Resilience Music Alliance is proud to announce the addition of acclaimed 17-year-old pianist/organist Matthew Whitaker to the label's growing eclectic roster. Having already appeared on the Today Show and The Ellen DeGeneres Show as well as receiving praise from Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, Whitaker is quite literally the inspiration that resilience can have on a person's life. Born in 2001 at 23-weeks premature, Whitaker lost his eyesight during the first 3 months of his life, due to the life-saving treatment he required at birth. Whitaker has created a truly remarkable album combining original compositions and covers of songs that have influence him throughout his life - supplementing his virtuoso piano skills with soulful Hammond organ and coloristic synthesizers.<p> Now Hear This teams Whitaker with a stellar all-star band featuring guitarist Dave Stryker, bassist Yunior Terry, drummer Ulysses Owens Jr., and percussionist Sammy Figueroa. Keyboard great Marc Cary and flutist Gabrielle Garo also make special guest appearances. The album was overseen by GRAMMY Award-winning producer Brian Bacchus, who has worked closely with the likes of Gregory Porter, Norah Jones, Randy Weston and Sullivan Fortner, among others.<p> Now Hear This is a perfect summation of Whitaker's evolution to date. Endorsed by both Yamaha and Hammond, he's enjoyed a remarkable career already, receiving the Harlem Stage Emerging Artist Award and the Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Award among other honors. His promise has only begun to be fulfilled, as he prepares to enter Juilliard as a freshman this fall as the first blind undergraduate student to join Juilliard's Jazz Study program.
