‘Gigging With Mr. Fogg: ‘Music has brought me to a lot of cool places,’ entertainer and educator says

from The Portland Forecaster – March 7, 2007 by Peter Smith

Portland – It all started when he was in the fourth grade. Matt Fogg went to his high school auditorium for a performance of the wind ensemble. What he heard was the coolest thing ever (at least for an 11-year-old): The soundtrack to “M*A*S*H.” Afterwards, he wanted to learn how to make music, so his dad took him to a pawn shop and bought him a used trumpet.

Fogg now teaches sixth-grade vocal music at Lyman Moore Middle School. In warmer weather, he rides his bike from the West End, down Washington Avenue to the Auburn Street school. On the bus ride, students would see him pedaling – the first of many indications that Fogg is not an ordinary choral teacher.

By the ninth grade, the trumpet had gotten old. It got especially old when Fogg wasn’t invited to play at the Southern Maine Music Festival. On his way out of the try-outs, he heard someone talking about jazz. About jazz piano.

Today, Fogg’s classroom at Lyman Moore is wired with 24 piano keyboards. He teaches four music classes and a chorus class. He also teaches jazz piano at Bowdoin College and the University of Maine at Augusta. He works with the Jewish Youth Chorus. He’s working on producing a comedy CD with his younger brother Ben (though Ben thinks Matt is the funny one).

“And Friday night,” he said, “I went gigging.”

When his sixth-graders ask about gigging, Fogg laughs. “Oh, you guys are too young,” he tells them.

Fogg is an easy-going guy with a hard-working ethos. He plays at RiRa and Brian Boru. He plays the old standards. He plays originals. He plays a little of everything. He played two shows last Friday, two shows Saturday and one show Sunday.

Fogg played in high school and he played in college. At the University of New Hampshire, he had a blind theater professor who performed scenes from a Braille script in front of the class; he never missed that one. The more his teachers performed, he said, the more he performed. That’s something he tries to pass on to his students.

Fogg, who describes himself as not particularly stylish, is a 28-year-old entertainer who usually treads the school hallway in black duds. But gigging gives him some street cred: How many public school teachers have publicists? How many teachers have publicists who send reviewers CDs wrapped in chocolates just to get a review? How many teachers are on iTunes, MySpace, and CDBaby? How many teachers teach hundreds of middle schoolers to sing Freddy Mercury’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”? (Or team teach history with Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire”?)

“Music has brought me to a lot of cool places,” Fogg said. And middle school is one of those places.

But making money just making music may be unrealistic. All the jazz greats had music gigs. And they also had teaching gigs, he said. “If it were really possible, they’d be doing it,” Fogg said.

Fogg had a show last year at Lyman Moore that was something of a hit, if choral enrollment is any indication – this year, it jumped 300 percent.

Still, Fogg hopes to make it big. So far, he’s been featured in Keyboard magazine, on Maine Public Radio and WCSH-TV’s “207″. he’s hoping to write one hit song, just one.

“All you have to do is write one hit tune,” he said, “and you can get your kids through college.”

Matt Fogg: After School, By The Bike Racks, Don’t Bring Your Mom

from Keyboard Magazine – January 2007 by Ed Coury

In 1903, George Bernard Shaw wrote, “He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.” If George were around today he’d be eating those words, after meeting Matt Fogg.

The 28-year-old music teacher does more in one week than many of us do in a month. Monday through Friday, Mr. Fogg is the vocal music instructor at Lyman Moore Middle School, near his home in Portland, Maine. Weekday evenings he teaches jazz piano at the University of Maine at Augusta, and Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. And as if that weren’t enough to keep him busy, Matt directs the Jewish Youth Chorus of Maine (which is no small feat; Matt isn’t Jewish, so he learned the repertoire from scratch).

Okay, it’s apparent that Matt can teach. But can he “do”? The answer is yes – and he does it all weekend long.

You might catch Matt playing jazz standards at a classy Portland restaurant. He brings along a Yamaha P120 or P140 – and sometimes adds female vocalist Nicole Hajj. Matt and Nicole have recorded together, and their jazz tunes have been played on radio stations overseas.

Those gigs are quite a contrast to the shows Matt puts on with his cover band, Retrospecticus. “We try to do the whole rock star image,” he says. “We wear T-shirts and try to put on a really good rock show.” He describes the band’s playlist as “a mix of disco, soul, rock, and funk. Just all kinds of covers from the ‘50’s to the late ‘80’s.”

Matt’s Retrospecticus rig consists of his Yamaha P120, the 73-key version of the Nord Electro 2, a microKORG, and sometimes an Angel melodica, “for a few tunes like Stevie’s ‘Isn’t She Lovely’.” Matt likes the sound of Yamaha pianos (which explains why he owns two). He puts the Electro in the mix for its great clonewheel abilities. And the microKORG is added for classic and modern synth sounds. “It has some of the cool analog sounds that Suge Knight and Snoop Dogg used, like on Doggie Style.”

The Motion Sound KP200S is Matt’s main amp. He runs in stereo and sends a feed from the amp’s stereo outs to the band’s P.A. system when needed. Monitoring is in-ear, with Shure E3 High Energy earphones. Matt supports his boards with an On-Stage Stands Folding Z keyboard stand with an added tier, or the two-tier On-Stage KSA7500 X-style stand.

The makeup of Matt’s rig is subject to change. Sometimes he takes his Kurzweil PC88 to a job. For really big shows, such as the Festival for Cultural Exchange in Portland, he puts his arm and back muscles to the test and brings his Hammond A-100, Leslie 120, Wurlitzer 200A, and Fender Rhodes Suitcase.

Matt may be in the classroom five days a week, but on-going recording projects with vocalist Jaye Drew as well as Morgan, Fogg, and Grimmett (an original group which recently released a CD) might make him a star one day. “All the things I do are an attempt to get out there and be known, and get my stuff heard,” he says. If he did make it to the big time, Matt would like to write and produce, making enough, he says, “to do whatever I want, when I want.”

Being a part-time performer has paid off in the classroom for Matt. He brought Retrospecticus to school one night to play a two-and-a-half hour dance. “Lot of kids in Portland never have a chance to hear a concert,” he says, “so I wanted to get the band in there.”

His effort paid off. “255 kids joined the chorus after we played,” he says. “The previous year we only had 80. Being a weekend pro gives a teacher some street cred. If they don’t find me credible, they won’t listen to anything I tell them.”

Demolition

from www.goodtimesmag.com – December 12, 2006 by Syl Nathan

Morgan Fogg & Grimmett - This Is What You Want

Matt Fogg is clearly one of the region’s preeminent musicians. It appears he can play anything – jazz, blues, swing, pop, you name it. Once again, he displays his varied musicianship, sharp production skills, and incredible keyboard acumen on this recently released group CD, which is quite different from his previous albums.

Fogg has set the bar quite high for himself; nothing he ever does will top the live performance document he issued with Nicole Hajj, Live At The Azure Café, the overall best CD released in Maine last year. However, this group, featuring Fogg on various keyboards, vocalist Cheri Gaudet Grimmett, guitarist Scott Morgan, bassist Andy Rice, and percussionist Shawn Boissonneault, comes darn close. No one should ever tar New England as an “unsophisticated” music area – not with such vibrant and original jazz music such as this coming from within its borders.

The album of mostly originals veers into pop at times, but it’s amazing in that many of the tunes are of such high quality that they could become standards. The amazing “Love/Hate Relationship” merges a clever lyric and an out of this world chord progression to challenge the listener without becoming overwhelming. “Bounce,” “Blues For Steve,” and “Huntin’” continue to forge Fogg’s rep as an outstanding composer, particularly of instrumentals. And throughout, Grimmett’s vocals charm, tease, and cajole in perfect harmony with the mood of each piece. Add to that Morgan’s fluid, expressive guitar, and it’s a complete and varied package that pleases the ears like few other local releases. Stunning.

We don’t want to lay on the hype too thick; it suffices to say that every project puts his attention to is pure gold in terms of artistic achievement. Here’s hoping he and his compatriots get the recognition they deserve for being among the east coast’s jazz elite. Written from the perspective of a New Yorker (where this review was written), Morgan Fogg & Grimmett are Blue Note bait. C’mon down; we could use more great jazz in these parts, too.

Review Of Live At The Azure Cafe

from www.muzikreviews.com – September 20, 2006 by Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

Matthew Fogg and Nicole Hajj - Live at the Azure Cafe

Matthew Fogg & Nicole Hajj had a history before this album came together. They met and found a mutual admiration and respect for one thing, the art form of jazz.

It is unusual to release a debut album as a live recording, but the duo decided this was the best way to present their music at the time. Live At The Azure Café was released in 2005 and received with open arms from the jazz community.

The mixture of jazz standards and originals is as compelling as it is enriching for the casual listener or connoisseur. Music like this has a particular audience, one that can appreciate good music and the changes it can go through in a live setting. It is quite simple actually, if you have a love for good music, this CD will find a way into your heart.

Besides the beautiful tones and elegant vocal style produced by Nicole, Matthew provides fresh arrangements via his exemplary piano playing. They get plenty of assistance from their friends, too. Shawn Boissonneault (drums, percussion) is a long time friend and collaborator of Fogg’s, Brad Terry (clarinet), Andy Rice (acoustic & electric bass), and Lucas Cantor (guitar), round out the sound and form an ensemble that would rival any other band out playing jazz music today in a public venue. I would go far beyond that, actually, and say that this is several notches above any typical nightclub performance. This is a group of musicians right in the middle of their creative element.

A select group of people provided the necessary audience ambiance, and the live sound resonates clearly and crisply throughout this recording. There is not any other idiom that flourishes more in a live setting than jazz, I can attest to that fact. After seeing countless concerts over the years there are a few jazz shows that I cannot seem to forget, and I know why. Improvisation breathes new life into songs you have heard a hundred times before. Take “My Funny Valentine” for instance. You instantly recognize the tune, however, the musicianship puts a different spin on the standard and brings it right into the new millennium by giving due respect to the past and adding bits and pieces of today for a sound that is unforgettable. Fogg & Hajj have a special chemistry and the music that they make will give you the sense of being there, you can feel the creative energy and sparks flying. That is quite convincing since I was not there to actually witness the performance.

Want It All: Morgan and Grimmett find themselves in the Fogg

from The Phoenix – August 2, 2006 by Sam Pfeifle

Morgan Fogg & Grimmett - This Is What You Want

Morgan Fogg & Grimmett, like Medeski Martin & Wood, eschew the comma on their debut release together, but they embrace the period on This Is What You Want. Seriously, it’s got a period at the end of the title, which is why that period you see at the end of that sentence is technically in italics (also causing serious dilemma as to whether that sentence should have ended with two periods — it was just too silly to actually do).

After the first track, you might even think they were headed MMW’s way musically. “Blues for Steve” opens like Steely Dan’s “Reeling in the Years” but without the bite, and guitarist Scott Morgan (Tribe Describe) doesn’t get too carried away in trying to imitate the song’s title, leaving us with an interesting extended solo to sink our teeth into early. Plus, you’ve got to love the tone of pianist Matt Fogg’s organ (I’m pretty sure it’s a Wurlitzer, but he plays Fender Rhodes and Hammond C3 here as well, and I’m not going put myself all the way out there).

But on track two, “Bottle Down,” when vocalist Cheri Gaudet Grimmett (Tribe Describe, too) makes her debut, it’s clear this trio-plus aren’t going to be quite that adventurous, though they do get a little bit Santana on “Huntin’.” Shawn Boissoneault goes with the brushes, and Grimmett does the lounge-singer thing.

From there on out, the album is something of a mixed bag. Rock elements from Morgan are interspersed with more-jazzy solos from clarinetist Brad Terry and flautist Carl Dimow (Casco Bay Tummelers), and Fogg’s piano and organ takes are certainly virtuosic, but the album has a hard time establishing a rhythm with a wide variety of song styles, including a cut that opens with a decidedly Middle Eastern vibe.

As a jazz album, this is very mainstream accessible, and at times ambitious, benefiting especially from original cuts instead of the standards that populated the last release from Fogg, Live at the Azure Cafe. But I’m not totally sold on the songwriting, either — “Go Down Moses”? “Pharaoh, let my people go.”

The Night Is Young

from The Portland Press Herald – August 2, 2006 by Aimsel L. Ponti

Morgan Fogg & Grimmett - This Is What You Want

I listened to “This Is What You Want,” the debut release from Morgan, Fogg & Grimmett, over dinner on Monday night and quickly realized I had made a good decision.

Matt Fogg is something of a jazz piano virtuoso, not to mention an accomplished arranger. He also fell in love with Wurlitzer and Hammond organs. Scott Morgan, of another local act, Tribe Describe, also shines on the record with his guitar. Singer Cheri Gaudet Grimmett ties it all together with her bright, polished voice.

The record starts out on an instrumental note with “Blues in the Water,” which has a bluesy guitar feel courtesy of Morgan and is laced with the sound of Fogg’s vintage organ. Then we are introduced to Grimmett’s singing via “Bottle Down,” which also shows off the dazzling, free-flowing piano chops of Fogg.

The record has a fantastic flow to it and is genre-bending throughout. “Go Down Moses” clocks in at over 7 minutes and starts off with the distant sound of African drums, among other instruments. It sounds like a nouveau olde spiritual.

Jazz fans will dig this record for sure, but so will anyone looking for something as refreshing as a Mojito on the beach with added shots of soul, spirit, heart and sparkle. Visit www.mattfogg.com, where you can dig some samples off the record and read more about the twists and turns that culminated with the release of “This Is What You Want.”

Morgan, Fogg & Grimmett CD release show, 7:30 p.m. Saturday [August 5, 2006] (followed by reception), Maine Sound Stage, Fort Andross, Brunswick, $10, reserve by calling 229-2738 or 837-2955.

The Humble Farmer, Robert Skoglund

Humble Robert Skoglund is a radio personality and public speaker who has been described as “the Garrison Keillor of Maine”. His weekly radio program, which can be heard on WMPG Portland, has been going strong for over 30 years. On July 1, 2006 Matt had the privilege to perform with The Humble Farmer at The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor for a night of music, wit, and fun. For more information on Robert Skoglund, visit his website at www.thehumblefarmer.com.

First Review of Morgan, Fogg, & Grimmett’s This Is What You Want

from www.MuzikReviews.com by Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

Morgan Fogg & Grimmett - This Is What You Want

This is one of those great CDs where I have a hard time figuring out where to start, which is a good omen for the artists.

Morgan Fogg & Grimmett say This Is What You Want, and you know what? It most certainly is. This is a great indie release; there really is not a thing about it that I dislike. It helps to have a deep love and understanding of the jazz idiom to feel this way. Jazz is not and never has been cut and dried. What this band accomplishes in the twelve tracks on this CD is to shine a light on all the best components of the genre. Rather than performing dutifully, they give the genre all the respect it deserves and have fun at the same time.

The three featured artists are Matt Fogg (Piano, Wurlitzer 200A, Hammond C3, and Fender Rhodes) Cheri Gaudet Grimmett (vocals), and Scott Morgan (guitar). Fogg is an accomplished keyboard wizard; he jumps back and forth between the acoustic piano, the fabulous Wurlizter 200A, and to the old standby the Hammond C3. Fogg colors each track with variations on each particular theme through different textures, as if there was a selection of buttons in front of him to push and engage a mood or atmosphere that was appropriate to the lyrics that Gaudet was singing. Gaudet is also a seasoned veteran fronting a unit; she swings with the best of them and gives it her all on every track. Her energy seems to be a good fit for the rock solid instrumentation provided on this release. I really liked her upbeat tone and style; no doubt, she was made for jazz. Laced in between and all around this activity is the guitar of Scott Morgan, a very capable individual, his playing is consistently outstanding and versatile throughout.

I especially enjoyed the opening track, the instrumental “Blues For Steve,” a bluesy shuffle that highlights a band that is in total alignment with each other. Being partial and more critical of instrumentals, because there is only one ingredient to focus on, I am not easy to impress. I must say that the track was very enjoyable and I could have easily listened to an entire CD of this style of music, but then I would be missing the wonderful vocals of Ms. Gaudet. There is just so much to like here! “Huntin’” was one that really perked my ears up because of the rockin’ guitar courtesy of Scott Morgan. It is still jazz mind you and some good solid fusion that lets everyone know that indeed they can cut loose, rock out, and still be a jazz band. I liked “Go Down Moses” too, the title and the words are great, and the melody sublime, a jazz composition does not get much better for simplicity and snappy freshness.

I could on forever about this CD but I won’t. This is a wonderful selection of songs featuring a superb band delivering the goods-it is as simple as that.

This Is What You Want (2006)

Morgan Fogg & Grimmett

All original collaboration with vocalist Cheri Gaudet and guitarist Scott Morgan, released in 2006.

1) Blues For Steve
2) Bottle Down
3) Wade In The Water
4) Love/Hate Relationship
5) Bounce
6) Dreamy Eyes
7) Slip Of The Tongue
8) Be Not Afraid
9) Huntin’
10) Benny’s Yen
11) Go Down Moses
12) Waiting For The Day

MUSICIANS…

Shawn Boissonneault – drums
Matthew Fogg – piano, Wurlitzer 200A, Hammond C3, Fender Rhodes
Cheri Gaudet Grimmett – vocal
Norm Bergeron – percussion (Bounce, Go Down Moses, Huntin’)
James Campbell – percussion (Bounce, Huntin’)
Carl Dimow – flute
Brad Terry – clarinet

CREDITS…

Recorded and mixed at The Studio in Portland, Maine
Engineered by Steve Drown
African drumming on Go Down Moses recorded at Blue Dog SoundLab, Madison Area Memorial High School in Madison, Maine
Performed and recorded by Norm Bergeron
Tracking engineer – Louis Ramos
Mixing Engineers – Louis Ramos and Hannah Seamans
Mastered by Toby Mountain at Northeastern Digital

Photography and graphic design by Paul Gamba
Photos shot on location at Natasha’s Restaurant in Portland, Maine
Cheri’s makeup by Melanie Whittier

Live At The Azure Cafe, 2006

In 2006, a group of musicians assembled at the Azure Cafe lead by Matt and vocalist Nicole Hajj. The result would be a live album receiving rave reviews from local and national publications alike and surprising jazz afficianados everywhere. Photos by John Cooper.