter and co-producer of Terri Lyne Carrington's GRAMMY-nominated Social Science band. He has made vital contributions to groups led by Dave Douglas, Linda May Han Oh, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Ben Williams and more. With tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III he co-leads the In Common collective. Stevens has also amassed many credits beyond the jazz world, collaborating on forthcoming releases by Anna B Savage, Jamila Woods, Tyler Armes (Murdagang) and Berlin-based electronic artist Robag Wruhme.
Press:
"An acoustic guitar album to sit back and lose yourself in. " - ***** UK Vibe
"Stevens' playing is as graceful and understated as the great Ralph Towner's." - The New York Times
"An intimate, unadorned recording." - Jazz FM
"Eleven new original pieces brimming with invention and a warm, brilliant steel-string tone." - Jazziz Magazine
"Intriguing, fascinating, and beautiful." - Simply Jazz Talk
"The tunes reveal themselves like a solo recital of original music." - WBGO
"[Pittsburgh] offers enough spine-tingling moments where wavelength and amplitude combine to kiss your eardrums into submission." - LondonJazz News
"A dazzling display of technique rooted inside a strong compositional framework." - The Jazz Mann
"Stevens displays his rare virtuosity and integrity on this artful offering." - Jazziz Magazine
"Recorded simply, without reverb or concern for avoiding things like the squeak of a fingertip along the strings, Pittsburgh finds healing in simplicity, honoring the initial creative spark as a path to wellness." - The Big Takeover
"Pittsburgh is warm and undeniably sharp. Each tune is distinct, cleverly written, and dazzlingly played. This is not only a fine entry in Stevens' catalogue, but a stellar addition to the jazz guitar canon." - All Music
"A highly adventurous and distinctly modern player and composer. He ranges from rhythmically off-kilter, slightly outside (in the jazz sense) pieces to more conventional ballad statements, with lots of tonal range in between." - Acoustic Guitar
Description
He may not have known it before, but Toronto-born, New York-based guitarist Matthew Stevens, prized for his forceful, distinctive electric sound was an ideal candidate to make an album fully devoted to solo acoustic guitar: the intimate, unadorned, straightforwardly titled 'Pittsburgh'.
September 2020, Stevens was hunkering down in his wife's family's hometown of Pittsburgh, while navigating his way through the crisis. He had with him a vintage Martin 00-17, a small-body mahogany guitar. Practicing daily on the Martin, he began generating a series of short song "starts" - ideas and sketches he thought might lead somewhere. Then one rainy Pittsburgh day, Stevens' bike slid out from under him and he broke his right elbow. Rather than getting derailed musically, he became immersed in a creative process that led straight to 'Pittsburgh': a document of those short song "starts" from the notebook, now hatched as completed compositions. "Playing this music became a big part of my rehab," Stevens recalls.
As the album took shape, it became clear to Stevens that he was headed in the direction of a wholly unaccompanied recital, with no overdubs or sound layering of any kind. Just him and this special Martin, two Neumann U89 mics and enough peace of mind across two separate sessions to make 'Pittsburgh' the triumph that it is.
In addition to his extensive high-profile work with Esperanza Spalding (serving as co-producer on 'Exposure' and '12 Little Spells'), Stevens is also a member, songwriter and co-producer of Terri Lyne Carrington's GRAMMY-nominated Social Science band. He has made vital contributions to groups led by Dave Douglas, Linda May Han Oh, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Ben Williams and more. With tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III he co-leads the In Common collective. Stevens has also amassed many credits beyond the jazz world, collaborating on forthcoming releases by Anna B Savage, Jamila Woods, Tyler Armes (Murdagang) and Berlin-based electronic artist Robag Wruhme.
Press:
"An acoustic guitar album to sit back and lose yourself in. " - ***** UK Vibe
"Stevens' playing is as graceful and understated as the great Ralph Towner's." - The New York Times
"An intimate, unadorned recording." - Jazz FM
"Eleven new original pieces brimming with invention and a warm, brilliant steel-string tone." - Jazziz Magazine
"Intriguing, fascinating, and beautiful." - Simply Jazz Talk
"The tunes reveal themselves like a solo recital of original music." - WBGO
"[Pittsburgh] offers enough spine-tingling moments where wavelength and amplitude combine to kiss your eardrums into submission." - LondonJazz News
"A dazzling display of technique rooted inside a strong compositional framework." - The Jazz Mann
"Stevens displays his rare virtuosity and integrity on this artful offering." - Jazziz Magazine
"Recorded simply, without reverb or concern for avoiding things like the squeak of a fingertip along the strings, Pittsburgh finds healing in simplicity, honoring the initial creative spark as a path to wellness." - The Big Takeover
"Pittsburgh is warm and undeniably sharp. Each tune is distinct, cleverly written, and dazzlingly played. This is not only a fine entry in Stevens' catalogue, but a stellar addition to the jazz guitar canon." - All Music
"A highly adventurous and distinctly modern player and composer. He ranges from rhythmically off-kilter, slightly outside (in the jazz sense) pieces to more conventional ballad statements, with lots of tonal range in between." - Acoustic Guitar
Tracklisting
Tracklisting
Empirical
Sultan Stevenson
Linley Hamilton
Lakecia Benjamin
Michael Olatuja
Samara Joy
Josephine Davies
Alice Zawadzki
Walter Smith III, Matthew Stevens, Joel Ross, Harish Raghavan & Marcus Gilmore
Walter Smith III, Matthew Stevens, Kris Davis, Dave Holland & Terri Lyne Carrington
Matthew Stevens
