Dan Matrazzo

Dr. Dan Matrazzo is a jazz, jam, and fusion American keyboardist and pianist. He is known as an early collaborator of the Aquarium Rescue Unit,^[1] and co-founder of Col. Bruce Hampton and the Fiji Mariners as well as the band Winter (with Jeff Sipe and Steve Vai at Berklee College of Music).^[2]

In addition to his partnership with Col. Bruce Hampton and Steve Vai, Dr. Dan was also a member of Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's blues band,^[3] and Joseph Patrick Moore’s Drum and Bass Society.^[4] His recordings with The Allman Brothers^[5] and Widespread Panic^[6] are available via various sources on the internet, and the album "Timeless," which he recorded with Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, was nominated for a Grammy Award.^[7] Matrazzo's piano can also be found on Brown's album "Real Life."^[8]

Dr. Dan has also played shows and/or tours with James Cotton and Taj Mahal,and has appeared on stage with Russell Malone, Phish, Blues Traveller, John Scofield, Michael Brecker, Les Claypool, Gov’t Mule, Ween, Lowell Fulson, Leftover Salmon, George Porter Jr., Stanton Moore, Blues Traveller, Morphine and many others.^[3] His professional journey began as a teenager playing sold-out arenas with Japanese sensation Char,^[9] and continued to the Berklee College of Music where he met Jeff Sipe and Steve Vai. In 1981 Matrazzo was a part of the album Soundcloud/Pink Cloud on VAP Records with Nobuki Yoshinaga, Masayoshi Kabe, Hisato "Char" Takenaka, and Mari Kaneko.^[10] From there he went on to form several bands with Col. Bruce Hampton and toured the US and Europe with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and numerous other musical outfits, including several appearances at The North Sea Jazz Festival.^[11]

Matrazzo was a member of the band Life Force from 1993-1994^[12] and played the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lilehammer with the group.^[13]

1994 also saw the reunion of Dr. Dan and Char with the Psychedelix concert Performed on March 20 at the SHIBUYA Public Hall TOKYO.^[14]

In 1996 Matrazzo performed with Jimmy Hall of Wet Willie, recording the tracks for his album "Rendezvous With The Blues" on hammond B3.^[15]

Recordings of Matrazzo performing with Gov't Mule, John Scofield, and Jimmy Herring at The Georgia Theatre in Athens^[16] and the Roxy in Atlanta^[17] from 1999 have been made available.

His 2000 solo release “Dan on the Moon,” produced by David Z (Prince’s “Parade:Music From Under the Cherry Moon”), was released by Terminus Records and featured Sam Sims (Mariah Carey, Cher) on bass, Lil’ John Roberts (Janet Jackson) on drums, and Warren Haynes on guitar.^[9] “Dan on the Moon” was considered by many to be the defining album of a new genre which jam fans immediately dubbed “space funk,”^[7] though it explored many styles from fusion and funk to soul, blues, prog rock, and even classical piano.

From 2005 to 2011 Dr. Dan focused mainly on traditional jazz music, but then began touring with The Looters,^[18] who are also known for backing Blue Note Records' Kristina Train, Rosa King, and Saskia Laroo.^[18]

In 2013 Matrazzo reunited with Col. Bruce Hampton and The Aquarium Rescue Unit as well as Gov't Mule and John Scofield at the 25th annual Christmas Jam in Asheville, North Carolina. .^[19] In that year Matrazzo also released an album of jazz originals and standards entitled "Firefly" with drummer Stanton Moore of Galactic.^[20]

In 2015 Gov't Mule released the album "Sco-Mule" with Dan Matrazzo on keys, John Scofield on guitar, and a host of other musicians including Jimmy Herring and Allen Woody. Recorded at the Georgia Theatre in Athens in 2001, this was the last recording made by bassist Allen Woody of the Allman Brothers Band. .^[21]

References