Bio
Discography

last updated: May 2, 2007

Matt Cashdollar with saxophone

Matthew S. Cashdollar (saxophone, flute, vocals, composer, teacher) was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He started playing alto sax in the 5th grade. It was freshman year at North Side high school where band director Ed King introduced him to the world of jazz and big band. During his four years there, he studied music intensely (transcribing Charlie Parker, David Sanborn, and various others), was very involved in all the bands, and was the recipient of several awards including the Louis Armstrong Jazz Award ('96), the Fort Wayne "Optimist of the Month" award ('96), and several high school Jazz Festival Solo awards (Including some "best overall soloist" honors). He graduated with an Academic-Honors diploma in 1996.

After graduating High School, Matt went on to study saxophone with Dr. James Ator at IPFW. There he was very active in the student ensembles, including jazz band, wind ensemble, sax quartet, university singers, vocal jazz ensemble, as well as a featured soloist with the university/community orchestra (a result of winning the Solo/Aria competition). While attending IPFW, he began exploring his own creative approach to music by writing compositions for ensembles both in and out of school. One composition (titled "Blue Jean" written for saxophone quartet) was chosen to represent the music school at the Symposium for Arts and Education in 1999. While in IPFW's Jazz Ensemble, Matt earned solo awards twice at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival (near Chicago). In various groups at school, he has traveled and performed in Michigan, Illinois, Colorado, Washington DC, and New York. Matt earned his Bachelor's in Instrumental Music Education (K-12) in December of 2001.

Outside of school, Matt began his professional career as a performer by actively involving himself in several bands. Some of the groups that he has been in include the Freak Brothers, Unlikely Alibi, Always in the Fridge, Strut Train, Klubber Lang, the Spicoli's, the Eddie Goza 7, and recently played in a few Bloomington, IN based bands, including the Saxophone Cartel, the Madcap 4, Make `Em, Shake `Em featuring Stephani Parker, and Goza (a new original funk band spun off from the Eddie Goza 7). Other groups Matt has played with includes the Wailhounds, Tito Discovery, Third Frame, Brand New Bag, and Vanilla Shortcake among others.

As part of various different bands, Matt has opened for Blood, Sweat, & Tears, KC & the Sunshine Band, David Lee Roth, the Urge, Guttermouth, the Jazz Mandolin Project, Al Hudson & One Way, Elwood, Caviar and has shared the stage with members of Parliament/Funkadelic. As part of various big bands, Matt has played with Bobby Shew, Bill Watrous, Butch Miles (drummer with Count Basie), Frank Mantooth, Craig Johnson, David Baker, and Jamey Aebersold.

Recently, Matt earned a Graduate degree in Jazz Studies at Indiana University in Bloomington. Along with having led 2 groups of his own, he was in David Baker's jazz band, played bari sax and flute in the IU Soul Revue, and studied saxophone with Tom Walsh. His teachers there included David Baker, Tom Walsh, Pat Harbison, Steve Houghton, and Luke Gillespie.

In the summer of 2005, Matt performed at the 30th annual North Sea Jazz Festival held at the Hague in Holland. From 2005-06, he worked for a year as a professional musician for Princess cruise lines which allowed him to travel and network beyond the United States.

Currently, Matt is living in Chicago and teaches at the Village School of Music in Deerfield, Il and Benet Academy in Lisle, Il.  He has devoted a great deal of time in various recording studios and is a part of a production team (Kung Fu KHZ).  You can expect several new songs and original CDs in the up and coming months.  



Discography

  • Strut Train - “Aww Yeah” (2000) released on Funk Fo Yo Trunk Records.
  • Strut Train - “Wooly Wooly Big Time” (2002) unreleased
  • Klubber Lang - “Klubber Lang” (2003) unreleased
  • Cameron Mizell - “Cameron Mizell” (2004)
  • The Saxophone Cartel - “Caught in the Act” (2005)

As a special guest

  • The Wailhounds - "Psychedelic Groovy..." (2001) recorded at Sweetwater Sound. I am featured on the tune titled "Smokin' B"
  • Third Frame - "Absorb the Orb" (2002) I am featured (rapping) on a tune called "Why"

Compilations

  • Extreme Essentials vol.3 (1999) Track featured Strut Train "And I Say"
  • Extreme Essentials vol.4 (2000) Track featured Strut Train "So Far Gone"
  • Extreme Essentials vol.5 (2001) Track featured Strut Train "Turn Me On"
  • Extreme Essentials vol.6 (2002) Track featured Klubber Lang "Clean the House" and Wailhounds "Smokin' B"
    For information on the Extreme Essentials compilations, visit X102.3.

If you have any questions, comments, etc. please contact me