Once I start playing the first few notes, I’m in my element.
Matt Savage is an American autistic musical genius from Sudbury, Massachusetts. He is known for having perfect pitch as well as hyperlexia. In 2006 he was identified as a prodigious savant in a report about the human brain produced by CNN.
Early Life
When he was only 18 months old, Savage was already walking and reading. Matt was diagnosed with PDD (pervasive development disorder) when he was three. He did not show any interest in music until the age of six.
At this age, Savage taught himself how to read piano sheet music. Afterward, he studied classical piano for almost a year before discovering jazz. That music genre became his main passion.
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Both Matt and his younger sister Kitty were homeschooled by their parents. In the fall of 1999 enrolled at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts while continuing with his classical studies. He later graduated from Manhattan School of Music and Berklee College of Music.
Musical career
Savage’s musical talent and education allowed him to release thirteen solo albums and one collaborative album. He is the leader of the Matt Savage Trio and various other ensembles. His compositions often have a lot of humor to them and are highly approachable. In 2014, Savage composed and recorded an original soundtrack for a documentary film, Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story.
Savage played with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Chick Corea, the Ellington All Stars, Chaka Khan, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Clark Terry, Jimmy Heath, Jason Moran, Arturo O’Farrill, John Pizzarelli, Joshua Redman, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jon Faddis, Jerry Bergonzi and Donny McCaslin.
During his life, Matt performed at various festivals and venues around the globe, including The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Birdland, the Blue Note, Bohemian Caverns, Town Hall, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, Scullers, the Jazz Standard, the Pantages Theatre, the Iridium, the Berklee Bean Town Jazz Festival, and many others.
Teaching career
Aside from having a career as a professional musician and composer, Savage also teaches at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston. He also gives classes at a couple of community music schools in easter Massachusetts. Matt also provides domestic and international workshops and masterclasses, as well as giving private piano lessons.
Awards
In 2003 Savage was signed to Bösendorfer pianos. He is still the only child that was recognized by the company for the past 188 years.
Media appearances
Savage’s talent was widely celebrated by the media with appearances on Marian McPartland’s “Piano Jazz,” NPR’s “All Things Considered,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” the “Today” show, and ABC’s “20/20”. He was a star of news shows and documentaries across the globe.
