Glaser, Matt

He is a bluegrass and jazz violinist, teacher and author who earned his Master of Music degree at Tufts University in Massachusetts.

In the early 1970s he became a member of The Central Park Sheiks which released its only album Honeysuckle Rose. They performed at several colleges and other East Coast venues and although not gaining much attention in America they became known in Japan.

Late in the 1970s he became a member of the band Fiddle Fever which was formed by Jay Ungar and recorded two albums, the second being Waltz of the Wind which contained the Grammy Award winning “Ashokan Farewell” when it was used as the theme song for the documentary series The Civil War in 1990.

He has also performed at the International String Quartet Congress, with the New York Bluegrass All-Stars and with artists that include Vassar Clements, Bob Dylan, Bela Fleck, Stephane Grappelli, David Grisman, Lee Konitz, Alison Krauss, Yo-Yo Ma, Mark O’Connor, Gunther Schuller, Jay Ungar and many more.

He has recorded Hasty Lonesome with the fiddle player Kenny Kosek and founded the groups Wayfaring Strangers, which has released two albums, The Matt Glaser Quintet and The Matt Glaser Trio.

Recordings he has performed on are numerous but include Heritage by Darol Anger, Cowboy Calypso by Russ Barenberg, Duffield Station by the Beacon Hill Billies, Great Waltz by Childsplay, Fiddler’s Dream by Michael Cleaveland, Livin’ with the Blues by Vassar Clements, Fiddle Fever by Fiddle Fever, Fiddle Tunes for Banjo by Bela Fleck, Dawg ’90 by David Grisman, Play Fiddle Play: Jazz Violin Classics by The Matt Glaser Quintet, American Dreamer: The Songs of Stephen Foster by Thomas Hampson, Swinging with Strings by Skitch Henderson, Young Blood by Jerry Lee Lewis, Take You to the Sky by Northern Lights, Heroes by Mark O’Connor, The Really Eclectic String Quartet by The Really Eclectic String Quartet, Robot Plane Flies over Arkansas by Tony Trischka, American Journey: Bound for the Promised Land by the Waverly Consort and the original soundtracks of The Civil War and Dick Tracy along with many others.

In the field of musical education he became a teacher and held the position of Chair of the String Department at Berklee College of Music for 28 years before becoming the founder and artistic director of Berklee’s American Roots Music Program. He was awarded the American String Teachers Association’s Artist Teacher Award which is deemed to be ASTA’s highest honour. He has also been a teacher at the University of Miami, the Mark O’Connor Fiddle Camp, and several International Association of Jazz Educators and ASTA conferences.

Books he has written and published include Fiddle Tunes on Jazz Changes, Jazz Violin, Jazz Chord Studies for Violin and Teach Yourself Bluegrass Fiddle.

Sources:

Glaser, Matt

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