Matt Roche is a guitarist and composer living and working in Naarm (Melbourne). Deeply grounded in the African-American traditions of jazz and improvisational music-making, his musical output is now centered on finding connections with unlikely musical traditions. A passionate performer and supporter of community music, he is strongly embedded within the local scene as a player, curator and teacher.
Matt Roche is the bandleader, guitarist and composer of post-rock jazz band Soft Power who have released three full-length albums and toured Australia twice. Their latest album Bucolica was released independently in September 2019 at the Jazzlab in Melbourne, their second album Easy Listening was distributed via Naarm record label Newmarket Music in 2018 and was launched in Melbourne, Sydney and Hobart with a performance at MONA. He is also key player of Naarm collective Hydra Fashion Week led by Charlie Teitelbaum featuring Jasper Evans and Emily Chen who are quickly developing a reputation for their energetic “Hyper-Punk-Jazz” sound. They have independently released two singles and their debut album “Serpent Season One”.
He is also bandleader, composer and guitarist for his bebop jazz band Joying which formed in 2018. Past projects include middle-eastern jazz band Shayan, jazz/indie-pop band Lilly Tunley Sextet, and he has played with indie-rock singer-songwriter Gena Rose Bruce and toured Australia with experimental pop artist Biscotti. Over the years he has shared the stage with Vince Jones, Reuben Rogers & Eric Harland, Julie O’Hara, the Melbourne Youth Jazz Orchestra and has performed at Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Stonnington Jazz Festival, Paradise Music Festival, Adelaide Festival, MONA – Museum of Old and New Art, Golden Age Cinema & Bar, The Jazzlab, Uptown Jazz Cafe and countless music venues around Australia.
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
“Always unpredictable guitar melodies” – HAPPY MAG 2018
Matt Roche 