Matthew Richards

Matt Richards is a saxophonist, clarinetist, flutist, and composer in Los Angeles, CA. While sports, political science, and philosophy have fueled his interest in the world, Matt is most at home with either an instrument at hand, coffee and music paper at the ready, or a student to teach and discuss music with. Matt’s a believer in the mutualistic relationship of various interests, and there ability to manifest into a unique person and musician. His passion for football led him to the first piece of music he learned by ear- “The University of Southern California Fight Song”; the school in which he’s now a proud alumnus of. Among the freelance, sideman, and recording work in Los Angeles, Matt’s personal projects include being a founding member of the rock/hip hop band, Cab Ellis, having released they’re debut album “Nighttime OCD” in April of 2020. He frequently plays the Los Angeles scene with singer-songwriter David Ayscue, who released his first project, entitled “Southwood Waltz”. With Cab Ellis, David Ayscue, and many others, Matt’s played the stages of The Troubadour, Monterey Jazz Festival, The Roxy, Rolling Loud Music Festival, Kyoto Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, Rockwood Music Hall, and NPR Tiny Desk Contest On the Road. Other than performing and recording, Matt's biggest pride and joy is his private lesson studio. Being as fortunate as he was to learn from some of the best as a young musician, he strives to be an approachable mentor that provides experience-based knowledge in an open, no stakes learning environment- regardless of skill level.  Student-teacher relationships last a lifetime; a mutualistic relationship at its finest. Currently, Matt is writing and recording his debut solo album, to be released in 2021. 

I like to hear what you're interested in and generally want to work towards. However, I do know that sax, clarinet, or flute, as well as music theory can be daunting, and that you might have no clue what to work on/how to practice and get better For the people with a clear idea of what they want, I'm more than happy to tailor the material to your interests (coupled with my own material, practice advice). For the people who have no idea, all good, because I have plenty of material and practice regimen help to get your general musicianship at a high level, so you can play and learn anything you want. I tend to focus more on the jazz and classical route, as knowing these styles only opens you to whatever you want to play. My training is in these styles, and has led me to play with rappers, singer-songwriters, and even my own rock band, Cab Ellis.