Bio
Matt Lawson is a jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, and educator whose career has included military service, professional performance, recording, and touring. He began his professional career as a member of the United States Navy Band, performing throughout Asia and the Pacific before returning to Maine, where he worked extensively throughout New England with blues and jazz ensembles.
In 2001, Matt relocated to Louisville, Kentucky to study in the Jamey Aebersold Jazz Studies Program at the University of Louisville. During that time, he won the Jazz Division of the National Trumpet Competition in 2004 and released his debut recording, Midnight in Merizo, on the Jazz Factory label. He later joined the faculty of the Jamey Aebersold Summer Jazz Workshops.
As a performer, Matt has appeared with artists including Phil Woods, Jimmy Heath, Terell Stafford, Marcus Printup, Curtis Fuller, Delfeayo Marsalis, Harry Pickens, and The Temptations, among many others.
After earning a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from University of Louisville, Matt spent fifteen years as a public-school educator while remaining active as a performer, private instructor, composer, and arranger. Following a successful recovery from recurrent lymphoma, including a stem cell transplant in 2025, he recommitted himself to a full-time artistic path.
Matt currently performs, teaches, composes, and arranges on the coast of Maine. In 2026, he will return to graduate study in music, continuing a lifelong pursuit of artistic growth, jazz performance, and creative scholarship.
