Matthew Whitaker: A Performance and Demonstration

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MATTHEW WHITAKER A PERFORMANCE AND DEMONSTRATION

A

t age 14, jazz, gospel, and R&B keyboardist Matthew Whitaker is not your typical teenager.

Whitaker, who happens to be blind, is quickly becoming one of the most promising young talents in jazz music today.

Jazz is a form of music through which an artist’s individual style clearly emerges, and Matthew Whitaker’s work is a good example. Get to know his unique sound during this special performance/demonstration.

ABOUT MATTHEW WHITAKER: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW Whitaker’s passion for music began very early. He started playing electric keyboard at age three, and taught himself to play the B-3 organ at age nine. n

He currently attends the Lighthouse Music School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in New York City where he studies classical piano and drums. He also attends The Harlem School of the Arts where he studies jazz styles for the piano. n

In 2010, Whitaker won the “Amateur Night at the Apollo Child Stars of Tomorrow” competition. Since then, thanks to his love for music, his enthusiasm, and his extraordinary talent and skill, Whitaker has gone on to win numerous awards and to perform on stages all over the world. n

As an aspiring composer, Whitaker has written several songs. His long list of diverse artistic influences include classical composer Johann Sebastian Bach, jazz legend Thelonious Monk, and American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder. n

© Isabelle Delfourne

JAZZ: AN EVOLVING ART FORM Jazz is a truly American musical form— and many people consider it one of America’s best contributions to the world of music. Jazz first emerged about 100 years ago in the American South, most distinctly in New Orleans, Louisiana. This seaport city served as home to people of African, French, English, Caribbean, and other backgrounds. It also became a melting pot for music from these many traditions. African American musicians fused elements of ragtime, blues, classical, and big brass band sounds to create this distinct new type of music.

After the first jazz recordings were made in 1917, jazz spread across the nation.

It evolved over decades, helped along by influential musicians. In the 1920s, trumpeter Louis Armstrong introduced improvised solos and Duke Ellington popularized big band jazz; in the 1930s, people began dancing to jazz music, thanks to the upbeat sounds of Benny Goodman’s and Count Basie’s swing music. Charlie Parker’s groundbreaking bebop of the 1940s led to Miles Davis’s complex “cool” style in the 1950s. Jazz moved into the 1960s with pioneers like John Coltrane and his modal jazz; the next decades brought more change—from fusion, which brought together multiple styles, to the neo-classical leanings of Wynton Marsalis and other “young lions.” Jazz continues to evolve today—building on its vast legacy of innovation and experimentation.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM Matthew Whitaker demonstrates his profound ability on the electric keyboard and B-3 organ in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Gallery. Throughout the program, he will perform and discuss a mix of music that showcases his unique style.

He will also be answering questions from the audience, so be sure to have your questions ready for him.

THE JAZZ ORGAN When you think of the organ, jazz music may not immediately come to mind—

especially if you are picturing a full-blown, wind-driven pipe organ. But the pipeless organ? Well, that’s another story. This instrument has played a regular role in jazz music since it was introduced by American inventor Laurens Hammond in 1934.

The pipeless organ provides a more economical, portable method of producing the desirable “big band” sound, and thanks to some notable players and technological advances over the years, the instrument continued to grow in popularity. “Hammonds” are played around the world to this day by jazz, rock, blues, and gospel musicians.

David M. Rubenstein Chairman Deborah F. Rutter President Mario R. Rossero Senior Vice President, Education Jason Moran Artistic Director for Jazz Discovery Artists in the KC Jazz Club are supported by The King-White Family Foundation and Dr. J. Douglas White.

Jazz Performance/Demonstrations are made possible by Kaplan, Inc.; Mr. James V. Kimsey; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education.

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David and Alice Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts.

In 2014, Whitaker was officially endorsed and inducted into the iconic Hammond Organ’s artist roster as the youngest artist ever in the company’s 81-year history.

THE LANGUAGE OF JAZZ Here are some jazz terms Matthew Whitaker would like you to know Articulation Performance techniques used by musicians that determine the style or sound of the music by specifying how individual notes are to be played within a section or entire piece of music Fusion The blending of jazz with other musical styles Improvisation Creating music or song spontaneously, a technique that requires great musical skill and creativity Melody The tune of a piece of music created by a series of notes; most often recognizable as the main tune you hum or sing along with in a musical work

www.artsedge.kennedy-center/org Cuesheets are produced by ArtsEdge, an education program of the Kennedy Center.

Learn more about Education at the Kennedy Center at www.kennedy-center.org/education The contents of this Cuesheet have been developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education but do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education. You should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. © 2016 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

Listen Up! Learn more about jazz and other musical styles on ArtsEdge artsedge.kennedy-center.org/ students/kc-connections