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matt hogan was born in the midst of a 3-day blizzard in stoneham, massachusetts. he grew up climbing around under the speakers of his father’s hammond organ, listening to the instrument’s warm sounds and playing with the bass pedals. matt took piano lessons at a young age, but didn’t really find his calling in music until his father suggested he try his hand at electric bass. around the same time, a rather unusual event pushed matt towards jazz. his father, who works in boston, took a cab across town and told the driver he enjoyed the music in the cab. the driver, without hesitation, insisted that matt’s dad take the cd home with him. the album - dave mckenna and gray sargent at mayback recital hall. matt soon heard the cd and was immediately hooked on the sound of the piano and guitar working together to create amazingly intricate lines and sounds.

upon entering high school, matt was fortunate enough to befriend several musicians - brothers phil and jeff selesnick on piano and drums, and andrew greene on guitar. the four were soon playing in and out of school, learning jazz, blues, funk, and the occasional rage against the machine song. meanwhile, matt was quickly developing a fascination for jazz bordering on the obsessive - finding old records, learning to identify different musicians based on their sounds alone, and showing a knack for memorizing tunes.

matt initially attended susquehanna university in pennsylvania - it was here that he met drummer steve mitchell and began what could be considered a musical internship, playing gigs at a frantic pace, learning standards, running sessions, and discovering the importance and beauty of simplicity in music. later, matt attended the hartt school of music at the university of hartford, studying under bassist nat reeves and trombonist steve davis. while at hartt matt was able to continue the development of his voice on the bass, and to fully appreciate the power the instrument can have in sculpting the sound of a group. in school, matt met several student musicians who are now working professionals, in demand the world over.

after school, matt moved to boston, where he continued to work and grow as a bassist, studying with marshall wood and starting several sessions with friends from the new england conservatory. matt was fortunate enough to live in the same building and befriend the great tenor saxophonist arni cheatham, who imparted his wisdom to matt over the course of several years of musical cooperation. matt recently moved to tokyo with his wife sarah, where he hopes to carve a niche in the busy music scene. matt enjoys duo and trio playing, and welcomes the challenge of participating in a group without a drummer. his knowledge of jazz standards and ability to retain music make him a unique musician, and his dedication to time and swing allow him to propel a group to new heights.