Matthew was accepted into the Bachelor of Music degree at the Western Australian Conservatorium of Music at the age of 16. He graduated in 2000, winning the Bob Wyllie Scholarship for best graduating student.
Selected as one of five Jazz winners from around the world in the IAJE/NFAA (National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts) in 1996, he received the title of a Clifford Brown/Stan Getz Fellow. Along with the four other finalists Matthew performed in Miami and then to an audience of 8,000 at the IAJE conference in Chicago.
In 1997 at the age of 16, Matthew became the first Australian student to be invited to perform at the hallowed venue of Carnegie Hall in New York. He performed alongside the four other Clifford Brown/Stan Getz Fellow finalists, along with Terri-Lyn Carrington on drums and James Williams on piano. This opened the week-long JVC Jazz Festival in New York, and the concert also featured Wallace Roney, Kevin Mahogony and Dianne Reeves.
Matthew was one of 6 national finalists for the James Morrison Scholarship in 1996, 1997 & 1998, winning in 1998.
In the Young Australian Of The Year Awards for 1998 Matthew won the Arts Award for Western Australia and also won the overall award of The Young Achiever of the Year Award For Western Australia. He was also a National Arts Finalist, chosen as 1 of 3 finalists from around Australia for the Young Australian of the Year Arts Award in Canberra. He consequently performed in the Great Hall of Parliament House, Canberra with the James Morrison Quintet at these awards in front of some very distinguished guests including the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard.
In 1998 and 1999 Matthew was one of 12 jazz participants selected nationally to attend the Australian National Academy of Music in Melbourne followed by attendance and performance at the Wangarratta Jazz Festival with Graeme Lyall and Tony Gould.
In 2003 Matthew was commissioned by the Perth Jazz Society to composed a 40 minute work featuring Australian Jazz legend Allan Browne and a seven piece ensemble. The work was recorded for radio, and its musical intention was to fuse elements of traditional jazz, Australian jazz history, and modern harmony and concepts.
Later that year Matthew flew to Sydney to record the CD 'On The Edge' with James Morrison at the Opera House. In 2004 the band toured Australia to launch the album, as well as a tour through Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the Czeck Republic. In 2006 the group returned Europe, this time visiting Sweden, London, Russia, Austria and Germany.
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In 2004 Matthew recorded his debut album, 'Blues In The Night' featuring Joe Chindamo, Sam Anning, Ben Vanderwal, Carl Mackey and James Morrison. He subsequently launched the album between February and March 2006 in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The touring group consisted of Joe Chindamo, Sam Anning, and Felix Bloxson, and also featured guest appearances by Jamie Oehlers in Melbourne and Brisbane, Carl Mackey in Perth, and James Morrison in Sydney.
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In August 2005 Matthew performed at the Melbourne International Brass Festival as soloist with the Darryl McKenzie Jazz Orchestra alongside Bill Watrous and James Morrison, as well as guest soloist with the Joe Chindamo trio.
Between 2006 and 2007 performances included Bob Barnard's Jazz Party, the Melbourne International Jazz Festival alongside Joe Chindamo, Graeme Lyall, and Doug DeVries, a fourth James Morrison 'On The Edge' tour to Europe, a tour and recording as guest soloist with the Sydney based 'Jazzgroove Mothership' orchestra, and an ABC recording with the Perth experimental trio, 'Trunk'.
In 2008, Matthew travelled to New York where he recorded an album with Dale Barlow, as well as completing his Master of Music degree at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music. He has performed in many of the world's most famous jazz clubs in New York City including the Blue Note, Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, Smoke Jazz Club, Smalls, and the Iridium Jazz Club.
This year Matthew lead a concert at the Blue Note in NYC to celebrate the music of Freddie Hubbard, featuring the legendary saxophonist / flautist James Spaulding. He also toured Europe with Paul Anka and performed on Broadway with the show 'Hair'.
So far Matthew has performed with names such as --
Benny Golson, Frank Foster, Branford Marsalis, Carl Allen, Terri-Lyn Carrington, James Williams, James Morrison, Josh Roseman, Bill Watrous, Gary Bartz, James Spaulding, Terence Blanchard, Rodney Jones, Terell Stafford, Ingrid Jensen, Graeme Lyall, Don Burrows, Joe Chindamo, Tony Gould, Bernie McGann, John Pochee and Allan Browne.
He has recorded on numerous albums including --
Blues In The Night (2004); Dream Wheel, Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra (2007); Re-Turning Point, Sam Anning (2006); Live & Swingin', Danny Moss Quartet - DVD (2006); On The G Train, Graham Wood (2008); Jazz Juice, Graham Wood (2006); Live At The Jazz Room, Danny Moss Quartet (2005); Glyn MacDonald Trio, Glyn MacDonald (2004); On The Edge, James Morrison (2003); Adapt, Salamander (2002); Billie Holiday Music Story (2001); as well as ABC broadcasts with Speedball, Dr. Jazz and his own Quartet.
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