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When we think of drummers, we often think of a musician in the background, but MATT KANE is at a point in his career where he takes charge from behind the drums, as a jazz artist, composer, and bandleader. His fourth album, The Other Side of the Story—the first with entirely original compositions—was just released. This from a guy who grew up surrounded by corn fields in Hannibal, Missouri, idolized Tom Sawyer, and played his first gig as a teen aboard a riverboat on the Mississippi.
Kane graduated from high school on a Friday and had hightailed it to Kansas City by Monday with a scholarship to the UMKC Conservatory of Music. As a freshman he had a gig five nights a week with Blues vocalist Lori Tucker. He tenaciously climbed the ladder in KC, performing with The McFadden Brothers, Ida McBeth and finally landing the drum chair in the legendary Ahmad Alaadeen's group. After eight years cutting his teeth in a large town and performing with nearly everyone in the local jazz scene, he headed for an even bigger place. In New York City—where his heroes had walked the streets—he scrapped and scraped his way into another respectable scene as a tenacious musician. Of his music, Kane says he’s “not looking to take people back to the 1950s or to play music they’ve heard before.” Rather, he tries to represent the time he lives in, with influences including not only American Jazz icons Herbie Hancock and Pat Metheny, but also hip-hop pioneers Rakim and Tribe called Quest, Brazilian masters Milton Nascimento and Toninho Horta, R&B great Stevie Wonder, and African trailblazer Fela Kuti. Kane will also tell you that he plays with a purpose: connection. I want people to feel the rhythm in their bodies. He believes that playing with other musicians creates an energy that is not about one, but all—and that energy extends to the audience. That connection is what it’s about. The latest album, The Other Side of the Story, contains a wide swath of rhythm, not just the traditional jazz rhythm folks are used to. Kane also talks about “the geography of sound”, referring to how the songs echo a number of places he’s lived and been—including Hannibal, Kansas City, the Ozarks, Eureka Springs, and, of course, NYC—and how his experiences in those places mark his evolution. Other career highlights for Kane have included a previous album, Suit Up!, featuring Dave Stryker and Kyle Koehler, being chosen as one of the top 50 jazz recordings of 2013 by JazzTimes magazine and featured on XM Radio; recording an album as a sideman in Kansas City with saxophone player Ahmad Alaadeen; playing with Brazilian master Jovino Santos Neto in NYC; and recording Destiny with bassist Steve LaSpina for the SteepleChase label. Also a 20 year collaboration with Sasha Dobson continues to grow as Kane has recently joined Dobson and bassist Tony Scherr at Birdland and other NYC venues. Through his School of Drumming, Kane is also an educator and has mentored several graduating students into college music programs. He also has a side passion for jump rope and cycling and has recorded an album called Progressive Jump Rope Beats for fellow enthusiasts. The journey from Hannibal, MO to Kansas City, to New York City has made Kane who he is, yet he still owns his Midwest roots. "There's a lot of space out there in the Midwest; cornfields, plains, the Ozarks, rivers and lakes. All of that stays with you. I grew up on the Mississippi River, it's a major part of who I am. It's something that keeps moving, yet it's always there. That's who I am." You can buy Kane’s music on iTunes and CD Baby, as well as at www.mattkanemusic.com, where you can also learn more. |
Photo by Chris Drukker
Latest Release on Bounce-Step Records
THE MATT KANE SCHOOL OF DRUMMING: DAY FOR DRUMMERS 2022
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