Matt Panayides

Jazz Guitarist and Composer

Matt Panayides is a modern guitarist and composer whose compelling melodies, compositions and improvisations have led to performances and collaborations with musicians all over the world. Employing modern harmonies, free and structured improvisations, mixed-meter rhythms and straight-ahead swing, Panayides has created his own unique musical voice on the guitar. Based in New York City, Matt leads a variety of different musical groups and can be found performing throughout NYC as a soloist, leading his own trio or quartet, or rounding out the rhythm section of a big band. His current musical project was formed in the Spring of 2018 and is called “Field Theory”. This band has been performing throughout NYC in venues such as the 55 Bar, Cornelia Street Cafe, Nublu and ShapeShifter Lab. Originally with Matt Vashlishan on wind synth, Bob Sabin on bass and Mark Ferber on drums Panayides also performs his compositions in trio and solo settings. Panayides has been taking his music abroad, collaborating with local musicians in South Korea and China who bring a unique perspective to his compositions. With drummer Jong Dae Oh in Seoul, Matt has played countless gigs in venues with the top musicians on the scene. In Shanghai Matt teams up with saxophonist Alec Haavik. With some US dates scheduled for the end of 2019, Panayides will record his third album, set to be released in 2020. His previous group featured a long-standing partnership with Rich Perry on tenor sax which led to the creation of two albums “Conduits” (2015) with Rich Perry, Mark Ferber and Thomson Kneeland, and “Tapestries of Song” (2011) with Rich Perry, Steve LaSpina and Dan Weiss. Both albums were released on the label Pacific Coast Jazz to much acclaim and feature Panayides’ compositions. Matt holds a BM from Manhattan School of Music and an MM from William Paterson University.