Influenced by the music he heard while growing up in the lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, just down the street from Fats Domino, Matt Lemmler is one of the most original jazz pianists to recently emerge from the birthplace of jazz.Lemmler’s new CD The Music of New Orleans is a soulful tribute to his beloved city and to all the New Orleans musicians, past and present, who influenced his music, including Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Pete Fountain, Ellis Marsalis and many others. The Music of New Orleans features instrumentalists and vocalists including David Caceres, Diane Landry and Kim Prevost and was recorded in Houston and New Orleans.After Hurricane Katrina, Lemmler relocated to Houston, where he found like minds, kindred spirits, and a special chemistry among the community of musicians. And, Houston gained an exciting, fresh voice on the scene. Tom Tollett, the proprietor of Tommy’s Seafood Steakhouse, has provided an excellent venue for these new musical relationships to develop. The listener can drop by on any jazz night, confident in the prospect of excellent nourishment for both body and spirit.The Music of New Orleans is a striking document that captures the spirit of creativity and freshness in Lemmler’s ensembles. Starting with songs from the canon of old popular tunes that jazz musicians have employed for decades, Matt transforms popular songs including Hello Dolly, What A Wonderful World and St. James Infirmary Blues in surprising and pleasing ways. The listener may come to prefer these new versions to the originalsLemmler Comes Out the Gate Swinging!Jazz Houston.com Review - Andrew Lienhard"...Pianist Matt Lemmler offers luscious goods on The Music of New Orleans... evokes the pianism of the great modernists like Ed Simon, Dave Hazeltine and Peter Martin. The difference though is his frequent gestures to the New Orleans piano sound. Ultimately, this ongoing connection to the Crescent City despite his New York pedigree is what makes his playing so interesting. As a pianist and leader he has everything needed to pull off an album like this. He has since become one of the town’s busiest band leaders. Lemmler comes out the gate swinging!"www.mattlemmler.com
