Biography.guide
Home › People › Musician › Matt Bauder
Portrait of Matt Bauder

Matt Bauder

b. 1976

American musician

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Matt Bauder

Born 1976. Matt Bauder is an American musician and saxophonist.

Matt Bauder (born 1976) is an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist and composer. He is the bandleader of the jazz trio Hearing Things, the jazz quintet Day in Pictures, and the modern doo-wop group White Blue Yellow & Clouds. He is a member of the long-form improvisation trio Memorize the Sky, jazz collective Ghost Train Orchestra, and was formerly a member of the touring lineups for Arcade Fire and Iron & Wine.

Early life and education Bauder was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He attended the University of North Texas in Denton, and earned a bachelor of fine arts in jazz and contemporary improvisation at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He lived in Chicago from 1999 to 2001, where he was a part of the city's modern jazz and improvised music scene, and then attended graduate school at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. There he studied under Anthony Braxton and received a master's degree in composition.

Career In 2003, Bauder released his debut album, Weary Already of the Way, on . He followed that up in 2007 with the first album from his long-form improvisational jazz trio Memorize the Sky, featuring Bauder on saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet and percussion, Zach Wallace on bass, vibraphone and percussion, and Aaron Siegel on drums and percussion. Bauder released two more albums with Memorize the Sky, in 2008 and 2010.

Bauder is the bandleader and plays saxophone and guitar in the jazz trio Hearing Things, with JP Schlegelmilch on organ and Vinnie Sperrazza on drums.

In 2001, Bauder formed the doo-wop jazz group White Blue Yellow & Clouds. He plays saxophone and guitar in the group, and also sings lead vocals on some of the songs. The album features trumpeter Peter Evans, bassist Jason Ajemian, Fred Thomas (of Saturday Looks Good to Me) and sound artist Dan St. Clair. On the album, the band mashes up '50s doo-wop, '60s soul and California pop music with avant-garde flourishes, and includes covers of "God Only Knows" by The Beach Boys, "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" by The Flamingos and "Hushabye" by The Mystics. Bauder played tenor saxophone and composed the songs on both albums.

In 2014, he joined the Arcade Fire's touring lineup, remaining with the band until 2016. He played saxophone and clarinet on two tracks on Arcade Fire member Will Butler's 2015 debut album Policy. He has also toured with Iron & Wine, played in the Broadway production of Fela! Bauder regularly performs with Harris Eisenstadt's quintet Canada Day, and has also appeared on recordings by the Exploding Star Orchestra, Taylor Ho Bynum, Anthony Braxton, Rob Mazurek and Harris Eisenstadt.

Discography Albums By: Matt Bauder Released: October 28, 2003 Label: 482 Music By: Memorize the Sky Released: May 8, 2007 Label: 482 Music By: White Blue Yellow & Clouds Released: November 6, 2007 Label: I and Ear Records Formats: CD2008In Former Times By: Memorize the Sky Released: November 11, 2008 Label: Clean Feed Records By: Matt Bauder Released: May 18, 2010 Label: Porter Records By: Matt Bauder and Day in Pictures Released: November 8, 2010 Label: Clean Feed Records By: Memorize the Sky Released: December 4, 2010 Label: Broken Research By: Matt Bauder and Day in Pictures Released: January 21, 2014 Label: Clean Feed Records Formats: CD, digital download

Extended plays By: Matt Bauder Released: August 19, 2003 Label: Locust Formats: CD

Singles YearTitle2015"Stalefish / Transit of Venus" By: Hearing Things Released: March 1, 2015 Label: Hawks Records Formats: 7-inch

Appears on

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
1976, Michigan
Birth century
Nationality
Education
Wesleyan University, University of Michigan, University of North Texas

People in Matt Bauder's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Matt Bauder's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Matt Bauder?

American musician

When was Matt Bauder born?

Matt Bauder was born in 1976 in Michigan.

What is Matt Bauder's occupation?

Matt Bauder is a musician and saxophonist.

What nationality is Matt Bauder?

Matt Bauder is American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Matt Bauder

· Wikidata: Q1909134

· DBpedia: Matt Bauder

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Matt Bauder. https://biography.guide/matt-bauder/

MLA: "Matt Bauder." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/matt-bauder/.

Chicago: "Matt Bauder." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/matt-bauder/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

Page generated 2026-09-27 04:58 UTC