| Matthew Fries | |
| Birth Date: | 24 September 1968 |
| Birth Place: | Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania |
| Genre: | jazz |
| Occupation: | jazz pianist, composer, educator, musician |
| Instrument: | piano |
| Years Active: | 1996–present |
| Label: | Concord Records |
| Associated Acts: | TRI-FI, Curtis Stigers |
| Website: | MatthewFries.com |
Matthew Fries (born September 24, 1968) is an American jazz pianist, composer, educator and winner of the 1997 Great American Jazz Piano Competition.
Born into a musical family in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, Matthew Fries began studying piano and music theory under the tutelage of his father John Fries at an early age. John was a piano professor at Susquehanna University from 1966-1996. His mother Harriet was a classical vocalist, choir director and an original member of the Susquehanna Valley Chorale.[1] [2]
Fries received a Bachelor of Music degree from Ithaca College in 1990 and a Master of Music degree from the University of Tennessee in 1993, both in Jazz Studies. His jazz piano teachers include Donald Brown, James Williams, and Mulgrew Miller.[3]
In 1997 Fries won The Great American Jazz Piano Competition in Jacksonville, Florida, which was associated with the Jacksonville Jazz Festival.[4] He placed second in the competition the year before. In 1998 Fries was a finalist and runner-up in the American Pianists Association Jazz Piano Competition.
Fries' debut as a leader, "Song for Today," was released in 2001 and was named a JAZZIZ Magazine Critic's Pick for the year. After moving to New York City, Fries established the collaborative jazz piano trio TRI-FI, which features Phil Palombi on bass and Keith Hall on drums and has released five albums to date. DownBeat gave 2014's "Staring into the Sun" a 4-star review, citing the ensemble's "intimate group interplay."[5]
Fries is known as an accompanist for jazz vocalist Curtis Stigers, with whom he recorded four albums on Concord Records.[6]
He has since performed with a diverse group of musicians including Ann Hampton Callaway, DeeDee Bridgewater, Vincent Herring, Steve Wilson, Dave Samuels, Claudio Roditi, and Terell Stafford.[7]
Fries has performed as both a leader and sideman at notable jazz clubs such as the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City, Smalls Jazz Club, Birdland and Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London.[8]
Fries is currently Assistant Professor of Jazz Piano at Western Michigan University School of Music.