A Few MF Trio Dates in Europe this Summer
I’ve got a couple international gigs with my trio coming up this summer in London and Copenhagen! Please tell your friends.
“Parallel States” Reviewed by the New York City Jazz Record
Donald Elfman at the New York City Jazz Record gave my Parallel States project a very nice review in the June 2016 Issue. “From the first notes of this extraordinary recording, it is clear that the relationship between music and art is what inspired the project. Each of the works by pianist Matthew Fries and […]
“Parallel States” Reviewed by UK Vibe
Mike Gates at UK Vibe gave Parallel States a nice review. “There is some wonderful, lyrical, expressive playing to be enjoyed on ‘Parallel States’… This is music to lose yourself in, with Fries proving just what a consummate performer he is. His tunes are full of joy and wonderment, whilst still retaining a thoughtful, skillful […]
“Parallel States” reviewed by Longplay blog in Poland
Robert Ratajczak posted a nice review of Parallel States on the Polish blog, Longplay. “Wszelkie nawiązania, bądź dostrzegalne w kompozycjach echa, stanowią zaledwie jeden z wielu składników decydujących o ostatecznym kolorycie utworów wypełniających “Parallel States”, płytę wypełnioną muzyką nasyconą ogromem przestrzeni i silnie prowokująca wyobraźnię.”
“Parallel States” Reviewed by Midwest Record
Chris Spector over at the Midwest Record gives Parallel States a short, but enthusiastic review. “…this is one of those sets that raises the bar and sets the gold standard for its genre…”
“Parallel States” Reviewed by MusicZoom in Italy
Vittorio Lo Conte posted a nice review of Parallel States on the Italian MusicZoom website. “Si nota subito la sua enorme preparazione e la capacità di variare, da un brano all’altro, mostrando una cultura enciclopedica su quella che è la storia del piano jazz…”
“Parallel States” Scheduled for June 3rd Release
The release date has been set for my new solo piano project. Parallel States will be available on CD and digital download on June 3, 2016. Look for limited edition vinyl and limited edition prints (cover art painting) coming later this summer. You can preview the music and the artwork right here on my site. […]
Christmas Arrangement Giveaway #5: In the Bleak Midwinter
Ho ho ho! The Christmas arrangement giveaway is back. I’ve got a gentle jazz reharmonization of the beautiful Gustav Holst melody, “In the Bleak Midwinter.” The coda is a haunting, meditative bass and piano figure. Like the other Christmas arrangement giveaways, this one comes from my trio’s fun collection of Christmas music, “A TRI-FI CHRISTMAS.” […]
Parallel States – A collaborative project with my sister
My sister, Loryn Spangler-Jones (visual artist) and I have been collaborating on a new work of art and music. It’s been an exciting process of blurring the lines between visual and aural – where art is created to inspire musical composition and music is composed to inspire a visual image. Join us for Parallel States […]
It’s a Busy Weekend of Gigs in NYC
Life is good when you get to play great music in two of NYC’s premiere jazz clubs – in one weekend. A night of original music with Tim Horner & Time Circle, and the premiere performance/recording of a live radio show for NPR with Ann Hampton Callaway and Steve Tyrell.
In the Studio with Phil Palombi
I’m currently at the beautiful Clubhouse recording studio in Rhinebeck, NY recording with bassist Phil Palombi. It is an album of his original music and the session has been a fantastic creative experience. I’m working with Phil, Keith Hall (drummer with my TRI-FI trio) and Tony Romano (guitar) – and the recording has been a […]
Solo Piano Recording and Art Collaboration
I spent a few afternoons in One Soul Studio this week recording a set of original solo-piano music. It’s a collaboration with my sister, Loryn Spangler-Jones. Loryn is a visual artist and we decided to create a body of work by drawing inspiration from each others’ work – I created music inspired by new pieces […]