Matt Newton is a Toronto based pianist, composer and educator. Hailing from Ottawa, Ontario, Newton has been performing and composing professionally since the late 90s. He holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto and has attended the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music where he studied with world renowned trumpeter/ composer Dave Douglas and pianist Deron Johnson (Miles Davis). In the fall of 2010 Newton performed a cross Canada tour promoting the release of his debut album Push. The critically acclaimed album features Petr Cancura, Mark McIntyre, and Ethan Ardelli, and was included in Paul J. Youngman’s list of Favourite Jazz CD’s of 2009. In 2012 Newton received an Ontario Arts Council grant to record his second album Within Reach, featuring his trio with Dan Fortin and Ethan Ardelli.
In his review of the record, Dan Bilawsky of All About Jazz wrote that “Newton doesn’t simply play piano. He expertly shapes phrases, lets notes pool together, creates rich and luxuriant arcs of sound, and balances the yin and yang that exists within these songs. His playing exudes warmth and comfort, yet it remains unpredictable.”
A longtime member of the Harley Card Quintet, Newton is featured on four of Card’s full length recordings. He has also performed alongside such respected artists as Rob Frayne, Melissa Lauren, Pat Collins, Kevin Turcotte, Ashley St. Pierre, Michael Herring, Ernesto Cervini, Jim Vivian, Felicity Williams, Alex Samaras, Chris Gale, Nick Fraser, Robin Dann, Rebecca Hennessy, Allison Au, and Tim Shia, among many others.
