Matt Panayides: Jazz Guitarist and Composer

Matt Panayides is a Jersey City-based jazz guitarist, composer, and recording artist known for his expressive modern quartet and trio performances. His music blends melodic exploration with rhythmic drive, showcased across recordings including Present Echoes, Field Theory and With Eyes Closed.

PRESENT ECHOES

New album August 21, 2026

SteepleChase Records

Matt Panayides is a guitarist and composer based in Jersey City whose music combines a strong connection to the jazz tradition with a personal approach to composition and improvisation. Drawing inspiration from musicians including Jim Hall, John Scofield, Wes Montgomery, and Joni Mitchell, Panayides has developed a distinctive voice as both a guitarist and bandleader.

His latest recording, Present Echoes, will be released in August 2026 on SteepleChase Records. Featuring tenor saxophonist Rich Perry, bassist Steve LaSpina, and drummer Mark Ferber, the album brings together longtime collaborators for their first recording as a quartet. Centered largely on Panayides’ original compositions, Present Echoes explores a wide range of rhythmic, harmonic, and improvisational environments.

Panayides performs regularly in New York at venues including Smalls Jazz Club, Mezzrow, Birdland, and Brvsh Cu7tur3, and has brought his music to audiences throughout the United States with his trios and quartets. His groups have appeared at Rudy’s Jazz Room in Nashville, The Century Room in Tucson, Merrimans’ Playhouse in South Bend, Mr. Henry’s in Washington, DC, and venues throughout the Midwest and mid-Atlantic.

In 2024, Panayides released With Eyes Closed, a trio recording with Steve LaSpina and Anthony Pinciotti devoted to his interpretations of jazz standards. His earlier recordings for Pacific Coast Jazz — Field Theory (2021), Conduits (2015), and Tapestries of Song (2011) — document his development as a composer and improviser and include collaborations with musicians such as Rich Perry and Mark Ferber.

An important part of Panayides’ musical life has also been his connection to the Seoul jazz community, where he spent several formative years and continues to perform. His appearances in Korea have included All That Jazz, Club Evans, and festivals in Daegu and Jongno, collaborating with musicians including Oh Jong Dae, Chris Varga, and Kim Sung Su.

Originally from the Midwest, Panayides began on piano before moving to guitar and pursuing jazz studies at the Manhattan School of Music and William Paterson University. His work continues to center on original composition, improvisation, and the development of a personal musical language.