Big City Rhythm & Blues Magazine
Oct/Nov 2007
Matt Wigler, Thirteen Rated: 5 Hats
Vista Records 0101
Baltimore/Washington-based Matt Wigler is a thirteen-year-old blues and jazz
keyboard sensation who has been playing piano since he was four. He has
already shared the stage with the likes of Tommy Castro, Bobby Rush, Ronnie
Baker Brooks, and Sir Mack Rice, and appeared at the DC Blues Festival,
Virginia’s State Theatre, The Columbia Festival for the Arts as well as at sea on
the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.
His new CD, produced by blues great Deanna Bogart, Ureveals Wigler’s musical
approach as a personal, nicely seasoned gumbo of blues, jazz, funk and New
Orleans flavored styles with the blues definitely at the core. Accompanied by
the alert, deep-grooved playing of Scott Ambush on bass and Mike Aubin on
drums, Wigler not only re-invents and re-arranges jazz standards like
“Summertime” (with outstanding dynamism and colorfully creative tempo shifts)
and Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia” (with Bogart sitting in on tenor sax) but plays
blues piano like nobody’s business on “How Long Blues”, “The Chicken”, and
David Maxwell’s easy rolling “Blues Don’t Bother Me” and even brings one
blazing original, the camel-hopping “Tension Boogie” to the table.
Also noted are a couple of Bogart covers. “Track Ten” (co-authored by Wigler)
roars along with a barrelhousing abandon while the set-closing “Thrash Boogie”
is exactly what the title implies. Wigler also demonstrates his deftness on the
Hammond XK3 organ on a good ‘n’ greasy cover of Jimmy Smith’s “Back At The
Chicken Shack.” Hopefully, we’ll be checking out this talented teenager’s career
progress for a long while. More info is available at mattwigler.com and
vistamusicstore.com and be sure to mark your calendars when he comes your
way. I know I will. – Gary von Tersch
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