Greatness and Gratitude Blind since birth, Matthew Whitaker credits his musical success to a supportive community By Scott Hall
He was born more than three months premature, weighing less than 2 pounds, with dicey odds of survival. The complications included retinopathy that left him blind. Despite a series of surgeries as an infant, doctors warned he might never walk or talk.
and arranger – is one of the hottest young jazz musicians in the world, with three acclaimed albums under his belt. He has played the prestigious venues (Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, etc.) and the big jazz festivals (Monterey, New Orleans, Newport, etc.). He’s been featured on Today, Ellen and 60 Minutes, for a segment in which doctors ran him through an MRI machine to study how his brain processes music.
Now, Whitaker – pianist, organist, drummer, composer
The term he most often uses for himself is “grateful.” And by
The term “prodigy” was
invented for people like Matthew Whitaker, not that there are many people like him.
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