Introducing Matthew Mitchell, avagy egy új-zélandi zenész kalandjai Magyarországon

E-mailen bejelentkezett nálam egy számomra kevésbé ismert, vagy mondhatom úgy is ismeretlen muzsikus, örülne, ha az általa is olvasott jazzma.hu-ban megjelenne egy kritika új lemezéről, ami egyébként csak vinyl formában kapható, illetve a korral haladva, interneten vásárolható. Nos, az vesse rám az első követ, aki „up-to-date” az új-zélandi jazzéletben. Bevallom őszintén, én eddig csak két zongoristát ismertem a kiwik szigetéről, Alan Broadbent-et (1947) és Mike Nock-ot (1940). Nomeg a náluk fiatalabb korosztályt képviselő bőgőst, Matt Penman-t (1974), aki két éve lépett fel Dave Douglas együttesével a Budapest Jazz Clubban. De ki is lehet ez az 1973. augusztus 9-én Hamilton-ban született Matthew Mitchell?

Let me ask you only one question: do you think of yourself as a jazz musician?

Do I think of myself as a jazz musician? good question. I have a University degree in jazz performance and was a university improvisation and ensemble teacher. I know more than 600 jazz standards and can play them in any key and style. I have two internationally released avant garde jazz records on Leo records in the UK plus three released by a New Zealand label and now a new trio record with Hungarian musicians. I have performed with Maynard Ferguson, Dave Holland, John Abercrombie, Byron Wallen, Evan Parker, Nate Smith, Willaim Parker, Tony Kofi, John Edwards, Hamid Drake and a whole bunch of other famous jazz people including strangely enough (and it was strange) Pege Aladar in the Czech Republic. I have appeared on quite a few other records as a sideman... I have also released
internationally 3 experimental indie folk rock (jazz influenced) records, 2 techno LPs, 3 techno remix discs on Swedish and German labels, toured in about 26 countries and played at 14 major international jazz festivals Including London, Manchester and Sydney.
At the moment I am slowly working on some "Jazz" music with a lovely and very awesome singer called Veronika Harcsa who I believe is considered to be a "jazz" singer here in Hungary, and another duo project called "Matthew Mitchell's blackened hands of Doom" with the very talented jazz drummer Zsolt Sárvári Kovács. At the same time I also have a double record of electro-pop/prog rock in the works, a
Moldavian folk project also taking shape though all with Jazz influences, anew minimal techno project and a solo noise/improvisation/electroacoustic recording project.
So the short answer is No,  I don't think of myself as a Jazz musician. Just a musician who loves to improvise and play music (primarily on guitar though any instrument is a fair target) but with extremely poor promotional skills.