Fragile Lucidity is the debut trio record for guitarist Matthew Yeakley, bassist Richard Giddens, and drummer Mark Ferber. It was conceived, written, and recorded all in the span of one month in December of 2018. In November of 2018, they had no idea that they would be writing for a new project then recording it less than a month later, but all the pieces seemed to fall in place one after the next to give this trio a chance to create this record.

The three had always talked about a trio project, but with Mark in New York, Richard in Fresno, Matthew in Los Angeles, and all of them with busy schedules of gigs, teaching, recording and touring, the possibilities of bringing this dream to fruition seemed scarce. Then, one day in early December 2018, Matthew heard from Mark that he would be in Los Angeles over the holidays and it got his gears turning. Matthew reached out to a local recording studio (Fire Flower Studios) that he had done work with before to see if there was any kind of availability in that window, and sure enough, there was. His next call was to Richard to see if he could be in Los Angeles for the studio days, and sure enough, he could. Now all the trio needed was material to play and record.

The band reinterpreted the jazz classic “Moonglow” as a fast modern 7/4 feel, and the Stephen Foster original “Hard Times Come Again No More” as a re-harmonized walking ballad with an added solo section. The group wrote original compositions ranging from the moody ballad, “Fragile Lucidity,” to the free improvisation built around a 12-tone row, “Monumental Insignificance.” The recording day came, and the magic was apparent from the first note. The band worked all through the day and what emerged was an album of which all three were excited and proud.

The magic that had surrounded the conception, writing, and recording of Fragile Lucidity was immediately brought into balance with the journey it would take to finish the record. The files were put onto a hard drive that went missing for almost two years. Eventually, the hard drive resurfaced during a move, and the race was on to release the record that the band was so excited to share.

Fragile Lucidity is an album whose whole conceit is based in seizing the moment at hand and capturing a moment between these three musicians. It harkens to the jazz tradition of lyricism and interactive musicianship. This record is a photograph of three musicians who blend effortlessly. It is a jumping off point for a trio who are only just beginning their recording history as a group. It is the album that came together by incredible good fortune, was lost, and then rediscovered.

Guitarist, Matthew Yeakley, has been a staple of the Los Angeles jazz community for more than the last decade, appearing in clubs and concert venues almost nightly. In 2020 alone his guitar playing can be found on avant garde jazz records, Christmas vocal jazz records, and nationally televised music competition shows. While maintaining a busy performance and recording schedule, Matthew keeps up his own artistic endeavors with his upcoming trio release, Fragile Lucidity (Orenda 2020) and his first solo guitar album Lost (Orenda 2021), which follow up his previous albums Clean Numbers and Dirty Words (Orenda 2016).

Matthew is also an avid jazz educator, working as the combo director in the award-winning Harvard-Westlake School’s jazz program, as well as a clinician for the Herbie Hancock Institute’s “Jazz in the Classroom” project. In 2012 he published 10 Arrangements for Solo Guitar, and continues to travel for guitar clinics to teach the art of solo guitar playing.

As a performer, Matthew has shared the stage with such jazz luminaries as Kamasi Washington, Theo Crocker, Ambrose Akinmusire, Walter Smith III, David Binney, John Beasley, Hadrien Feraud and Marquis Hill, to name a few. This is where Matthew can be heard at his best, interacting with his bandmates, and making split second decisions in search of musical transcendence.

Matthew is a Southern California native, born in Los Angeles raised in San Diego. He studied guitar at the Musician’s Institute in Hollywood with some of the giants of the Los Angeles guitar world. Matthew is an endorsing artist with Eastman guitars and currently resides in Los Angeles.

Recorded by Cooper Appelt at Fire Flower Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Mixed and Mastered by Dan Rosenboom at BoomHill Studio, Los Angeles, CA

Artwork by Eron Rauch
Design by Matthew Yeakley

1. Moonglow (W. Hudson)
2. Ten Million Dollars (R. Giddens)
3. Fragile Lucidity (M. Yeakley)
4. Hard Times Come Again No More (S. Foster)
5. The Night We Called It A Day (M. Dennis)
6. Monumental Insignificance (M. Yeakley)
7. Rn’B (M. Yeakley)

www.matthewyeakley.com
ORENDA RECORDS 0085