Matt Eakle
Since joining the David Grisman Quintet in 1989, SF Bay Area flutist Matt Eakle has been blowing crowds out of their chairs and onto their feet as the first wind player to share the front line in the David Grisman Quintet. He is featured on 14 Acoustic Disc CDs and counting, with the DGQ, Jerry Garcia, Enrique Coria, and as the leader of his own jazz trio on the CD, Flute Jazz. On these and hundreds of other recordings, Matt takes people’s preconceived notions of what a flute can do and blows them inside out.
Matt appears on three Grammy nominated CDs, the Jerry Garcia/David Grisman recording, So What, Simple Pleasures with banjo virtuoso, Alison Brown, and Dawg 90 with the David Grisman Quintet.
Matt is the featured soloist on Chris Isaak’s recording, Notice the Ring, and accompanies Bonnie Raitt on bass flute on the track, Home. He was the special guest artist with the mariachi group, Los Camperos, accompanying Linda Ronstadt in the theatrical production, Mas Canciones de Mi Padre and performed and recorded with new age piano pioneer, Suzanne Ciani, touring Europe and Asia as a member of her supergroup, The Wave.
His passion for the environment led Matt Eakle to produce The Headwaters Project, a CD of compositions “inspired by, or evocative of the wilderness”. The Turtle Island String Quartet, Paul Winter, Norton Buffalo, Zakir Hussain, Alex de Grassi, Phil Aaberg, David Grisman, and Paul McCandless, are just a few of the incredible musicians who collaborated with Matt on this project. The profits from the CD benefit organizations fighting to preserve California’s old growth redwood forests.
The Matt Eakle Band performed as the headliner at the 2010 National Flute Convention opening night Gala Concert.
Alex Baum – Bass
Performed from Osaka to Orviedo playing both stand up and electric bass. Alex is on all the Johnny Nocturne Band CDs. He has toured extensively as a member of Dan Hicks and the Acoustic Warriors and performed with David Sanborn, Pinetop Perkins, “Sweets” Edison, Bob Weir and more.
Jack Dorsey – Drums
Performed and/or recorded with artists Jimmy Witherspoon, Randy Crawford, Little Anthony, and Jose Feliciano among others. Since 2002 Jack has been performing in the San Francisco Symphony’ AIM Program bringing live music into SF Bay Area Public Schools.
Joey Edelman – Piano
Performed with many Bay Area music legends including John Handy, Jules Broussard, Martin Fierro, Jose “Chepito” Areas and Vince Delgado. Joey collaborates with Matt Eakle on a variety of musical projects in their hometown of San Anselmo, CA.