biography
MATTWITEK.COM
MATT WITEK, drummer/music educator, is from New York. He studied classical percussion, drum set and piano throughout high school.
Matt’s college education began in 2004 at Berklee College of Music, where he majored in Music Education. Soon after arriving in Boston, he became a desirable aspect to many top-notch rhythm sections. While studying at Berklee, Witek spent two years as the drum chair in Boston’s premier big band The Beantown Swing Orchestra and Boston based all star octect Rocco and The Stompers. By working in these two groups he created a network of stellar instrumentalists, including trumpeter John Replogle (Danilo Perez, Benny Golson).
Matt’s interest in the artistry of Philly Jo Jones, Max Roach and Kenny Clarke led him to study with Berklee professor Rick Considine. Matt studied the art of transcribing and executing the musicality of swing era and bebop drummers.
As of August 2009 his talents earned him a professorship at the Instituto de Música Contemporánea in Ecuador. Along with teaching in Quito, Matt is a member of The Katie Thiroux Trio. With the trio among other ensembles he has traveled throughout the USA performing and conducting clinics.
Currently, he is working on a jazz styles and method instruction book for drum set. A debut album is planned to be released in the Fall of 2009 for the Katie Thiroux Trio.
