“Matthew Whitaker is music. To see and hear him play is to know that divine talent exists. Beyond his innate musical abilities is a sheer joy and passion to create music,” states WBGO RADIO.
Award-Winning Jazz Prodigy, Pianist, Organist, Composer & Arranger MATTHEW WHITAKER was born blind in 2001 in Hackensack, NJ. His love for playing music began at the young age of 3 after his grandfather gave him a small Yamaha keyboard. At 9, Matthew began teaching himself how to play the Hammond B3 organ. Four years later, he became the youngest artist to be endorsed by Hammond in its 80+ year history. He was named a Yamaha Artist at 15, becoming the youngest musician to join the stellar group of jazz pianists. He was also invited to perform at Stevie Wonder's induction into the Apollo Theater's Hall of Fame. Matthew has toured both here in the US and abroad, performing on world-renowned stages, Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and the John F. Kennedy Center. "What this prodigy can do better than anything else, and arguably anyone else, is play piano, organ and keyboards. Hear for yourself on 'Connections', his third album...it is astounding," says DOWNEBEAT MAGAZINE.