Matthew Whitaker On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute

June 13, 2024

Matthew Whitaker

On Their Shoulders: An Organ Tribute

MOCAT

If you’ve ever attended a Matthew Whitaker show, you know that the young pianist/organist/drummer Matthew Whitaker has a more than engaging rapport with his audience. They are often on their feet dancing from his first few notes. Whitaker is still only 23 years old and has already appeared on 60 Minutes and the Today show. He’s a festival favorite and has worked with Roy Ayers, NEA Jazz Master Regina Carter, James Carter and more. In the mold of a child prodigy, like Stevie Wonder and Billy Preston before him, though not yet a household name, his trajectory is steep to say the least. One of the most memorable moments of his life occurred when he won first place in the Child Stars of Tomorrow Competition at the Apollo Theater, also when he was just nine years old. This is Whitaker’s fourth release as a leader, with Connections (2021), produced by bassist Derrick Hodge, which features a duet with Jon Batiste, Now Hear This (2019), produced by Grammy-winning producer Brian Bacchus, and his debut, Outta The Box (2017) with Christian McBride and guitarist Dave Stryker. Those records featured Whitaker’s take on compositions by Chick Corea and Ahmad Jamal, as well as his own songs. This is a large ensemble project for the most part as Whitaker is one of twelve musicians in the credits along with Kenny Vaughan on vocal interpretation and guest New Hope Baptist Church. See full personnel below.

Whitaker is wise enough to acknowledge tradition and one gets the feeling that this is a necessary step before venturing further on his own path. He does offer two of his originals, mostly of the jam variety akin to his live shows but the bulk of the repertoire honors the B-3 pioneers Jimmy Smith, Charles Earland, Dr. Lonnie Smith, gospel organist Elbernita “Twinkie” Clarke of The Clarke Sisters, and recent great, the late Joey DeFrancesco. He listened to all of them growing up and was privileged to have met and seen live Smith, Clarke, and DeFrancesco.

The album kicks off with Smith’s “The Organ Grinder’s Swing,” a brassy septet rendering, with in-the-pocket grooving rhythm punctuated by alternately soaring and crunchy B-3 and searing guitar solo from Marcus Robinson with the vocal interpretation from Kenny Vaughan. Earland’s “Happy Cause I’m Going Home” has Whitaker wildly attacking the B-3 at the outset, complementing that sound with auxiliary keys as the full ensemble launches a blaring wall of sound behind him, imbued by a slew of solos from both trumpeters David Sneider and Summer Cammargo, flutist Antonina Styczen, and trombonist Ilai MacAggi, brought to a volcanic finale. Whitaker’s Latin tinged “Yessaah” is an in-studio jam highlighted by bubbling percussion from Ivan Llanes Montejo and the maestro’s funky B-3.

Dr. Lonnie Smith’s “Pilgrimage” is the lone quartet rendering as Whitaker is accompanied by guitarist Robinson, percussionist Montejo, and drummer Johnny Steele in Whitaker’s arrangement that doesn’t stray far from the original. This one is especially meaningful to Whitaker as he says, “…every time I’d go see him live, he would always play ‘Pilgrimage,’ and he would always invite me on stage to play it as well.” In a similar way, Whitaker claims that DeFrancesco’s wife suggested that he record “In the Key of the Universe,” which as most will recall featured Pharoah Sanders on the original. Introduced by Whitaker’s crashing cymbals, amidst the full ensemble, Griffin Ross takes the tenor solo.

Clarke’s gospel tune “Expect Your Miracle’ was inspired by Whitaker witnessing her live show where she played the tune in January 2023. Although the musicians comprise a quintet with electric bassist Daniel Winshall joining the aforementioned quartet, the New Hope Baptist Church aggregation gives it the large ensemble feel with their stomps, claps, and praise. Yes, we are fully placed in the Black Church here. Whitaker’s original, the closing Afrofuturist, hip-hop-pulsed, “Don’t Count Me Out” is the lone contemporary sounding tune, serving perhaps as a harbinger of what’s to come on future releases although Whitaker claims to have piano and drum tributes in his bag as well. His talent is limitless, rather scary considering that he’s still only 23 years old.

.Personnel: Whitaker – Organ, piano, auxiliary keys, cymbals, Marcus Robinson – guitar, Daniel Winshall – electric bass, Johnny Steele -drums, Ivan Llanes Montejo – percussion, David Sneider -trumpet, Summer Cammargo– trumpet Ian Munoz – alto saxophone, Sergio Tabanico – tenor saxophone, Griffin Ross – tenor saxophone, Adam Stein – baritone saxophone, Ilai MacAggi -trombone, Antonina Styczen – flute

More on Matthew Whitaker

Whitaker’s many awards and citations include the “Outstanding Soloist Award” from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Charles Mingus and Essentially Ellington High School Competitions and Festivals. In 2019, he won The Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award for his composition “Emotions!” Whitaker studied at The Harlem School of the Arts, is an alumnus of the Filomen M. D’Agostino Greenberg Music School in New York City, and is a 2023 graduate of Juilliard, majoring in Jazz Piano.

Whitaker starred, produced, and scored the All Arts Emmy-nominated short documentary, “Matthew Whitaker: About Tomorrow,” and he also wrote the score for the motion picture short, “Starkeisha,” for ESPN’s Landscape platform; currently streaming on HULU. He was also cast in “The Greatest,” an Emmy-nominated Apple commercial highlighting the company’s accessibility features, which help people with disabilities solve everyday challenges. Whitaker served as musical director for “Billy Strayhorn: Something To Live For,” a musical about composer/arranger Billy Strayhorn, which debuted in Pittsburgh. Whitaker also appeared as a guest soloist for the Aspen Chamber Symphony, the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, and he composed a song for the 82-piece Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Jim Hynes

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