Matt Finley (born August 17, 1951, in New York City) is an American

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

player and composer of Brazilian jazz. Finley grew up performing in resorts in

Bolton Landing Bolton Landing is a hamlet and census-designated places in the town of Bolton in Warren County, New York. It is located on Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains. It is a common tourist destination and the closest town to the State Park lands a ...

and Lake George (New York), graduated from

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

and Union College where he studied composition with Edgar Curtis, Director of the

Albany Symphony Orchestra The Albany Symphony Orchestra is a professional symphony orchestra based in Albany, New York. Founded in 1930 as the People's Orchestra of Albany by Italian-born conductor John Carabella, the Albany Symphony is the oldest professional symphony ...

. After obtaining a master's degree from the College of Saint Rose, he performed for seven years with Grammy Award-winning baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola. A multi-instrumentalist, Matt performs on flugelhorn, trumpet, soprano sax and flute. He is a retired professor of computer information systems and was academic dean at Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he earned the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service granted by the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by c ...

. He has been a member of the

American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in New York City, ...

since 1972, and is the leader of Rio JAZZ, a Brazilian jazz concert sextet formed in 1988. Matt has performed with Nick Brignola, Kenny Blake, Brad Upton, Dave Holland, Glen Moore, Joel Rosenblatt, Mark Egan, Pete Levin, Terry Silverlight and many others. He is married to singer/songwriter Denise Jordan Finley and lives in Pine Plains, NY and

, NY.

Discography

As a leader and composer: * 'Brazilian Wish' (Kingsmill Music, 2006) with Romero Lubambo, Warren Bernhardt, Mark Egan, Joel Rosenblatt, David Finck, Jon Werking, Jeff Ciampa, David Mann, Jeff Siegel, Tomas Martin Lopez, Dan Levine, Barry Danielian.
As a sideman and arranger: * 'On the Beat Path' (Bongotoms Music, 2010) with Bill O'Connell, Tomas Martin Lopez, Ruben Rodriguez, Joel Rosenblatt, Jimmy Branly, Ivan Renta,

Bill McBirnie Bill McBirnie is a jazz and Latin flautist, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was raised in the small town of Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada. Career His has studied with Canadian flautist Robert Aitken, American flautist Samuel Baron, and C ...

. Matt composed eight of the twelve compositions. * 'Solstice' (Dome Island Publishing, 2010) with Denise Jordan Finley, Daniel Pagdon, Danny Gottlieb, Clifford Carter * 'Eyes on the Horizon' (Barbara Martin Music, 2010) with Barbara Martin, Robert Redd,

Steven Wolf Steven Wolf (aka Wolf) is a drummer, programmer, songwriter and music producer. His discography includes numerous gold, platinum, and Grammy winning records. He has worked with a range of artists including Alicia Keys, Katy Perry, Beyoncé, ...

Chuck Redd Chuck Redd (born September 10, 1958) is an American jazz drummer and vibraphonist. Career Redd began touring and recording when he joined the Charlie Byrd Trio at the age of 21. He also joined The Great Guitars (Barney Kessel, Charlie Byrd, an ...

* 'The Way Back Home' (Music Without Walls Productions, 2009) with Sharon Klein, Ross Rice, Ken Veltz, Glen Velez, Karl Alweiler, Brian Mellick, Mark Dann * 'Hauntress' (Dome Island Publishing, 2007) with Denise Jordan Finley, Daniel Pagdon

References

External links

Official website - includes complete discography

Rio JAZZ band page

All About Jazz

Last.FM

Jazz Improv magazine

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finley, Matt Living people 1951 births Flugelhorn players American jazz musicians Musicians from New York City Union College (New York) alumni Phillips Academy alumni College of Saint Rose alumni People from Bolton Landing, New York People from Lake George, New York Jazz musicians from New York (state)