Home » Jazz Musicians » Mathew Karrakas

Mathew Karrakas

Matt 'Patch' Karrakas was born in Chicago, Illinois US in 1949 to a Russian mother who had escaped the Stalinist purges of the 30's, and a cuban exile father who was a leading light in the jazz movement of the late 20's.

He suffered at school from the then unrecognized condition of dyslexia, in later interviews revealing how he was subjected to taunts and bullying by fellow pupils.

He retreated into music as a way of coping starting on piano, then upright bass guitar which was to become his instrument for life, although he has been known to play piano, guitar and occasionally banjo ( learnt from a next door neighbour) on stage. He had no siblings, it seems his mother was not taken with motherhood. Perhaps this is why he has never married and has no children.

The family moved to Euclid, Ohio in 1964 when Matt was 15, they had lived there only nine months when tragedy struck in the form of the Palm sunday tornado outbreak that devastated the region resulting in 271 deaths that included his parents who were crushed under the weight of the collapsing roof of their modest home. Matt survived by chance sheltering in a doorway but sustained an injury to his right eye. After basic attempts were made to save his sight, Matt was forced to accept that he would never see out of the eye again and under direction of the doctors of the time, wore an eye patch which he has since adopted. It has become synonymous with him and his appearance hence the nick name 'patch' When he and his band 'the Jazz brigade' tour no show is complete without his opening line; 'you're on my patch now...'

Karrakas has never courted the limelight, and has shied away from the mainstream instead favouring a solitary and nomadic life style that has reportedly seen him move all over the world in search of what he calls 'the perfect jam' (sic) He has toured constantly largely performing in the underground Jazz circuit, although he has been known to turn up on Jazz festival stages especially in France where he lived for sometime in the 1990's.

He has only recorded one studio record 'Blinded by a light' which appeared on the now defunct US Jazz label REELTONE that was active in the mid - late 1970's. The record was said to feature many of the greats of jazz at the time although no record exist of exactly who. The record is deleted and no known master tapes exists despite the best efforts of fans and aficionados to track them down. Where it was recorded also remains a mystery, although it is likely to have been 'Backstreet 101 studios' in Dayton Ohio (closed 1988).

Read more

Tags

Photos

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.