Matt Mayhall "Album Release Show" is at the Jack London

Drummer and composer Matt Mayhall celebrates the release of his new album Corduroy on Portland’s own PJCE record label, accompanied by long-time collaborators Peter Epstein on alto saxophone and Sam Minaie on bass. This will be a joint presentation from PJCE and The Creative Music Guild’s 2024 Improvisation Summit of Portland. The music on Corduroy - drummer Matt Mayhall’s third album as a leader and his first for PJCE Records since relocating to Portland from Los Angeles - has the urgency of a first meeting, and indeed serves as a document of the first time Mayhall, saxophonist Peter Epstein and bassist Sam Minaie convened in a studio as a trio. The chemistry of the trio is evident throughout. The tunes are varied in their approach, but the depth in the level of communication between the three master musicians remains constant. Epstein, Minaie, and Mayhall are all adept at improvisational music that floats and flows like it does on the opener, “Waltz” and their unique interpretation of Ellington’s classic, “Come Sunday.” But they also display a knack for grooving as they do on numbers like the easy-swingin’ “Petrichor” and the hypnotic “Dumb Melody.” The musicians push and pull together in such a way that it is clear the rapport and shared musical language on Corduroy has been in the making for quite some time. Matt Mayhall has been characterized by Modern Drummer Magazine as an artist who “rolls his diverse skills into one, untidy, rumbling package.” He has performed and/or recorded with an eclectic range of world-renowned artists, including Jeff Parker, Chris Speed, Aimee Mann, Ethan Iverson, Ted Leo, Fred Armisen, and Charlie Haden. He now calls Portland home after nearly 20 years of work in Los Angeles.