Home Page. Matt Finley.

Multi-instrumentalist Matt Finley has played professionally for over 60 years and has performed and recorded with many of the finest jazz musicians in the world. He studied composition with Edgar Curtis, Director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and has composed works performed by jazz sextet, big band jazz ensemble, brass choir, chamber orchestra, and full symphony orchestra. A CD of Matt's compositions, "Brazilian Wish" has garnered international recognition, and two of his compositions were finalists at the 2009 Los Angeles Music Awards. He is featured on eleven CDs released since 2006. He was a soloist and composer in the North Country Jazz Project and led his own concert band, Rio JAZZ, for 31 years. He is Director of the Smithfield Chamber Orchestra for special services at the Smithfield Presbyterian Church in Amenia, NY. A pioneer in the performance of Brazilian jazz, Matt is the moderator of the Facebook group Brazilian Jazz. Matt is a retired professor of computer information systems and former dean of academic affairs at Dutchess Community College, Poughkeepsie, NY, where he occasionally directed the brass choir and the jazz ensemble, and taught in four academic departments. He lives in Pine Plains, NY and Diamond Point, NY on Lake George.

  "Flugelhorn Master!" - Poughkeepsie Journal

  "Your playing certainly is top notch." - Russ Davis, Sirius XM Radio Jazz Channel

  "Excellent musician - beautiful trumpet player and composer " - Mike Holober (Connect the Dots Music)

  "I listened to (and practiced with) Brazilian Wish yesterday. Outstanding, Matt, on every level:
  the writing, the arranging, the performance, and the production! " - Bill McBirnie (jazz flautist, Toronto)

  "Melodic & catchy with complex chord changes." - Scott Yanow, jazz reviewer

  "Remarkable technique on trumpet and flugelhorn" - Schenectady Gazette

  "Four years after I bought it, Brazilian Wish still has a reserved spot in my car CD player, where five others
  come and go on a regular basis. What a fine recording and great compositions! I dream of playing like you!"
   -Asher Hockett (Trumpet Herald)

  "Finley's sound is velvety" - Adirondack Life Magazine

  "Execution is virtually flawless; he smokes on every tune" - Frank Villafane
  (Reviewer for WWW.VINILEMANIA.NET)

  "It was our pleasure to work with you. Great music and a great performance. I think we sold all of the CDs you
  had in the lobby, proof of how much the audience enjoyed your work. I hope we can find some other opportunities
  to collaborate in the future." - Dave Baxter (Board Chairman, Northern Dutchess Symphony Orchestra)

  "Matt's annual concert is our favorite event of the year" - Mike Weida, Director, DCC Student Activities Office

  "This is really nice writing/playing by all, Matt! So clean and relaxed. And I do love your tpt tone. And 7/4 Joel?
  Smooth as a cucumber. I almost did the salsa to this, but... I kept stumbling on that extra beat. Keep it going, and good
  luck with all you're doing!" - Chieli Minucci, guitarist with Special EFX

  "Matt's performance is nothing short of beautiful in every way" - Tim Wendt,
   trumpeter, commenting on 'Jordan' video.