Matthew Stevens is a Toronto-born, New York-based jazz guitarist. He is known to jazz fans as both a stylist and canny soloist. Stevens has worked extensively with trumpeter Christian Scott and Esperanza Spalding and more recently with Terri Lynne Carrington's Social Science band. He also co-leads the group that released In Common offerings with saxophonist Walter Smith III. Stevens has two previous leader dates -- Woodwork and Preverbal. Pittsburgh has no referent in his discography. The guitarist spent part of the COVID-19 lockdown in his wife's hometown of Pittsburgh, practicing on a recently purchased small-body, mahogany Martin 00-17. He was cutting short "starts" -- ideas and sketches that could be refined and expanded later. With assistance from his drummer and producer Eric Doob, he made preliminary versions of some of this material for The Jazz Gallery's virtual "Lockdown Sessions" video series, and a vision began articulating itself. While riding his bike, Stevens fell and broke his elbow. Encouraged by a physical therapist aunt to continue practicing immediately, no matter how difficult, his "starts," became fully realized compositions. Eleven of them appear on the 32-minute Pittsburgh. Stevens recorded them in two live sessions with a pair of Neumann U89 mics.

1		Ambler
2		Purpose of a Machine
3		Buckets
4		Can Am
5		Foreign Ghosts
6		Northern Touch
7		Cocoon
8		Ending Is Beginning
9		Blue Blues
10		Broke
11		Miserere

	Like us on Facebook
	@SoundHound	Follow