Alex Henderson

Matt & the City Limits

By Alex Henderson

Although Matt Berman is only 20, the New York City-based singer/songwriter, alto saxophonist and composer already boasts a résumé that a jazz enthusiast couldn’t help but be impressed by. Slide Hampton, Reggie Workman, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Jimmy Heath, Bobby Sanábria, Gerald Clayton and Vincent Herring are among the major-league jazz musicians who Berman has played or studied with along the way. But on Crash, the ambitious debut album by his band Matt & the City Limits (formerly The Black Tie Event), Berman demonstrates that his interest in music doesn’t begin and end with straight-ahead jazz. On Crash, Berman brings his jazz chops to adult alternative pop-rock and incorporates elements of soul, funk, hip-hop and folk as well.

“I’ve been playing jazz since junior high,” Berman explains, “but I grew up on pop music and was also interested in hip-hop and R&B growing up—and on this album, I wanted to mix a pop feel and pop lyrics with jazz harmonies and the jazz language. I wanted to bring some of the jazz language to the mainstream.”

On Crash (which is available on Sweet Sounds Music, distributed by Island/Def Jam), one hears pop-rock influences ranging from John Mayer to Counting Crows to Steely Dan. But Berman’s jazz background also comes through on introspective originals such as “Beauty Is What Blind Eyes Can See,” “Change,” “That Girl” (not to be confused with Stevie Wonder’s 1981 hit) and the title track. And there is no shortage of jazz influence coming from the four other members of Berman’s cohesive quintet, whose current lineup also includes tenor saxophonist Ian Buss, guitarist/banjo player Rick Shipiro, pianist Dinos San Pedro, bassist Max Esquivel and drummer Amir Williams. 

Crash’s only instrumental is an earthy performance of the Sam Cooke favorite “Bring It On Home to Me,” which is performed as down-home soul-jazz along the lines of Hank Crawford, David “Fathead” Newman, Gene Ammons and Stanley Turrentine. But on all of the other selections, Berman expresses himself as both a singer and a saxophonist—and his vocals draw on adult alternative influences that include Coldplay, John Mayer and Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz. Those who have heard Berman perform as a sideman in straight-ahead instrumental jazz settings will find that he is equally skillful and equally expressive as an adult alternative vocalist; the singer/songwriter aesthetic is very much at work on Crash. And while Berman’s singing is perfect for triple-A radio stations, he is quick to point out that he also counts jazz-influenced traditional pop crooner Michael Bublé as one of his vocal inspirations.

Berman’s alto sax playing is an integral part of his band’s sound, and the fact that Matt & the City Limits have a saxophone-driven outlook sets them apart from most of the bands in pop-rock. “I’m a saxophone player, and I wanted this album to reflect that,” Berman asserts. “In pop-rock music, it is usually the guitarist who plays all the solos and takes the lead. But when you have the saxophone on top instead of the guitar, it definitely changes things and gives you a different type of sound.”

Throughout Crash, Berman favors a very hands-on approach. In addition to co-producing Crash, providing all the vocals and handling most of the album’s arrangements, Berman wrote all of the lyrics and music on “That Girl,” “Beauty Is What Blind Eyes Can See,” “Change” and the title track. The only songs on Crash that Berman didn’t write or co-write are “On the Other Side” (written by Dan Layus of the band Augustana) and “Bring It On Home to Me,” although Berman arranged the latter and co-arranged “On the Other Side” with San Pedro.

All of the lyrics that Berman wrote for Crash were inspired by actual events and relationships in his life. “The lyrics come from real-life experiences and from real-life things I have been through,” Berman observes. “I’m trying to convey a story through each song. Every kind of emotion that you could have in a relationship is expressed on this album.”

Berman was only 15 when he wrote “That Girl,” which is the oldest song on Crash and pre-dates the band’s formation by four years. While a mood of romantic optimism asserts itself on “That Girl,” “Beauty Is What Blind Eyes Can See” and “Keep Love,” Crash takes a darker turn on “Change” (which is about a relationship ending unexpectedly) and the title song.

Born and raised in New York City, Berman was only seven when he began studying the saxophone. At first, he studied European classical music, but during junior high, Berman switched his focus to jazz and played in a junior high jazz band (all the while enthusiastically listening to rock, R&B and hip-hop at home). Berman went on to attend the LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, and as a sophomore, he joined the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz under the direction of bassist JB Dyas. After high school, Berman attended Manhattan’s New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he has studied with pianist Gerald Clayton. Berman’s other teachers have included alto saxophonists Vincent Herring and Antonio Hart, percussionist Bobby Sanábria and the legendary acoustic bassist Reggie Workman (known for his associations with John Coltrane, Art Blakey, James Moody and many other jazz icons).

The Grammy-nominated Sanábria, who heads the Afro-Cuban band at the New School and has played with Latin greats like Tito Puente, asserted: “The legacy of the alto sax is well in hand with Matt Berman, who’s among a crop of young players that are keeping the tradition of Hodges, Bird, and Cannonball alive while forging new ground in the 21st Century.”

In addition to his skills and accomplishments as a musician, Berman is an actor. A member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Berman has appeared on the HBO television series “Boardwalk Empire” (where he had the pleasure of working with director Martin Scorsese) as well as the popular series “Gossip Girl” (narrated by actress Kristen Bell of “Veronica Mars” fame).

When Berman formed Matt & the City Limits in 2010, those who were familiar with his background might have expected him to record nothing but straight-ahead instrumental bop; he certainly has the chops for it. But Berman always had diverse tastes—and on Crash, his open-mindedness comes through.

“I can go from listening to Bill Evans or Michael Bublé to listening to Steely Dan or Jay-Z or Counting Crows,” Berman notes. “I’ve never listened to one type of music all the time, and Crash brings all of my different influences together with a pop direction. This album is the first of many albums to come.”♦♦♦