Solo guitar at another Hartwick College Music Department Faculty Showcase! I’ll be performing a few selections from Ornette Coleman’s catalog arranged for solo guitar.

Free Concert presented by The Schenectady-Amsterdam Musicians Union and The Rotterdam Senior Center as part of a mini-series celebrating Women’s History Month.

This will feature original arrangements by Wyatt of his favorite Joni Mitchell songs along with vocalist Jeanine Ouderkirk, Evan Jagels, and Bob Halek.

Free Admission!

Guitar-drum duets at The Tasting Lab!

Solo guitar at Green Wolf Brewing in Middleburgh NY!

Super excited to be playing original music by bassist Dylan Perrillo at The Lark Street Tavern in Albany NY!

Check out Dylan’s work at bandcamp, or his website.

feat: Adam Siegel, Nick Anderson, and Tyler Giroux.

The Yolanda Bush Trio featuring Evan Jagels and me at The Gatehouse in Morris. Free music!

The Second installment of Soloists in the Round: A unique concert format featuring three solo improviser-composers, performing for the audience and each other.

The soloists included in this iteration are Blake Fleming, Evan Jagels, and Wyatt Ambrose.

Admission is free, but donations are strongly encouraged! This event is part of the Sunday Session music series at The Gatehouse in Morris NY.

See you there!

The inaugural performance of the co-led quintet Avella-Ambrose & Assoc featuring Thom Avella on Saxophones, Wyatt on guitar, Brian Halliday on Piano, Jason Emmond on Bass, and Nick Anderson on drums.

The quintet will be playing original works by Wyatt and Thom, as well as creative renditions of jazz standards and all sorts of other music.

Tickets are $15 in advance, and $20 in person. Eventbrite link and further details available soon!

Solo guitar at the Tasting Lab!

Matthew Steckler, aka Matty Stecks, performs and composes in several musical settings internationally. From 2017-20, he served on the faculty in Jazz & Contemporary Popular Music at the renowned Brandon University School of Music in Canada; and has taught at NYU, RPI, and other higher ed and K-12 schools. Primarily a saxophonist/woodwind specialist, he also performs on vocals, keyboards, percussion and electronic media, bringing a dynamic, holistic approach to the live musical experience.  

As a composer and bandleader, Matthew has been recognized for his seminal work with the projects Dead Cat Bounce and Persiflage, chronicled in Downbeat & Jazz Times, and featured at festivals and major concert series in the United States. Other projects he has led include SWIPE Cartel and Lavender Jones & The Dead Giveaways. Most recently, his Matty Stecks & Musical Tramps is a welcome addition to the greater Winnipeg jazz community. 

In other collaborative settings, Matthew has most recently been in recording projects led by the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Eric Hangen y La Ruta, Alex Torres Latin Orchestra, News From Planet Kniffen, MC Frontalot and Satyrdagg.  He recently has shared the stage with Michael Cain & Sola at the Brandon Jazz Festival, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, and the Brandon Chamber Players.

Over the course of his career, Matthew has also performed alongside Lonnie Plaxico, Gary Smulyan, Lee Konitz, Anthony Braxton, Roswell Rudd, George Russell, Gunther Schuller, Curtis Fowlkes, Pheeroan Aklaff, Jon Hendricks, Jay Hoggard, George Lewis, Marty Ehrlich, Tyshawn Sorey, Dan Weiss, Chris Lightcap, Greg Burk, Jim McNeely, Lenny Pickett, Randy Brecker, Joe Lovano, Bob Moses, Greg Hopkins, Gerald Cleaver, Bobby Sanabria, Gary Morgan, Ed Palermo, Club D’Elf, Max Creek and the Jazz Composers Alliance.

Matthew has written for concert music, theatre, film and game audio settings, and continues his own foundational work in electroacoustics and multimedia that began with his 2013 research-based, extended work Eco Beat Heresy. His area of research interest is in the burgeoning field of embodied music cognition, to which he contributed the 2013 dissertation The Play Space in Embodied Composition: A Study of Social Process in the Creation of Music for Improvisers.

Matthew holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Composition from New York University, an M.M. in Jazz Performance from New England Conservatory of Music, and a B.A. in Music from Wesleyan University. He studied performance with Jerry Bergonzi, Thomas Chapin, Danilo Perez, Cecil McBee, Nick Brignola, Jay Hoggard and Paul Bley, and composition/theory with Jim McNeely, Anton Vishio, Marc Consoli, Jerica Oblak, Justin Dello Joio, Dinu Ghezzo, Ron Sadoff, Lee Hyla, Anthony Braxton and George Russell.

Killdeer Trio returns to Lark Street Tavern!

Killdeer Trio returns to Mojo’s with very special guest Laura Aguíla on saxophone.

Opening set from local indie band Girl Love!

Killdeer Trio returns to Roots for another fun night of music at one of Oneonta’s best spots!

Free Admission — Tips/drinks required!

Yolanda Bush and The Cool Water Collective return to the B-Side!

Yolanda Bush - Vocals, percussion

Tim Iverson - Hammond B3

Evan Jagels - bass

Joe Damone - drums

Wyatt Ambrose - guitar

Funky/Jazzy/Rockin organ jams to work off that turkey tryptophan hangover!

Conor Murphy - real Hammond Organ and vocals

Evan Jagels - real Electric Bass

Sebastian Green - real drums

Wyatt Ambrose - guitar

Killdeer Trio plays for patrons of The Tasting Lab in Greenville NY!

The Tarik Shah Trio at Stella’s Pasta Bar in Schenectady NY — former site of the historic Van Dyck.

Bronx-born bassist, composer, and jazz educator Tarik Shah, began his journey in music when he was granted his first bass as a gift from his mother at age twelve. By the age of fourteen, he was performing regularly, and by the age of sixteen, he had become the sole student of renowned jazz bassist Slam Stewart (1914–1987). 

Very early in his career as a bassist, Tarik became a sought-after sideman to some of the greatest artists in jazz. In 1984, at the age of 21, he joined Betty Carter's band and began touring internationally. After his return, he proceeded to perform and record with jazz luminaries such as Ahmad Jamal, Randy Weston, Abbey Lincoln, Rahn Burton, Barry Harris, Pharaoh Sanders, Vanessa Rubin, the World Saxophone Quartet, and Hamiet Bluiett, among many others. In 1992, he was invited to play with the Duke Ellington Orchestra for President Bill Clinton’s inaugural ball, alongside Red Rodney, Sir Roland Hanna, Harold Vick, and Dr. Lonnie Smith.  

Now residing in New York’s Capital region, Tarik continues to perform in New York City's finest jazz venues such as Mezzrow and Smalls, while continuing to mentor many young musicians in the Albany, New York music scene. Tarik is currently at work on two major projects – his first methods book titled Harmony, Improvisation, and How to Practice and a debut solo album entitled Solitary Refinement, featuring his original compositions. 

Tarik’s current projects have been supported by the Jazz Foundation of America and SmallsLIVE Foundation for Jazz Art & Education.

Killdeer Trio returns to the B-Side!

Joel Harrison book event and performance in support of his newest book “Pity The Genius”!

Featuring Blake Fleming, Evan Jagels, and Wyatt Ambrose performing and discussing solo instrumental works at CANO in Oneonta.

Reserve your seats on Cano’s website! $15 suggested donation

Jam session hosted by Sal’s Owner and drummer Bobby Angilletta!

Evan Jagels - bass

Wyatt - guitar

The second and final faculty showcase of the fall 2024 semester!

The theme of this showcase is music that is from or inspired by the Opera. Wyatt will perform a duo set with Evan Jagels, featuring surprise arrangements of Operatic works for jazz duo.

Parking available at next to Anderson. The theater is on the opposite end of the building. Email me at wyattambrosemusic@gmail.com for specific directions!