Trumpeter Matt Knight is an exciting young musician and bandleader from Perth, Western Australia. Having graduated from the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) with Honours, Matt is a versatile and skilled improviser. After spending his formative years idolising the bebop greats, including Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan, Matt is developing his own approach to modern jazz trumpet, drawing from contemporary players like Phil Dizack and Giveton Gelin.
Matt picked up the trumpet when he was nine years old and played it all through his schooling life. After receiving a scholarship to attend the jazz program at WAAPA, Matt began four years of further study, where he worked closely with Australian trumpet luminary Ricki Malet. He completed his honours thesis (on modern applications of the plunger mute) in 2022.
During his time at WAAPA, Matt established himself in the Perth jazz scene, performing regularly with the West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra, the Perth Thundercorps (which supplies music for the Perth Wildcats) and the Perth Cabaret Collective. He made his professional debut as a bandleader in early 2022, wowing crowds with his hard-charging solos and exceptional arrangements.
In recent years, Matt has won the Royal Over-Seas League’s Improvisation Prize, a $2000 scholarship awarded based on excellence of improvisational ability. He has also been given the opportunity to perform in front of 60,000 people as part of the pre-match entertainment for the AFL Grand Final, and was part of Daniel Susnjar’s band on his 2021 WAM Jazz Song of the Year, ‘Cantuta.’ Matt’s own groups, as well as other one-off projects, continue to take him to some of Perth’s most recognisable venues and festivals, including His Majesty’s Theatre, the Ellington Jazz Club, the Rechabite and the Perth International Jazz Festival.
