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Piano prodigy Matthew Whitaker of Hackensack plays for Montclair Jazz Festival event – NorthJersey.com

August 2, 2019

, North Jersey Record Published 6:49 p.m. ET Aug. 2, 2019 | Updated 1:04 a.m. ET Aug. 3, 2019

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18-year-old piano prodigy Matthew Whitaker, a Hackensack resident, played for a 2019 Montclair Film Festival event at the Montclair Brewerey. North Jersey Record

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Matthew Whitaker started his set Thursday night at Montclair Brewery by telling the crowd to “go ahead and dance” if it wanted to.

Watching and listening to the exuberant, prodigiously talented 18-year-old, it was impossible not to dance, if only in place, at the packed warm-up event for the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.

Whitaker, a Hackensack resident who was born blind, has been playing the piano since he was 5 years old, and got support and training through the Montclair nonprofit Jazz House Kids. The Montclair Jazz Festival grew out of the Jazz House Kids’ teaching program 10 years ago, and Melissa Walker, the founder and director, introduced Whitaker on Thursday night.

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Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.
Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.
Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.
Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.
May and Moses Whitaker watch their son, Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, play the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.
Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.
Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.
Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.
May and Moses Whitaker, the parents of Matthew Whitaker, the piano prodigy from Hackensack, watch as he plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.
Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.
Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, played the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.

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  • Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.1 of 11
  • Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.2 of 11
  • Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.3 of 11
  • Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.4 of 11
  • May and Moses Whitaker watch their son, Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, play the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.5 of 11
  • Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.6 of 11
  • Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.7 of 11
  • Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.8 of 11
  • May and Moses Whitaker, the parents of Matthew Whitaker, the piano prodigy from Hackensack, watch as he plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.9 of 11
  • Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, plays the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.10 of 11
  • Matthew Whitaker, the 18-year-old piano prodigy from Hackensack, who trained with Montclair's Jazz House Kids, played the Montclair Brewery in the lead-up to the 2019 Montclair Jazz Festival.11 of 11

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“Matty’s been coming to us every week since he was 7,” she said. Pointing out his parents, Moses and May, and his sister, nearby, she rattled off his many accomplishments and honors.

Whitaker opened for Stevie Wonder at the Apollo theater when he was 10 (and has often been called “Little Stevie Wonder”), and has been a headliner at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Apollo Theater and the Newport Jazz Festival, and has appeared on the “Today” show and “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” In the fall, he will be featured on “60 Minutes.”

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In September, Whitaker will enter Juilliard, along with eight other Jazz House Kids alumni.

Whitaker played two sets as fundraisers for Jazz House Kids on Thursday, switching between his Hammond B3 organ and his piano.

The event was one of two weeks of events leading up to this year’s Montclair Jazz Festival on August 10, 2019.  It is the 10th anniversary of the all-day, free festival in Nishuane Park. 

Email: jmartin@gannettnj.com

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