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Matt Slocum

Described by JazzTimes as “a tastefully polyrhythmic drummer with a penchant for melodicism on the kit," Matt Slocum has also earned a reputation as an inventive and lyrical composer. He is the recipient of composition grants and commissions from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, the American Music Center, New Music USA, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Puffin Foundation and Meet the Composer. Frequently referred to as a "musical" drummer, Slocum possesses a distinctive voice on the instrument and is a propulsive, melodic and dynamic accompanist and soloist. He has toured throughout North America, Europe and Asia and has performed and/or recorded with artists such as Steve Cardenas, Gerald Clayton, Taylor Eigsti, Aaron Goldberg, Larry Grenadier, Jon Irabagon, Lage Lund, Linda Oh, Jerome Sabbagh, Jaleel Shaw, Walter Smith III, Dayna Stephens, Anthony Wilson, Ben Wendel, Sam Yahel and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota and raised in western Wisconsin, Slocum began musical studies on piano before switching to percussion at age 11. While in high school he was introduced to jazz through recordings featuring Max Roach and Philly Joe Jones. He received a full scholarship to attend the University of Southern California where he studied with Peter Erskine. After graduating in 2004, Slocum spent three years in California before making the move to New York in fall 2007. His debut recording Portraits was released in January 2010. The New York City Jazz Record raved, "With this excellent premiere, Slocum steps out of the box as the full package." After the Storm, a more introspective trio recording, was released in October 2011 and was one of 15 recordings by American composers to receive a New Music USA recording grant in 2011. Slocum’s third recording, Black Elk’s Dream (2014), is primarily a quartet session that the Minneapolis City Pages describes as, “A sublime interpretation of the visionary Oglala Lakota leader's philosophy, life and times, the melodic sophistication of Slocum's compositions wonderfully realized by his lithe, restless percussion.” Trio Pacific Vol. 1, a 2016 saxophone/guitar/drums trio date featuring Dayna Stephens and Steve Cardenas, was well-received by listeners and critics alike. Slocum's upcoming piano trio recording Sanctuary will be released on Sunnyside Records in May 2019.

Gear

Canopus Drums, Istanbul Agop Cymbals, Evans Drumheads.


Tags

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Radio & Podcasts

New Sounds from Slocum, Hill and Oveido

Read "New Sounds from Slocum, Hill and Oveido" reviewed by Bob Osborne


Featured on this week's show are new albums from Matt Slocum, Marquis Hill, Ariel Invernizzi Oviedo, Fishblot, Amos Gillespie, Avishai Cohen, and Jorge Garcia. There is also a track from improvisation “super-group" John Dikeman, Pat Thomas, John Edwards, and Steve Noble. Also included are archive choices from Stan Sulzmann and Tony Hymas, Joanne Brackeen and Mary Halvorson. Playlist Show Intro 0:00 Matt Slocum “An Evolving Alliance" from With Love And Sadness (Sunnyside Records) 00:53 Marquis Hill “A Portrait ...

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Album Review

Matt Slocum: Trio Pacific, vol. 1

Read "Trio Pacific, vol. 1" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi


"In queste session--dice Matt Slocum--ero interessato a sviluppare una struttura compositiva più aperta, pensata per l'approccio estetico del trio. Questa formazione sembra adattarsi meglio all'interazione collettiva che all'affermazione di lunghi assoli individuali. È ancora un formato relativamente nuovo, essendo appena un anno che suoniamo in trio ma sento un'intensa connessione musicale, la più forte mai provata." Dopo l'impressionante debutto del 2009 col pianista Gerald Clayton e il bassista Massimo Biolcati (Portraits, Chandra Records), la riconferma d'organico in After ...

1
Album Review

Matt Slocum: Black Elk's Dream

Read "Black Elk's Dream" reviewed by Maurizio Zerbo


In Italia lo si conosce con il nome di Alce Nero, celeberrimo capo militare e religioso degli indiani sioux. A lui è dedicato questo ambizioso CD, votato alla traduzione musicale della spiritualità degli indiani d'America. Vi predomina un'aura malinconica e riflessiva che attualizza l'eredità coltraniana lungo un tappeto sonoro circolare, sempre in mutazione. Le dodici parti della suite mettono in mostra una cifra priva di un unico baricentro, che accoglie melodie liriche all'interno di un percorso ritmico assai frastagliato.

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Album Review

Matt Slocum: Black Elk's Dream

Read "Black Elk's Dream" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky


Musicians always aim to tell a story with their music, but drummer Matt Slocum goes one better on Black Elk Speaks: Slocum uses a story--an entire individual's history, in fact--to shape his own telling of musical tales. On his third release, following Portraits (Chandra Records, 2009) and After The Storm (Chandra Records, 2011), Slocum digs deep into the history of Black Elk, the famed Oglala Lakota medicine man who was immortalized on paper when John G. Neihardt ...

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Live Review

Matt Slocum Trio Live At The Saville Theater

Read "Matt Slocum Trio Live At The Saville Theater" reviewed by Robert Bush


Matt Slocum Trio Saville Theater, San Diego City College San Diego, CA August 10, 2010 Matt Slocum is a promising young drummer/composer who appears to be going places in jazz. A graduate of the prestigious Thornton School Of Music at USC, where he studied with Peter Erskine, (Weather Report, Stan Kenton), and Alan Pasqua, he has already performed with none other than Wynton Marsalis. Slocum resides in New Jersey and is working in New ...

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Take Five With...

Take Five With Matt Slocum

Read "Take Five With Matt Slocum" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Meet Matt Slocum:“Matt Slocum's multicolored traps--at times forceful or delicate, creatively painting varied tempos with the essence of swing--define the drummer's debut, Portraits. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, Slocum's introduction carries forward the torch of patriarchs Max Roach and Elvin Jones amongst others, but he also carves out his own rhythmic patterns with young contemporaries such as Eric Harland and Johnathan Blake. Present day jazz is clearly not stagnate in the very good hands (and sticks) of Matt ...

242
Album Review

Matt Slocum: Portraits

Read "Portraits" reviewed by Mark F. Turner


Matt Slocum's multicolored traps--at times forceful or delicate, creatively painting varied tempos with the essence of swing--define the drummer's debut, Portraits. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, Slocum's introduction carries forward the torch of patriarchs Max Roach and Elvin Jones amongst others, but he also carves out his own rhythmic patterns with young contemporaries such as Eric Harland and Johnathan Blake.

Slocum is joined by equally distinguished peers: award-winning pianist Gerald Clayton, whose own debut, Two-Shade (ArtistShare, 2009), was ...

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Recording

Matt Slocum Presents "Trio Pacific, Vol. 1" Featuring Dayna Stephens, Steve Cardenas, and Matt Slocum

Matt Slocum Presents "Trio Pacific, Vol. 1" Featuring Dayna Stephens, Steve Cardenas, and Matt Slocum

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity

Available October 7, 2016 on Chandra Records U.S. Tour Dates: October 18 through November 9 “Slocum served the music with a focus on dynamic micro-detail, which in turn allowed his musicians to say even more. It’s a cerebral concept, one that comes to fruition on Black Elk’s Dream… Like Wayne Shorter’s classic Blue Note albums, Black Elk’s Dream seems to ask questions, leaving the answers open to individual interpretation.”—DownBeat Magazine “Matt Slocum has emerged as one of the ...

Recording

Matt Slocum, Black Elk's Dream Available April 1, 2014 On Chandra Records Featuring Walter Smith III, Dayna Stephens, Gerald Clayton And Massimo Biolcati

Matt Slocum, Black Elk's Dream Available April 1, 2014 On Chandra Records Featuring Walter Smith III, Dayna Stephens, Gerald Clayton And Massimo Biolcati

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity

US Tour April 3-10, NYC record release performance: April 24 at The Kitano Black Elk's Dream, drummer/composer Matt Slocum's most adventurous and visceral recording to date, features eleven new original works as well as Pat Metheny's “Is This America?". Inspired by the visionary Native American leader Black Elk and the book Black Elk Speaks, Slocum composed and arranged the project for an innovative cast of longtime friends and creative associates including saxophonists Walter Smith III & Dayna Stephens, pianist Gerald ...

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Event

LAJC Artist Beat: Matt Slocum Trio CD Release @ Blue Whale, Los Angeles, CA, Thursday 10/13

LAJC Artist Beat: Matt Slocum Trio CD Release @ Blue Whale, Los Angeles, CA, Thursday 10/13

Source: Los Angeles Jazz Collective

New York drummer and former Angelino Matt Slocum moved to New York in 2007, three years after graduating from USC, where he studied with Peter Erskine among others, and the influence of his former mentor can be heard throughout Slocum's latest offering, After the Storm. À la Erskine, Matt's playing has elements that link traditional jazz drumming with what approaches symphonic percussion techniques, with precise and clean strokes, thematic organization of sound and texture, and an reactive ability to seamlessly ...

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Performance / Tour

NYC Drummer/Composer, USC Alumnus Matt Slocum Announces West Coast Tour - March 11-15

NYC Drummer/Composer, USC Alumnus Matt Slocum Announces West Coast Tour - March 11-15

Source: Jason Byrne, Red Cat Publicity

NYC Drummer/Composer, USC Alumnus MATT SLOCUM Announces West Coast Tour - March 11-15. Featuring Josh Nelson (Seamus Blake, Matt Wilson, Natalie Cole) & Massimo Biolcati (Ravi Coltrane, Lionel Loueke, Terence Blanchard). In celebration of Slocum's debut CD, PORTRAITS - Available NOW! “Very impressive . . . A smoking drummer with plenty of taste . . . Highly recommended." - Brick Wahl, LA Weekly“It's a thrill to hear Matt's creativity, artistic diversity and sound statements on this wonderful outing ...

“Slocum is not just a tasteful polyrhythmic drummer, whose subtle use of brushes and mallets brings shading and colour to his playing and who swings whatever the tempo, but also a composer of considerable promise… A debut album of great distinction. You’ll hear new subtleties every time. Thoroughly recommended.” Four stars -Jazzwise UK (March 2010)

"One of his generation's most highly regarded drummers ... Matt Slocum is more than a rising star drummer—he is a composer of startling melodic sophistication." -Andrea Canter, JazzPolice (February 2010)

"Matt Slocum's multicolored traps-at times forceful or delicate, creatively painting varied tempos with the essence of swing�"define the drummer's debut, Portraits. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, Slocum's introduction carries forward the torch of patriarchs Max Roach and Elvin Jones amongst others, but he also carves out his own rhythmic patterns with young contemporaries such as Eric Harland and Johnathan Blake... Present day jazz is clearly not stagnate in the very good hands (and sticks) of Matt Slocum-a young drummer who plays with empathy and verve." -Mark F. Turner, All About Jazz (March 2010)

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Primary Instrument

Drums

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Sanctuary

Sunnyside Records
2019

buy

Trio Pacific, vol. 1

Chandra Records
2017

buy

Trio Pacific, Vol. 1

Chandra Records
2016

buy

Black Elk's Dream

Chandra Records
2014

buy

Portraits

Chandra Records
2010

buy

Ghost Dance

From: Black Elk's Dream
By Matt Slocum

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