Matt Bauder is a distinguished saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader and side-man. Critics say he “has a gift for isolating a musical language, mastering it and then introducing a personalizing twist” (Downbeat, 2011). His “strategic output combines ferocious improvisational activities that rattle the senses with compositions and movements that could soothe the savage beast” (All About Jazz, 2014).
Bauder currently leads Day in Pictures and Hearing Things. The former is a classic jazz quintet; the latter is a foot-stomping organ trio. As a sideman, he thrives in many musical worlds from Arcade Fire, Iron & Wine and the Sway Machinery to Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra and Harris Eisenstadt’s Canada Day Quintet. He has collaborated for more than a decade with Aaron Siegel and Zach Wallace, making three albums of improvised soundscapes as Memorize the Sky. Bauder’s many collaborations with multidisciplinary artist Aki Sasamoto have been presented at The Whitney, The Kitchen and The Chocolate Factory Theater.
Bauder’s roots are in Jazz, nurtured in college by the tutelage of Detroit bebop guru Donald Walden. However further studies in experimental composition and sound installation with Anthony Braxton, Alvin Lucier and Ron Quivila set the stage for his evolving artistic fervor.
While a member of Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra he played alongside some of avant garde Jazz’s most legendary figures including Bill Dixon, Roscoe Mitchell, and Fred Anderson. In his 10 plus years in Brooklyn he has performed with a cross section of forward-thinking peers, and has toured throughout North and South America, Europe, The Middle East and Asia.
Recent awards include a 2014 Downbeat’s Critic’s poll entry for rising star saxophonist and a 2011 Music OMI musician residency. His recorded output as a leader/collaborator has been thoughtfully curated and has received near unanimous critical praise. As a sideman his discography is diverse and expansive.