Matthew Bourne

A dynamic, forceful, and risk-taking pianist, Matthew Bourne defies pigeonholing but is akin to artists on the nu-jazz and modern classical scenes. Categories such as this deny his broad appeal, however. He draws not only upon the jazz piano tradition of Count Basie, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, and Thelonious Monk, themselves a varied assortment, but also upon the worlds of pop and classical music, in the latter case immersing himself in the avant-garde. Additionally, he has ventured into electronic music, collaborating with experimental duo Nightports and downtempo artists Broadway Project and Bonobo, as well as paying tribute to Kraftwerk with French experimental guitarist Franck Vigroux (on 2015's Radioland: Radio-Activity Revisited). His solo acoustic works include 2021's Désinances and the 2022 prepared piano release Irrealis. He has also improvised music for harpsichord, as on 2024's Harpsichords.