Keyboardist Matthew Whitaker is a once-in-a-generation musical talent. Blind since age two, Whitaker holds court on piano and Hammond B-3 organ, with a bold and confident sense of swing and a wide-ranging palette that spans straight-ahead jazz and hard bop, R&B, and Latin influences. He has been performing across the globe since age 11—even opening for Stevie Wonder at the Apollo Theater—and at 13, he became the youngest musician to be endorsed by Hammond in the company’s history. Having just released his second recording the 19-year-old is currently taking the jazz world by storm.

This performance is part of the Illuminations: Music and the Mind series.

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PHOTO 1
Caption: Matthew Whitaker Quartet performs as part of Cal Performances at Home, streaming premiere Thursday, November 5 at 7pm PST; Performance will be available on demand until February 3rd, 2021.
(credit: Jacob Blickenstaff)
PHOTO 2
Caption: Matthew Whitaker Quartet performs as part of Cal Performances at Home, streaming premiere Thursday, November 5 at 7pm PST; Performance will be available on demand until February 3rd, 2021.
(credit: Jacob Blickenstaff)