Matt Carmichael Quintet

The Matt Carmichael Quintet

Matt Carmichael, sax

Fergus McCreadie, piano

Ali Watson, bass

Tom Potter, drums

Charlie Stewart, fiddle

Jazz and trad on piano, sax, bass, drums and fiddle.

MATT CARMICHAEL QUINTET

Saxophonist Matt Carmichael was welcomed as ‘a distinctive new voice in a crowded scene’ by BBC Music Magazine when he released his first album 'Where Will the River Flow' in March 2021, He has been making a big impression on audiences since he emerged on the Scottish jazz scene as a teenager with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland.

Matt’s music reflects his Highland birthplace, Conon Bridge as the Scottish landscape and traditional music have shaped his compositions, with their lyrical and emotional qualities and the river-in-spate excitement of pieces such as The Spey.

A winner of the Peter Whittingham Development Award in 2019, Matt followed this by appearing in the BBC Young Jazz Musician 2020 final. Further accolades have emphasised his all-round capabilities as a musician. Just before he graduated in June 2021, he became the first student on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s jazz course to win all three of the awards presented at the end of the academic year – for improvisation, composition and arranging. Tommy Smith recognised Matt’s potential early, inviting him to join his own youth jazz orchestra, and has described Matt as “better than I was at that age.”

Supported by multi-award-winning pianist Fergus McCreadie, bassist Ali Watson, Tom Potter, UK Young Drummer of the Year 2016, and Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2017, Charlie Stewart.