Visionary Canadian composer and pianist, Matt Choboter’s music paints subliminal sound narratives between the cracks of avant-jazz, experimental and contemporary classical. Informed by non-western cultures and eclectic spiritualism, he embraces liminal psychology and dream work; immersive explorations into wild nature; a rather sentient, animistic existential orientation; and a musical practice which absorbs particular features of South Indian classical and Balinese Gamelan.
Choboter’s music invites reflection into the deep past whether on a personal or collective scale. This reflects itself in his travels to places like Chennai (studying oral musical traditions of South India), Bali (researching gamelan tuning and instrument building), Delphi (explorations into myths of ancient Greece) and the Dordogne Valley (delving into palaeolithic cave art of southern France).
Based in Copenhagen he collaborates with international artists like Lotte Anker, Trichy Sankaran, Maria Faust, Peter Bruun, François Houle and Peggy Lee. Releasing on labels like KAIROS (AU), Inner Circle Music (NY) , ILK Music (DK) and Songlines Recordings (CAN), his music has been described as: “ephemeral and beautifully fragile” (Passive Aggressive, DK), “A realized musical dream” (MusicWorks, CAN) and music that “expands and blows the mind” (London Jazz News).
Choboter’s recent releases, “Postcards of Nostalgia” and “Sleep Inertia” were heralded “Best Jazz on Bandcamp” for 2022 and 2023. The latter also made Best on AllAboutJazz. Dave Sumner writes that the music is – “at times heavy and impenetrable, other times soft and ethereal, but always in motion and perpetually transforming”.
Matt holds an Advanced Post Diploma in Composition and research from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. His “microtonal prepared piano” continues to be a nucleus for surprising and ambitious chamber ensemble-commissioned formats.
