Jazz Night at the Dunaway Center: Saturday May 16, 2015, 8:00 p.m. featuring jazz pianist Matt DeChamplain!

Ogunquit Performing Arts is presenting an evening of jazz featuring Matt DeChamplain, jazz pianist, who will cover the history of jazz piano from ragtime and stride to modern on Saturday May 16, 2015, 8:00 p.m., at the Dunaway Center, 23 School Street, Ogunquit. Tickets are $15 advance, $18 at the door, $5 student.

Matt DeChamplain returns for a solo appearance in Ogunquit following his brilliant performance here in 2013 with the Jason Anick Trio. He is a favorite performer in the jazz clubs of Hartford and Southington, Connecticut, with occasional gigs in Boston and New York.  For his Ogunquit performance Matt will give a history and background of the pieces as he plays them. To get a sneak preview of his jazz performance, go to:  www.mattdechamplain.com.

Matt DeChamplain grew up in Wethersfield, Connecticut and learned about music from his grandparents’ player piano. “I spent hours listening to and studying classic compositions, arrangements and solos by Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, Jelly Roll Morton, and others. These were masterful pianists, composers and arrangers & I was fascinated by their musicality. They laid the foundation for a lifetime of studying stride and jazz piano.”

Matt furthered his education, first attending the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, a performing arts magnet school in Hartford, Connecticut. He went on to get a Bachelor’s Degree from the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz at the Hartt School in 2010 and his Master’s Degree from the University of Toledo in Ohio in 2012. Furthering his knowledge of jazz, he had the privilege of studying under jazz luminaries such as Jimmy Green, Andy LaVerne, Steve Davis, Nat Reeves, Jon Hendricks, Barry Harris, Dr. Billy Taylor, Nathan Davis, and Curtis Fuller.

Matt’s music is rooted in a profound love for the early jazz masters. What makes him unique is his application of early jazz piano devices created by the Ragtime, Blues and Stride musicians as he fuses traditional elements with modern jazz concepts. In 2013, Matt recorded a solo piano album titled “Stride-Bop” that sought to fuse the Harlem stride tradition with swing and bebop language. While maintaining an active performance schedule, Matt continues to teach and compose.

Don’t miss the performance presented by Ogunquit Performing Arts of this exciting jazz pianist Matt DeChamplain at the Dunaway Center, 23 School Street in Ogunquit on Saturday May 16, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 advance, $18 at the door, and $5 for students. Tickets may be purchased at the Dunaway Center, Ogunquit WelcomeCenter, and Ogunquit Camera Shop. Tickets are also available on line at www.ogunquit.org/shop.php.

For more information and a Calendar of additional upcoming events visit us at: www.ogunquitperformingarts.org.