:: Feature Articles ::
MATTHEW FOGG: FIRST YAMAHA ARTIST IN EDUCATION ENDORSEE
from Accent Magazine Winter 2008, Volume 68
Yamaha is proud
to announce 28-year old jazz pianist and teacher Matthew Fogg is the first endorsee under a new program titled Artists in Education. Living up to Yamaha's long and dedicated history of supporting music
education, Yamaha Corporate Artist Affairs, Inc. has developed this new program to support those devoted to both creating and teaching music. ...more
SUCCESS STORIES: MATT FOGG - TEACHER AND MUSICIAN
from The Maine Switch January 10, 2008 by Amber Olesen
Living on the West End in Portland, married with a 4-month-old son, Matthew Fogg juggles a very busy lifestyle. Both a musician and teacher, this 29-year-old has a long list of artistic activities and musical
interests. Developing his talents at a young age playing trumpet, Fogg entered the Regional Music Festival. But after hearing a jazz trio play, he set his sights on piano, which proved to be a better fit. ...more
TWENTY IS PLENTY
from Port City LIFE November 2007 by Mindy Favreau
To counter the undeserved but perhaps prevailing wisdom that says the current group of recent college graduates-sometimes called Generation Y, sometimes called Millennials-is (fill in the blank; self-absorbed,
brash, too plugged in to look up from their computers), we decided to zero in on a few 20-somethings in Maine who are already making a contribution in their fields. What's more, these four demonstrate that you
don't have to leave the state to be successful. And to bolster our argument in favor of these new kids on the block, we had four other 20-somethings write up their profiles. ... more
THUMBS UP — PLAY THE JAZZ, WEAR THE BLUES
from The Times Record
Strike up the band for Matt Fogg, the former Morse High School choral director, for becoming the first recipient of the Yamaha company's Artists in Education endorsement. The Jazz Times reported last week that
Fogg, 28 and now a teacher at the Lyman Moore Middle School in Portland, will help launch the program devoted to teaching and creating music. ... more
MORGAN FOGG AND GRIMMETT: THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT - INDIE MUSIC REVIEW
from Hot Indie News
by Darkside
 The highlight of the album, however, is Matt Fogg on the piano. Fogg has spent a lifetime creating music, first as a trumpeteer, later moving onto piano. His expertise as a jazz pianist is obvious from the
first note, and is consistently held. Furthermore, he posses a range that is simply astonishing- he adeptly changes styles, from restaurant-jazz (background music that you start paying attention to) to true
blues-style, and everything in between. ... more
'GIGGING' WITH MR. FOGG
from The Portland Forecaster - March 2007 by Peter Smith
 It all started when he was in the fourth grade. Matt Fogg went to his high school auditorium for a performance of the wind ensemble. What he heard was the coolest thing ever (at least for an
11-year-old): The soundtrack to "M*A*S*H." Afterwards, he wanted to learn how to make music, so his dad took him to a pawn shop and bought him a used trumpet. Fogg now teaches sixth-grade vocal music at
Lyman Moore Middle School. In warmer weather, he rides his bike from the West End, down Washington Avenue to the Auburn Street school. On the bus ride, students would see him pedaling - the first of many
indications that Fogg is not an ordinary choral teacher. ... more
MATT FOGG: AFTER SCHOOL, BY THE BIKE RACKS, DON’T BRING YOUR MOM
from Keyboard Magazine - January 2007 by Ed Coury
 In 1903, George Bernard Shaw wrote, “He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.” If George were around today he’d be eating those words, after meeting Matt Fogg. The 28-year-old music teacher does more
in one week than many of us do in a month. Monday through Friday, Mr. Fogg is the vocal music instructor at Lyman Moore Middle School, near his home in Portland, Maine. Weekday evenings he teaches jazz
piano at the University of Maine at Augusta, and Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. And as if that weren’t enough to keep him busy, Matt directs the Jewish Youth Chorus of Maine (which is no small feat;
Matt isn’t Jewish, so he learned the repertoire from scratch). ... more
DEMOLITION
from www.goodtimesmag.com - December 12, 2006 by Syl Nathan
Matt Fogg is clearly one of the region’s preeminent musicians. It appears he can play anything –
jazz, blues, swing, pop, you name it. Once again, he displays his varied musicianship, sharp production skills, and incredible keyboard acumen on this recently released group CD, which is quite different
from his previous albums. ... more
REVIEW OF LIVE AT THE AZURE CAFE
from www.muzikreviews.com - September 20, 2006
 Matthew Fogg & Nicole Hajj had a history before this album came together. They met and found a
mutual admiration and respect for one thing, the art form of jazz. It is unusual to release a debut album as a live recording, but the duo decided this was the best way to present their music at the time.
Live At The Azure Café was released in 2005 and received with open arms from the jazz community. ... more
WANT IT ALL: Morgan and Grimmett find themselves in the Fogg
from The Phoenix - August 2, 2006 by Sam Pfeifle
Morgan Fogg & Grimmett, like Medeski Martin & Wood, eschew the comma on their debut release together, but they embrace the period on This Is What You Want. Seriously, it's got a period at the end of
the title, which is why that period you see at the end of that sentence is technically in italics (also causing serious dilemma as to whether that sentence should have ended with two periods — it
was just too silly to actually do). ... more
THE NIGHT IS YOUNG
from The Portland Press Herald - August 2, 2006 by Aimsel L. Ponti
I listened to "This Is What You Want," the debut release from Morgan, Fogg & Grimmett, over
dinner on Monday night and quickly realized I had made a good decision. Matt Fogg is something of a jazz piano virtuoso, not to mention an accomplished arranger. He also fell in love with Wurlitzer and
Hammond organs. Scott Morgan, of another local act, Tribe Describe, also shines on the record with his guitar. Singer Cheri Gaudet Grimmett ties it all together with her bright, polished voice. ... more
FIRST REVIEW OF THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT
from www.MuzikReviews.com - June 19, 2006
This is one of those great CDs where I have a hard time figuring out where to start, which is a good omen for the artists. Morgan Fogg & Grimmett say This Is What You Want, and you know what? It most
certainly is. This is a great indie release; there really is not a thing about it that I dislike. It helps to have a deep love and understanding of the jazz idiom to feel this way. Jazz is not and never has
been cut and dried. What this band accomplishes in the twelve tracks on this CD is to shine a light on all the best components of the genre. Rather than performing dutifully, they give the genre all the respect
it deserves and have fun at the same time... more
THE JAZZMAN OF ORR'S ISLAND
from Coastal Journal - Issue 34: August 25, 2005
Fogg's CD, "Live at the Azure Cafe", recorded with vocalist Nicole Hajj and a quartet of backing musicians, has garnered such
glowing reviews - Good Times magazine said it "could be the finest disc of any genre produced in Maine this year" - that one might assume the piano and/or jazz has been his passion for as long as he could remember.
Not so, according to the extremely affable and almost alarmingly modest 26-year old... more
REVIEW OF LIVE AT THE AZURE CAFE @ JAZZNOW.COM
from www.JazzNow.com - August 2005
The dynamic duo of pianist Matt Fogg and vocalist Nicole Hajj can normally be heard performing in upscale clubs and restaurants in Maine and New Hampshire. For this live debut, recorded in October 2004 at the
Azure Café in Freeport, Maine, the pair was augmented to a sextet... more
REVIEW OF LIVE AT THE AZURE CAFE IN GOOD TIMES MAGAZINE
from Good Times Magazine Issue 18; June 9 - July 7, 2005
Independently produced but as major league as any self-produced disc you'll ever hear, Live at the Azure Cafe is certainly a treat for contemporary jazz lovers - but is tuneful and accessible enough for music
fans of any stripe to enjoy. ... more
CREATING STUDENT MUSICIANS - ONE NOTE AT A TIME
from The Times Record; January 29, 2003
Morse High School's two 20-something music teachers may have been untested rookies when they arrived, but the respect they've gained from the students, teachers and parents in their 18 months here is
universal. ... more
HE'S BIDDEFORD'S JAZZ MAN
from The Times Record; January 7, 2000
Matthew Fogg was just 16 years old when he took a job as the piano player in a Top 40 band on weekends at the Red Jacket Inn in North Conway, N.H. ... more
THE MUSIC STILL PLAYS
From a UNH scholarship announcement; 1999
Jazz Pianist Tommt Gallant is gone now, spirited away all too quickly in September, 1998, in his 63rd year of life. While the world of jazz in the Seacoast Region lives on, his absence is profoundly felt by
the large circle of musicians, students, and fans who were central to his existence. ... more
:: Quotes ::
"Harmony, technique, what more do you need? You've got a bright future ahead."
Frank Mantooth
Grammy Award winning jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and clinician
"I really enjoyed your playing. You have a great sense of harmony."
Bud Shank
Alto saxophonist
"... played with a barely restrained energy ... driven by a frenetic Latin rhythm. Always verging on anarachy, the combo somehow stayed together through shared energy and shouted encouragement."
Jack Beaudoin
Columnist, Portland Press Herald
"Thank you so much for you help ... Prospective students and their parents were delighted with your performance. You were wonderful and have our deep appreciation for you willingness to share your talent
with them."
John T. Kirkpatrick
Associate Dean, University of New Hampshire
"Thank you for being with us this season. You and your music have added a very special touch to us all."
Arthur and Angela LeBlanc
Restaurateurs, Cape Porpoise, Maine
"Hundreds of people visited the downtown area. There [were] artists and great music - Matt Fogg is smooth."
David Flood
Editor and Publisher
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