I’m including three pictures in this post of congratulations and thanks. They point to three different moments from my time at Brown and each symbolizes something for which I am eternally grateful to Matt.
Soundcheck at the Brown Latin Jazz and Pop festival
The first picture is about opportunity. It was taken less than a month into my freshman year and is from a soundcheck for the Brown Latin Jazz and Pop festival, where the Brown Jazz Band had the honor of sharing the stage with Ed Calle, Descemer Bueno, Leslie Cartaya and Pedrito Martinez among many other fantastic musicians. Throughout my time with the Jazz Band, Matt organized countless unforgettable opportunities for us to engage more deeply with the music we all loved so much, from performing with renowned artists, to traveling the world, all while giving us the space to express our own creativity together.
The second picture is about generosity, and is actually a picture of a picture of a picture. I will omit the full explanation, though those that too know Matt as an avid, skillful, and opportunistic black and white photographer can perhaps surmise the full story. It is an extremely rare candid shot of Duke Ellington, exposing a more honest emotion he consistently and meticulously hid from the public eye. Matt gave this to me, printed and framed behind glass, at the conclusion of his Duke Ellington seminar, for which I was his TA. It is one of my most cherished possessions and is just a small example of the endless generosity Matt showed his students and colleagues with his time and energy, helping them achieve their goals.
The final picture is about community. It was taken on the last night of the Jazz Band’s tour to Puerto Rico my senior spring. We decided to get dinner as a whole band and were fortunate enough to find a restaurant that could take a table for 20. The Jazz Band was not just a team, it was like a family; one that grew and grew each year, and introduced me to people I will stay friends with forever. But the community Matt helped build reaches far beyond the Jazz Band. The 30th Anniversary of Jazz in the Curriculum at Brown was a testament to the phenomenal Jazz community Matt cultivated and the profound impact he had on generations of Brunonians, myself among the lucky bunch.
Matt has left an indelible impression on Brown and me and I feel truly privileged to have spent four years learning from and working with him.
Matt, congratulations on your well deserved retirement! Thank you for everything you did for me; I wish you and your family all the best!
Yale