Matt Bauder (born 1976) is an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. He is the bandleader of the jazz trio Hearing Things, the jazz quintet Day in Pictures, and the modern doo-wop group White Blue Yellow & Clouds. He is a member of the long-form improvisation trio Memorize the Sky, jazz collective Ghost Train Orchestra, and was formerly a member of the touring lineups for Arcade Fire and Iron & Wine.
Early life and education Bauder was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan."Listed: Matt Bauder + Unnatural Helpers," Dusted, 2010. He attended the University of North Texas in Denton, and earned a bachelor of fine arts in jazz and contemporary improvisation at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor."AMN Interview: Matt Bauder," Avant Music News, February 19, 2014. He lived in Chicago from 1999 to 2001, where he was a part of the city's modern jazz and improvised music scene,Peter Margasak, "Matt Bauder's ever-evolving sound," Chicago Reader, March 21, 2014. and then attended graduate school at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut.Peter Margasak, "Another side of Matt Bauder," Chicago Reader, January 31, 2008. There he studied under Anthony Braxton and received a master's degree in composition. He lived in Berlin for a year, and moved to New York City in 2005."In Studio: Matt Bauder," Soundcheck, WNYC, January 20, 2011.
Career In 2003, Bauder released his debut album, Weary Already of the Way, on .Aaron Steinberg, "Countercurrents," JazzTimes, March 2004, p. 92. He followed that up in 2007 with the first album from his long-form improvisational jazz trio Memorize the Sky, featuring Bauder on saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet and percussion, Zach Wallace on bass, vibraphone and percussion, and Aaron Siegel on drums and percussion.Jim Santella, "Memorize The Sky: Memorize The Sky," All About Jazz, June 14, 2007. Bauder released two more albums with Memorize the Sky, in 2008 and 2010.Troy Collins, "Matt Bauder: Day In Pictures," All About Jazz, January 5, 2011.
Bauder is the bandleader and plays saxophone and guitar in the jazz trio Hearing Things, with JP Schlegelmilch on organ and Vinnie Sperrazza on drums.Aarik Danielsen, [http://www.columbiatribune.com/63678b1b-a0da-566f-a177-e533dcb6abaa.html "Three's company: NYC band breathes fresh life into the organ trio," Columbia Daily Tribune, March 3, 2016.
In 2001, Bauder formed the doo-wop jazz group White Blue Yellow & Clouds.Bruce Scott, "Introducing… White, Blue, Yellow, & Clouds," Prefix, November 6, 2007. He plays saxophone and guitar in the group, and also sings lead vocals on some of the songs. They released Introducing White Blue Yellow & Clouds in 2007.Peter Margasak, "Short Takes on New Releases," Chicago Reader, January 31, 2008. The album features trumpeter Peter Evans, bassist Jason Ajemian, Fred Thomas (of Saturday Looks Good to Me) and sound artist Dan St. Clair. On the album, the band mashes up '50s doo-wop, '60s soul and California pop music with avant-garde flourishes, and includes covers of "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys, "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" by The Flamingos and "Hushabye" by The Mystics.
Bauder has released two albums with his Brooklyn-based jazz quintet Day in Pictures on Clean Feed Records, the 2010 self-titled debut and 2014's Nightshades, with trumpeter Nate Wooley, pianist Kris Davis, bassist Jason Ajemian and drummer Tomas Fujiwara."Matt Bauder and Day In Pictures: Nightshades," Down Beat, May 2014, p. 51. Bauder played tenor saxophone and composed the songs on both albums.Cisco Bradley, "Nightshades (2014)," Jazz Right Now, March 24, 2014.
In 2014, he joined the Arcade Fire's touring lineup, remaining with the band until 2016.Arcade Fire, Consequence of Sound. Accessed June 2, 2017. He played saxophone and clarinet on two tracks on Arcade Fire member Will Butler's 2015 debut album Policy.Mike Greenhaus, "Spotlight: Will Butler," Relix, May 4, 2015.Brennan Carley, [http://www.spin.com/2015/03/will-butler-policy/ "Review: Will Butler's Wonky, Tightly Wound 'Policy'," Spin, March 10, 2015. He has also toured with Iron & Wine, played in the Broadway production of Fela! and collaborated on numerous projects with performance artist Aki Sasamoto, including the 2012 installation Centripetal Run, for which Bauder played saxophone, drums and guitar, sometimes simultaneously.Brian Seibert, "Finding Connections Among Melting Ice, Doughnuts," New York Times, November 30, 2012. Bauder regularly performs with Harris Eisenstadt's quintet Canada Day,Nate Chinen, "A Melting Pot of All Kinds of Rhythms, Harmonies and Vamps," New York Times, November 30, 2010. and has also appeared on recordings by the Exploding Star Orchestra, Taylor Ho Bynum, Anthony Braxton, Rob Mazurek and Harris Eisenstadt.
Discography Albums YearTitle2003Weary Already of the Way By: Matt Bauder Released: October 28, 2003 Label: 482 Music Formats: CD, digital download2007Memorize the Sky By: Memorize the Sky Released: May 8, 2007 Label: 482 Music Formats: CD, digital download2007Introducing White Blue Yellow & Clouds By: White Blue Yellow & Clouds Released: November 6, 2007 Label: I and Ear Records Formats: CD2008In Former Times By: Memorize the Sky Released: November 11, 2008 Label: Clean Feed Records Formats: CD, digital download2010Paper Gardens By: Matt Bauder Released: May 18, 2010 Label: Porter Records Formats: CD, digital download2010Day in Pictures By: Matt Bauder and Day in Pictures Released: November 8, 2010 Label: Clean Feed Records Formats: CD, digital download2010Creeks By: Memorize the Sky Released: December 4, 2010 Label: Broken Research Formats: LP, CD, digital download2014Nightshades By: Matt Bauder and Day in Pictures Released: January 21, 2014 Label: Clean Feed Records Formats: CD, digital download
Extended plays YearTitle2003Object 3 By: Matt Bauder Released: August 19, 2003 Label: Locust Formats: CD
Singles YearTitle2015"Stalefish / Transit of Venus" By: Hearing Things Released: March 1, 2015 Label: Hawks Records Formats: 7-inch
Appears on Year Album Artist Credits1999 Explosion: Cerebral Explosion: Cerebral Saxophone, composer2000 Childish Delusions Bill Brovoid Saxophone2001 Tramps, Traitors and Little Devils Drag City Supersession Strings, reeds H.O.M.E.S., Vol. 1 The Original Brothers and Sisters of Love Clarinet, saxophone2002 When Flowers Covered the Earth Warren Defever Saxophone The Big Bang King Kong Saxophone Last Night His Name Is Alive Saxophone2003 The Howling Hex Neil Michael Hagerty Saxophone All Your Summer Songs Saturday Looks Good to Me Saxophone2005 2 + 2 Compositions Anthony Braxton Clarinet, saxophone, composer2006 Fugitive Pieces Reuben Radding Clarinet, saxophone Continuum Reminder Clarinet2007We Are All From Somewhere ElseExploding Star OrchestraClarinet, saxophone The Middle PictureTaylor Ho BynumClarinet, saxophone 2008Bill Dixon with Exploding Star OrchestraBill Dixon, Exploding Star OrchestraClarinet, saxophone Six Lines of Transformation; Music for Eight Bamboo FlutesAndrew Raffo DewarClarinet2009Running With the WastersThe Takeover UKSaxophone LuminosityMatthew WelchClarinetGarabatos Volume OnePositive CatastropheClarinet, saxophoneCanada DayHarris EisenstadtSaxophoneAsphalt Flowers Forking PathsTaylor Ho BynumClarinet, saxophone2010Stars Have ShapesExploding Star OrchestraClarinet, saxophoneAshcan RantingsAdam Lane's Full Throttle OrchestraSaxophone2011The House of Friendly Ghosts, Vol. IThe Sway MachinerySaxophoneHothouse StompGhost Train OrchestraSaxophoneStaring at the XForest FireSaxophonePeople ChangeNat BaldwinClarinetCanada Day IIHarris EisenstadtSaxophone2012Dibrujo, Dibrujo, Dibrujo…Positive CatastropheSaxophone2013Dome Branches: The MVP DemosNat BaldwinClarinetTrue HallucinationsEx CopsSaxophoneB-RoomDr. DogSaxophone2014Live in LjubljanaAdam Lane's Full Throttle OrchestraSaxophone2015The Gravity of Our CommitmentNever Enough HopeSaxophonePolicyWill ButlerClarinet, saxophoneHow You Look When You're Falling DownBirthmarkClarinet, saxophoneCanada Day IVHarris EisenstadtSaxophone2016Sorrow: A Reimagining of Gorecki's 3rd SymphonyColin StetsonSaxophone Life's a Real DreamLard Dog & The Band of ShySaxophone, vocalsMatter Anti-MatterExploding Star OrchestraSaxophoneEnter the PlustetTaylor Ho BynumSaxophone2017On Parade in ParedeHarris EisenstadtSaxophone
References