Australian saxophonist Matt Keegan has spent years touring the United States with rock band Pseudopod, supporting acts such as Blues Traveller, Cheryl Crow and Live, and performed onstage with Maroon Five and OAR. Since 2002, his jazz-rock fusion group, the Matt Keegan Trio, has gained a keen following, having produced five albums and toured nationally. I caught up with Matt following his win of one of Australia’s most prestigious jazz awards: the MCA/Freedman Jazz Fellowship.
Some of Australia’s finest jazz artists and educators nominate musicians for the fellowship and select four to perform at the final concert, which was held at The Studio, Sydney Opera House, on July 8th, 2011. In order to compete for the $15,000 prize money which the Fellowship provides, each finalist must provide a project proposal, as well as deliver a top-notch performance at the concert.
The Freedman Suite
Matt Keegan wrote a piece specifically for the night, entitled, ‘The Freedman Suite.’ “I decided,” he explains, “that in the spirit of new beginnings, I’d write a new piece, a suite of music, to be premiered on the night and make a real occasion of it…I thought it might be shaky because we only had a few days to rehearse, but in the end, it turned out to be a strength…it sort of gave the whole performance an extra level of excitement.”
‘The Freedman Suite’ is an extended improvisation, featuring Cameron Deyell on guitar, Matt’s brother Tim on bass and Dave Goodman on drums. Its spontaneity and the space provided for each musician’s expression reflected Matt’s project proposal. In 2009, he and his partner spent seven weeks travelling around the world, and Matt fell in love with the traditional folk music of India. “I got to hang out with musicians and went to their houses - mud huts - and immersed myself into that particular culture for a little while. I jammed with them and put on a few concerts and also hung out with some more contemporary musicians in Calcutta, doing more rocky-fusiony western type stuff… I found a real connection with the musicians and I could mix my saxophone playing quite well with what they were doing.
Australian Improvisers Meet the Indian Folk Tradition
“Once I got that opportunity (the Freedman Fellowship nomination), I was like, wow, what do I want to do? Basically, they ask you, what would you do with fifteen grand, if you were to win? I had a little think and I couldn’t really get out India from my mind. So I came up with the idea of a new ensemble, that would use my colleagues from Australia and also friends I’d met in India and make a new band, a cross-cultural ensemble. Mainly, it was important to me to find people that would work well together rather than finding specific instruments.
“The idea’s to find a rehearsal space, where we can set up for a few weeks, in a really friendly environment, sort of a big circle, a really creative space…and stay there for a week or a week and a half and just rehearse and write music together and record it as we’re going. Then, maybe once we’ve demoed it all up, go into the studio for four or five days and do a good recording. So it’s a creative development, plus a recording, period…Some of the guys I’ve asked to be a part of it, they’re great singers, so there’ll be a real strong vocal element to it as well.”
International Festivals
Matt sees the ensemble as a long term project and hopes to take it to international festivals. “I see it as an artistic outlet for myself, over the next few years of my career, something on that international level, where we can probably do some performances in India. Also, it might be interesting to have places like Parammasala and Womad take it on board. Those things obviously take a few years to get up and running and so I’m seeing it as a long term project…I’d love to have it as something on the boil, so that once every year or two we can reconvene, rehearse for a little while - we’ll have a repertoire, but develop some new music - and put on new performances and obviously have it open, to invite new people we meet along the way.”
Matt’s bubbling enthusiasm is perhaps part of what convinced the judges to award him the prize. “I really have a passion for it,” he says. “It’s such a great opportunity to be able to do something in another country. It can be challenging for musicians to take that first step and make inroads into another place. This is such a great opportunity for me and also the other musicians that I’ve chosen to involve. We’re all going to learn a lot from the process and develop and it’s really exciting.”
The Matt Keegan Trio is currently on national tour in Australia, launching its latest album, The Matt Keegan Trio Meets David Ades.
Jasmine Crittenden - Jasmine Crittenden (B.A.)(Hons.)(First Class) is a writer and editor specialising in music, literature and travel.
