Saxophonist Matt Carmichael was welcomed as ‘a distinctive new
voice in a crowded scene’ by BBC Music Magazine when he released his first
album “Where Will the River Flow” in March 2021. He has been making a big
impression on audiences since he emerged on the Scottish jazz scene as a
teenager with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland.

Matt’s music reflects his Highland
birthplace, Conon Bridge as the Scottish landscape and traditional music have
shaped his compositions, with their lyrical and emotional qualities and the
river-in-spate excitement of pieces such as The Spey.

A winner of the Peter Whittingham
Development Award in 2019, Matt followed this by appearing in the BBC Young Jazz
Musician 2020 final. Further accolades have emphasised his all-round
capabilities as a musician. Just before he graduated in June 2021, he became
the first student on the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s jazz course to win
all three of the awards presented at the end of the academic year – for
improvisation, composition and arranging. Tommy Smith recognised Matt’s
potential early, inviting him to join his own youth jazz orchestra, and has
described Matt as “better than I was at that age.”

Supported by multi-award-winning
pianist Fergus McCreadie, bassist Ali Watson, Tom Potter, UK Young Drummer of
the Year 2016, and Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2017, Charlie Stewart